Peter Rhodes on “small bubbles” bursting, a pointless comparison and getting the NHS we need

Good to see so many people standing for the one-minute silence in honour of the NHS dead. Not so good to see some of them with their hands in their pockets.

Comparing Britain's coronavirus toll with New Zealand's, as some pundits are doing, is pointless. New Zealand is like a very big farm whereas Britain is urban, overcrowded, with massive international trade and a huge prison population. It's like comparing Camberwick Green with the Bronx.

But there could be something in the theory, voiced by a World Health Organisation official this week, that the high death rate in Britain may in part be a tribute to the NHS which has been stunningly successful in keeping frail people alive.