Lumen writes

In giving a Sunday morning keynote address to the BCLA several years ago, the 'trouble-shooter' and former ICI chairman Sir John Harvey-Jones made a comment that there were far too many optical bodies in optics for the profession to make a significant difference. I am sure he meant publicly, inter-professionally and politically.

Given where we are right now, in trying to make the positive case for optometrists having the capability and capacity to take on a wider primary care role by reducing the burden in secondary care, but against the negatives of a disinterested government and Department of Health, a philosophy of devolvement (of budgets and blame) and GPs being the focus of funding, his words were blindingly obvious.