Blair's pledges face test of time

Blair was put under pressure in TV studio

		By Nick Assinder BBC News Online political correspondent

It was one of Tony Blair's most embarrassing pre-election confrontations.

During a live Question Time he was challenged by a mother whose little girl, Alice, is suffering from a rare bone marrow disease.

Carol Maddocks' anger, frustration and desperation at her daughter's future prospects were raw - and the prime minister got the full blast.

She wanted to know why the government wasn't doing more to promote donor registers.

The prime minister was thrown back onto his pledges to improve the NHS in general - but said he could make no specific promises about bone marrow diseases.

Maddocks were delighted with response

She told him that wasn't good enough, and asked to meet him to discuss the issue.

Now, during a Downing Street face-to-face, he has apparently made exactly the specific promises the couple were after.

He told Carol and her husband Dean that he would put more money into boosting the number of bone marrow donors on the register from 15,000 to between 30,000 and 40,000 a year.

But, while the couple's delight is clearly genuine, many believe the prime minister's promises must come with a health warning.

Firstly it is not at all certain that there is going to be any extra money for the new project.

Secondly, there is no particular timetable attached to the pledge to boost the number of donors on the register.

'Spin before substance'

This is not to say Tony Blair is not genuinely moved by the problem and wishes to do whatever he can to help.

But, thanks to his reputation for putting "spin before substance" - to quote William Hague - many will see this as another victory for spin.

He brought the couple into Downing Street and was clearly sympathetic to their plight.

He reassured them and, in a less confrontational atmosphere than a TV studio, offered words of sympathy and, most importantly, action.

Genuine response

All eyes now on Alice

But what many are already asking is whether any of this will really change anything.

The prime minister's critics are already adopting the view that this was all just one grand PR exercise.

If it was - and, it has to be said, Mrs Maddocks does not look like the sort to easily fall for such tricks - it was one of the most cynical yet.

Others believe this was a genuine response form the prime minister who would not play PR games with such a sensitive subject.

The fact that he waited until after the general election adds to the argument that he did not want to be seen using the issue for political gain.

Meanwhile, attention must now focus on 8-year-old Alice and her long wait for a donor which everyone hopes will soon be successfully ended.

As for the politics of this tragic situation - only time will tell whether the Maddocks' delight with the prime minister is well founded.