The Health of the Nation.

Clearly the lady was struggling! A veritable tidal surge of pedestrians was exiting Chapelfield Mall, and the lady in question was swimming against the tide. Not actually making any headway, merely holding her own.

Adrift in the current, I was about to exit, when I noticed her, laden with child in buggy and an armful of uncertain paper and plastic bound items. So I opted instead, to hold the door ajar. Whereupon, entirely like so much unthinking river water, the current sought out the path of least resistance and duly upped its tempo. First a couple of young women, followed by a perhaps mother, a very tall gentleman, a young boy. None had acknowledged the waiting woman. None had acknowledged the fool at the door! None had missed a beat, Hell intent upon arrival at the next shop, the next cafe, the next, market stall. The woman gave up and steered her charge, to the side. The older man behind me laughed; embarrassment or simply acknowledging the severe downturn in the nation's heath? The river flowed onward!

Hoping to pick up a repeat prescription, I diverted to the local pharmacy. The prescription wasn't ready; I'd sensed that it might not be, I'd only handed in the script six days previously. So I stepped into the adjacent surgery, in order to hasten things along.

Working very much in tempo with the current climate, the young receptionist relayed the words of the doctor. "This is the one you've run out of," he clarified. "This one is nearly due, but this one won't be due for a month or so yet," he went on to elaborate.

I frowned, peering up, quizzically into his face.

"You have three packets of these, so they should last another couple of months," the man elaborated.

I was able to reassure the receptionist that the reason for having three packets of that particular item was because the doctor had prescribed three packets, thus three rather than one tablet daily. Should the dose, at any point in the future, require altering, it will most certainly not be in a downwardly direction. My objective of acquiring my long-standing repeat prescription was duly achieved in approximately thirty-five minutes, some thirty minutes longer than hoped for. The deep fingernail indentations are still clearly visible upon the packaging.

Back home to the news and the latest BBC entertainment bonanza version of the Scottish debate. Alex Salmon and Alistair Darling before a packed audience. Heaven help us!

I'm not Scottish, so will not be consulted on the issue of independence. Unlike some people that I know I have formed fond attachments to our northern cousins. I love the country and have always found the people charming; often passionate about things that matter, in a way that sometimes seems to have eluded many of their English counterparts. I don't share the misguided jingoism that seems to surface at every England Scotland football or rugby match.

I want them to stay as part of The Union. This post cannot accurately relay the full and many reasons for my wishing them to remain; let it suffice to say that mine are long held beliefs, formed over time and through personal experience and much information gleaned from various sources. I have not been swayed by either Alex Salmond, nor Alistair Darling. I might add that, should anyone feel swayed by either side of last night's argument, that then these people should perhaps not be entrusted with a vote. But, all the same, I'm not at all sure that I'm right! I think I am, but I'm just not sure!

I can understand the scepticism with which many Scots look upon the UK government. Hell, a lot of us share this mistrust! We view the decisions made by the Scottish Parliament, often with a sense of envy. Frequently, we share an anger at those decisions made in the south. But yet I cannot be persuaded to think that Salmond is right, in his desire to break the Union.

That is, until he intimated that the NHS was not safe in the hands of the British Government.

Prior to setting off this morning I renewed my NHS prepayment certificate. I had to go through the NHS Business Services Authority. Apparently it is not enough that The Coalition is privatising the NHS; they also need to push the proof into our faces. Alex Salmond is, I fear, entirely correct about the safety of our NHS, it's not safe in the hands of the British government, sliced up and served to the PFIs, contracted and sub-contracted, trussed up, repackaged and sold to the highest bidder.

The health of the nation is not looking remotely rosy!