Lansley's "pause"

So Lansley says he will press the "pause" button on the Health and Social Care Bill. Cameron says he will "listen" to the concerns of people, but changes have to go ahead. In the teeth of public and professional opposition to the Bill, the timetable is to be delayed. Handing over £80 billion to GPs to commission services is a gamble with patients' lives.

And now, in a slight side-step Clegg (on Breakfast TV) says people are worried about the way the money will be allocated and worried about the role of the private sector. "We will listen to concerns and distinguish between those which are mis-placed and those which are genuine and legitimate". So, there you have it. That is the listening and explaining strategy. People don't understand. If they have concerns that the Government disagrees with, they are mis-placed. Health professionals, the health select committee, the people who work in the NHS and patients have "mis-placed" concerns.

Clegg talked of unaccountable officials moving money around from one side of the desk to another, and continued: "We will take a step back for a couple of months by stopping the legislative clock ... we want to bring people along with us." So there will be a couple of months pause to allow the spin to work its magic on the "mis-placed concerns".

I get the impression the Government hopes that the opposition to the Bill will waver and hope that once people have got if off their chests, it can continue driving these backward changes through.

I know that UNISON won't drop its opposition because its members working in the NHS know how damaging this Bill will be to patient care, to equality of treatment and that it signals privatisation through the front door.

Jury's, Liverpool and UNISON Health

In Liverpool for UNISON health conference being held at the fantastic new conference centre. Great, helpful staff and lovely views over the Mersey. Outside the press room, there's a balcony that gives you the feel of the prow of a large ocean-going vessel. Delegates settling in now. On the agenda today: Address by UNISON health chair Lilian Macer, emergency motion on the sell-off of parts of the blood service and debates on protecting the NHS against privatisation and cuts. See that Cameron is talking about listening and explaining more. Perhaps he should listen more and spin less. Staying in Jury's Inn is a strange experience. Wardrobes with no doors and small enough to get a child's clothes in, liquid soap and shower gel screwed to the wall and a force nine gale blowing in the bathroom all night. I didn't sleep very tight.