As well the EU’s even increasing intrusion into matters beyond their mandate it is also worth considering how likely it is to achieve any of its medical ambitions. Among its many failures is its pitiful record on financial management; its own accountants have said that they can only say how 8% of last year’s budget was spent and that the remaining 92% is subject to ‘fraud and irregularities’.

How many of on hearing that our local hospital could only account for 8% of its budget would be enthusiastic about using such a badly organised place?

It is difficult to be as impressed with Audrey Craven’s wisdom as Mary was. To state that it is patients who benefit or not from medical decisions is hardly earth shattering news. That we are all likely to be patients was hardly insightful and asserting that patients should be listened to was far from original.

Did we really all have to pay taxes to have her shipped to Brussels to say these things? I am as good as most people when it comes to making a bland statement of the obvious, if they had asked me I would have emailed similar platitudes to Brussels for nothing.