I'm another who cannot understand why the entire country isn't up in arms that the NHS is being bolstered by charity at this crucial time of crisis...
Don't get me wrong, I applaud the Captain and all those doing their bit because their intentions are admirable and give a glimmer of hope for humanity in general, however, it is a well known fact that those who give most often have the least, and where personal circumstances are precarious demonstrating charity is noble but possibly misguided - if one doesn't husband ones resources optimally, that charitable donation might be missed from a household budget down the line.
There also seems to be an element of psychological manipulation ripe for the plucking - we already pay for the NHS through taxes, directly and indirectly, but now we have evidence that people are willing to put their hands deeper and deeper into their pockets to fund what is, I agree a worthy cause. Is this a good way to soften us up for systems like the US and Germany - our own variation of course, but also an opportunity to separate the NHS from the state and hand it to those desperate for privatisation and all the opportunities for profit that would ensue? Last time I looked Captain Tom's efforts had garnered over 20 million. How many donors? How many will think it's worthwhile to make that contribution every month directly? How many will be subject to a two tier system? I am genuinely flummoxed by the enthusiasm for these fund raising efforts and the lack of sustained outcry about the potential loss of the NHS in any form we recognise once things are re-structured.