"You can only kick the Government so many times" were the words of an occasional Labour rebel MP to me as we walked to the division lobbies to vote on the Identity Cards Bill. 

This to me explained the fact that the Third Reading of the Bill was passed with a Government majority of 25 and that only 25 Labour rebels stuck to their views against the pressure from their Whips. 
What was probably even more surprising was that a very reasonable amendment supported by Liberty simply to remove the compulsion for people who have to renew their driving licences soon to be forced to apply for an ID card at the same time. 
This was a Labour back bench amendment. 
It was lost by 32 votes and I was amazed it did not attract more support as this vote would not have brought down the Bill or the Government!.

The Identity Cards Bill now goes to the House of Lords where it will face a very rough ride and hopefully receiving a very strong message from the House of Lords, the Government will feel the necessity to make amendments.

The striking fact in the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Clinical Service and Finance Review is that the bulk of the County's hospital debt has arisen in Worcester to the tune of £13 million. 

The Alexandra Hospital in Redditch is little over a million in debt 

and Kidderminster is approximately half a million in profit. 

Proposals for the downgrading of the Alexandra Hospital risk carrying out exactly the same iniquity that occurred with the downgrading of Kidderminster. 
It could be again an attempt to rob the north of the County to bail out the south of the County. 
This is just not acceptable and the source of the overspend must be addressed. Part of this at least comes from the huge unaffordable payments to the builders and providers of services at the Private Finance Initiative Hospital in Worcester. 
Bed occupancy rates above a contracted figure worsen the position and when it comes to the formal consultation on this review I will be opposing lengthening the PFI contract to raise capital. 
On the other hand, renegotiation of the contract to aim for a single county hospital on a site that would be of equal benefit to all the people in the north, south, east and west of the County is something that should be looked at when the hospital in Worcester approaches its sell by date.

The review paper that we have seen is only a pre-consultation discussion document so I hope that when the formal document comes out, only realistic possibilities will be included. 

If the Alexandra Hospital did lose many of its core services would Redditch GPs refer their patients to Worcester with the difficult transport links, more difficult even than those between Kidderminster and Worcester?