I don’t know if I have explained this before, but here in the village we tend to ignore the outside world, especially when it comes to the Nanny State.  Here, we believe that the individual really does know what is best for him or her.  If someone is replacing tiles on our roof, we don’t go mincing around wearing hard hats like some demented Duncan Stewart.  If we want a quiet smoke in the pub, then that is up to Pullit.  He owns the pub, and what he says, goes.  If our kids go skateboarding and crack their elbows because they aren’t wearing pads, then it’ll teach them to be more careful in future.

Occasionally though, the outside world impinges on our tranquillity, and that is when I start to get pissed off.

The latest impingement is Mad Cow Harney and her plans to cut the subsidy payment to the pharmacies, as I have mentioned before.

I phoned our local pharmacy and asked what the story was, and to see if they were going on strike.  They said they were and that from Saturday on, all medicines will have to be paid for in full.

I quietly explained to them that I was going away for a long time and would need all medications in advance, and could I collect two months supply in advance?

They said they were sorry, but they had to abide by the strike.

I reminded them what happened the last time Herself went without her medications, and they told me to call down straight away.

I had a grand chat up with the girl behind the counter while the pharmacist jiggled her tablets and played with her capsules in her private sanctum.

We were having a great old chat about France when another customer butted in.  He looked vaguely familiar.  There was something about those eyebrows?  And for some unknown reason that awful fucking song “Lady in Red” started going through my head.  Anyway, he butted in, as I said and assured me that it is more than hot over there, and that he knew this because he was just back from there himself.  He annoyed me a bit, as I hate it when people see a celebrity and feel they have to butt in and pretend they know me.

The topic then turned to the government.  We all agreed that they where hell bent on destroying the country and that they were certainly the worst government in Ireland’s history, and probably stood a good chance at the world title.

The girl behind the counter looked at us sweetly –

“They should all be taken out and shot with balls of their own shite” she said.

There’s no answer to that.