comment is free  Andrew Lansley's brilliantly backward steps
The health secretary's 60 NHS 'benchmarks' are based on
outcomes, rather than targets, making criticism of them that
much harder Andrew Lansley If Andrew Lansley 'succeeds in
deflecting criticism of the NHS changes until 2015, he will have
done Cameron a service'. Photograph: Katie Collins/PA Wire/Press
Association Images  Contrary to what opposition leaders down the
ages would have you believe, governments don't like targets.
Measuring something is one thing, but setting yourself a
statistical hurdle to jump over is dangerous – there's always
the chance you'll catch your foot, do an impressive somersault
and end up with grass stains on your face.  As leader of the
Conservative party in opposition, David Cameron frequently
excoriated the Labour government for their apparent love affair
with measuring everything. To assume a mocking stance, look
Gordon Brown in the eye and drawl "is he not the one who has
imposed 3,000 central targets on our public