daytime tv

on oprah
dr phil strategises my life .... i was a stripper and prostitute, now i want to inspire people around the world

on ricki lake
you're pregnant
stop dressing
so sexy!

Hmm, I know I said I'll do something productive today, but I feel worse than I did two days ago. Lethargic, sweaty, coughing and my ear is starting to hurt. The pleasure of being at home sick is starting to dissipate rapidly.

My parents came round bearing lunch today. I know that's only an excuse to see Matthew, but hey, I'm not proud.

They wondered if I'd been to the Doctor's yet. I haven't, there's not a lot to do with the flu except let it run its course, but if my ear is still sore tomorrow, I may get it checked out.

Anyway, they wondered if I had health insurance yet. I don't, and they don't understand why. I'm not sure even Deb agrees with my stand not to.

For a long time New Zealand has had a wonderful social welfare system, including free health care. This has been steadily cut back over the past 14 years under various right-wing ideologies, but the core of a free health system is still intact. It's straining and creaking though, with long waiting lists, underfunding and endless restructurings.

So a lot of people have got private health insurance. Effectively this means they can get their surgery when they want it, rather than being put onto the waiting list with the possibility of their condition deteriorating.

I believe fundamentally in the principle of a tax-payer funded health service. I equally believe that there should not be one health service for those who can afford it (through private insurance) and another for those who can't.

I could afford health insurance, but don't. If everyone did that we'd have further cuts and slashes to the health system we currently have.

My Dad said something like, "well, your philosophy's fine, but it's not going to get you an operation when you're languishing on the waiting list".

Is he right? How far do you let an abstract philosophy guide your decisions that affect your health? At what stage do you bail out and say, "I can afford to take care of myself, I don't care about the others"?

My views have never been tested in the personal. I've never had a major illness where I've had to wait for attention because the system couldn't cope at present.

What would I do then? What would I do if Matthew, or Debbie, needed an operation and it could only be done privately?

I don't have many strong philosophical views, I'm too much of a relativist. But those I do, I'd like to think I wouldn't give up easily.