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Health Bill

When I living in Scotland a very long time ago, what amazed me was the way that people there were able, first, to drink a pint of beer and, secondly, to follow it up with a dram of whisky. I think that that may be a cultural difference. I have not seen it happen in England, although I do not often frequent bars. There is one crucial difference: population does matter. The population of Scotland is some 5.9 million, I think, and that of Wales some 2.9 million, while the people of England represent 50 million of the total population of 60 million. Therefore, we must consider that the majority population may have something to say on its own behalf, rather than wanting to have the Scottish experience, or any other experience, foisted upon it. Those remarks are not meant to be derogatory in any way to the Scots, who are decent and clever people. But there are 50 million of us in England and we really must decide our own policies and not simply slavishly follow those policies that have been imposed on the Scottish people by their own Parliament. Perhaps the Scots are a little more dour than the English and a little more extreme in what they are doing. I hope that our Bill will be less extreme than that imposed in Scotland.