HOW TO FIX...
Whether or not the NHS is, as Nigel Lawson said, the closest thing the English have to a religion, its ethos and staff hold a special place in our hearts. We cut it slack that few institutions enjoy—and boy, is it going to need it. The corollary of the heroic emergency work during the pandemic is waiting lists swelling to over five million, the longest since records began. Eventually, the pain and anxiety of waiting for treatment may sour the national mood: James Forsyth, a journalist with unmatched contacts in the Tory Party, has described rising waits as the biggest threat to its re-election.