What a strange country we live in.

The Prime Minister has been urging the country to plan street parties to celebrate the forthcoming wedding. To facilitate this much needed jollity, he is asking local councils to relax the health and safety regulations, waive the need for insurance and review the safety requirements for road closures.

David Cameron feels it would be good for us all to have some fun adding "It's a chance for all of us to come together and celebrate the great things about our country."

There are many great things about the UK and I am very happy to be living here. But there is also some very odd stuff going on.

It’s a country where….

On 6^th April the government launches a ‘two month listening exercise to ease concerns over the NHS Reforms’ but at the Royal College of Nursing conference just a few days later, Lansley will only concede to speak to 60 nurses, 5 selected from each region who must agree to be ‘respectful’

A country where..

‘More joined up care’ is promised, yet district nurses in a home counties area, who each used to work with one GP practice, are now in a ‘pool of nurses’ serving a large area. Patients needing regular care in their homes no longer see the same nurse each time and the only way to ensure continuity for treatment of, for example, leg ulcers is for the nurse to take a Polaroid photo of the wound to leave with the patient for the nurse visiting the next day to assess progress.

A country where..

Despite Lansley’s insistence that GP’s are embracing the reforms, according to the Health Service Journal’s excellent consortia development map, there are still 16 Primary care Trusts without a consortia.

A country where…

We scrap Harrier Jump Jets aircraft and put the magnificent Ark Royal aircraft carrier up for sale and then join new conflicts.

A country where…

We profess to be an animal loving nation yet spend millions of pounds betting on a brutal race where two horses died. We applaud the winning jockey then give him a five day ban for excessive use of the whip - in other words, animal cruelty. (I must confess to betting on the Grand National this year – the first time for many years. But when I watched it I deeply regretted my involvement and will never do so again)

Yes indeed – this is a strange country sometimes.

But I will follow David Cameron’s lead and celebrate the Royal Wedding with a small party at home, where health and safety regulations don’t apply. Although, judging by previous form of my friends and family - and me -  after a few glasses of bubbly, maybe they should.....