TY - JOUR T1 - Heroes and villains JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 150 LP - 150 VL - 55 IS - 511 AU - Craig Watson Y1 - 2005/02/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/55/511/150.abstract N2 - In the real-life equivalent of computerised flight simulations, high-flying pilots launch their smart bombs on distant and defenceless populations. In the real-life equivalent of computerised economic simulations, high-flying politicians launch their smart policies on distant and defenceless populations. Neither in simulations nor in real life do those individuals at the launch sites hear the screams of those affected at the point of impact.The perfectly performed sound bites of an orchestrated media campaign provide mellow music to muffle the screams. On virtual reality television, newscasters interview ministers who massage us with their figures. Their reassurances proclaim that ‘the world is safe in their hands’ and that ‘the NHS is safe in their hands’. Meanwhile, going virtually unnoticed from their vantage point, from every direct hit of allied ordnance, another suicide bomber emerges from the wreckage. And from every shrinking NHS waiting list, another elderly lady endures years of pain and immobility awaiting her hip … ER -