I do think there is actually a need for a political party whose MP's are actually made up on members of the professions they'll eventually represent (By which I mean they won't represent the actual industry, but the people, but you would have a minister of education who has actual practice of being a teacher or something).
When the NHS was first being proposed the doctors at the time were strongly against it. The Health Secretary (Bevan I think) just flat refused to listen to what the doctors were telling him. He told them that it didn't matter what their complaints were, he was going to start a national health service.
If we had a system where you had to be an expert in a field before you could be in government then we would lose things like this. We would also lose problems with idiots running things (cough Gove cough). Overall though, we would never have change, our elected officials would only ever vote to maintain the status quo.
Additionally, we vote for people to represent us in government, I don't know that doctors could ever truly represent my views on health care.
I would just like to add a note that none of the things that I've represented as facts above have been checked. I learnt them in the pub, they might be wrong. Let me know (nicely).
On the "appointed day", 5 July 1948, having overcome political opposition from both the Conservative Party and from within his own party, and after a dramatic showdown with the British Medical Association, which had threatened to derail the National Health Service scheme before it had even begun, as medical practitioners continued to withhold their support just months before the launch of the service, Bevan's National Health Service Act of 1946 came into force. After 18 months of ongoing dispute between the Ministry of Health and the BMA, Bevan finally managed to win over the support of the vast majority of the medical profession by offering a couple of minor concessions, but without compromising on the fundamental principles of his NHS proposals. Bevan later gave the famous quote that, in order to broker the deal, he had "stuffed their mouths with gold".
Or how it would 'only take a day' to learn how to operate on people, for that matter.
I'm not so much surprised that someone in her position doesn't know how to code (she doesnt't have to, really), but at the very least I expect you to have a basic understanding of the depth and breadth of the topic, and not make sweeping, distracting and confusing statements like this.
A little preparation, just a few hours of talking to people who are knowledgeable on the topic, would go a long way not making a fool out of yourself.
...Nor does he lack even a layperson's grasp of what surgery is.
I feel rather sorry for her, though - aren't politicians supposed to be briefed for public appearances nowadays so things like this Just Don't Happen?
Also, the idea that civil servants are appointed based on "ability to do the job" is, for lack of a better term, amusing.
NB The UK Civil Service is precisely the kind of organization that I suspect Michael Young had in mind when he coined the much-abused term "meritocracy":
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1194059/A-giant-ma...
I need to have a beer with this guy.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Downing-Street-Nick-Robinson/dp...
Personally, I think this country is long overdue a Attlee, Bevan or even a Thatcher - leaders who actually believed in something.
Its more that she doesn't even know what a surgeon does but thinks you can train a surgeon up in a day.