If NHS was not free would A&E have been so full?

At 10 o’clock in the morning I joined the queue of 44 people who were seeking medical attention, ranging from infants to aged infirm adults, and wondered if this service was not free what size the queue would be.

Obesity was prominent in many, ranging from nine to 90 years of age.

And by the state of some others, one could hazard a guess that alcohol and tobacco contributed to being a major player in their life.

Besides that, some were apparently unshaven and unwashed, slovenly dressed, with their shirt-tail hanging out, indicated to me, that little respect was offered to the people they wanted to cure their ills, ills that in many ways, were self-inflicted through gluttony, be it food or alcohol.

The ominous presence of four members of the PSNI being in close attendance at all times that I was there is a poignant illustration of the state of our society today, and those who govern our lives.

Harry Stephenson (aged 81), Kircubbin, Co Down