By Chad Teixeira

Britain is dancing while its doctors walk out, and most of us don’t even realise we’re being asked to look the other way.

As sequins fall and sofas fill this weekend, NHS doctors will begin a five day strike over pay, conditions and the long term viability of the health service across the country.

The contrast feels jarring, but only if you stop to notice it. For many, it passes unnoticed entirely, as instead we’re cushioned by familiar voices, warm laughter and the soft reassurance that this is what a nation at Christmas is supposed to look like.

There is nothing wrong with escapism. In difficult times, it can feel essential and be hugely welcomed. Yet when celebration consistently dominates the national mood while essential public services quietly unravel, escapism becomes something else.

It becomes a form of insulation, and especially when it’s not chosen consciously by the public, but delivered expertly through editorial decision-making that shapes what feels urgent and what fades into the background.

Industrial action in the NHS struggles to........

© LBC