Every council in the UK seems to be harping on about the cuts they are making and how this will affect front line services. Yes, it might be political, and a result of the financial crisis or the Labour party (depending on your allegiances). But are other Euro countries having to make sacrifices too? Here is the French perspective, Michael Streeter writes in his blog: michael-streeter.blogs.charentelibre.com ....
There are times living in France when I think I've wondered back into 1970s Britain, and today is one of them.
There's a fascinating story in the Charente Libre today about how chemists are worried about the threats of competition from supermarkets.
Currently most of us buy our non-prescription medicines at the local chemist, because we don't have any choice.
A few big supermarkets have their own in-store chemists, but there are few and far between. Out of the four E.Lecerc stores in the Charente, for example, only two have their own pharmacy.
Even these supermarket pharmacies have incurred the wrath of the individual pharmacies who say staff are are not as well trained as they are to give out advice with their pills.
So you can imagine what they think about non-prescription pills in the main supermarket itself..
Let me give you the opening paragraph of the Charente Libre story:
'In a few years there will be packets of medicine in the supermarket shelves between the canned food and boxes of leeks. Pills, gels, drops and syrups. Medicines that you will put into your shopping trolley in the same casual manner as a packet of pasta....'
That was written as a description of the worst nightmare of the pharmacists, with the expectation that many readers would be horrified by the idea.
Whereas for those of us from Britain, our response is : but where else would you buy them? (Ok, Boots, maybe..)
There's no doubt that non-prescription medicines are very expensive here in France and that a good dose of supermarket competition would bring the prices down.
Leclerc's own publicity material, see photo, makes the point that buying medicine at three times the cost you need to (i.e. in a pharmacy) is a pill that's 'hard to swallow'.
But before I get accused of wanting to impose Anglo-Saxon values onto France, I do accept that there is another point of view.
Individual chemists dispense advice with your drugs that you don't get at a supermarket checkout.
It's the old, old debate that has been confronting France for years; cheaper goods versus better quality of service.
Given the choice, which one would we choose?
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