So why is Owen making this pitch today? In fact, for very simple and sensible reasons. This is not a general election. The audience for both candidates’ arguments is a very narrow segment of the electorate, many of whom do in fact regard the Tories not as political opponents with whom they disagree on policy and principle but as genuinely evil individuals. The audience for Owen’s message is very open indeed to the argument that the NHS is about to be sold off. They probably don’t need persuading on that point, but they do need to be convinced that if that’s the Tory agenda, they need an articulate, clever leader who understands tactics and strategy in order to prevent it.

In a way this is a powerful illustration of the chasm in political perception that exists between the Labour Party and the electorate at the moment. The vast majority of the electorate may indeed have reservations about the way the NHS is being managed. They undoubtedly have concerns about the ongoing doctors’ dispute and many of them will have unpleasant anecdotes about their, or their loved ones’, visit to a local hospital.