All-out strikes will not kill patients. An exodus of junior doctors will

Until now, it has not been clear to most people what the junior doctors’ strikes are all about. It began about a total pay cut masquerading as a ‘basic pay rise’. Then it became about protecting doctors’ family and social lives at weekends. Most recently, there have been accusations of sexism. Somewhere in the middle, the more marketable concern about patient safety was introduced, and has risen to the forefront of the junior doctors’ campaign.

Last time I wrote, I considered the plausibility of these claims. I suggested that the strikes are primarily about doctors’ quality of life. This is no cause for shame: everyone has the right to campaign and work for a better quality of life. The predictable onslaught of abuse, threats and power plays came from the more fanatical wings of the campaign. A sizeable minority of doctors confided in me their agreement. A noble middle ground disagreed vehemently, but with admirable clarity and grace.