Tony Blair said on Question Time last night that he was 'astonished' to hear that GPs were refusing to book appointments more than 48 hours in advance in order to meet the government target that patients had to be seen in that time. What's really astonishing is that he was astonished. This one small cameo graphically exposed the fact that the Prime Minister doesn't have a clue what's going on as a result of his own policies. Health Secretary John Reid has said that only 2% of surgeries are doing this. I don't believe it's that small a proportion. Several members of last night's audience said they had the same experience, as have I myself. As the woman in the audience said, it drives you absolutely crazy to have to try to phone the sugery at a given time to make the appointment for the following day, only to find all the phone lines are busy and by the time you get through the slots have all been filled. The GPs tear out their hair over it but say they have no choice if their targets are to be met. Another example of the perverse effects of central government control. Madness.