that (insert the name of big supermarket chain here) should run the NHS.

The Ayes have it at a score that I’m unsure of the exact numbers but it was roughly 2:1 for the motion.

Today, we had a client event, based in Oxford, around the Great Oxford Debate – we put on an afternoon of papers in a conference style setting, which clients attended before going on to the debate and dinner afterwards.

My day has been excruciatingly hard work, commencing at 6am and culminating at around midnight. And that’s not to mention waking at 4am filled with terror and no more sleep.

However, despite the hard work and anxiety, the day was something that I feel privileged to have participated in. The Examination Schools of Oxford University are not open to the public, yet we had access to the whole building, full of charm and beauty. I lived in Oxford for ten years and never made it inside the building in all of that time.

The Oxford Union is the world’s most famous debating chamber and to be inside it for a debate is another privilege that few ‘common folks like me’ ever get to experience. The President of the Oxford Union ALWAYS goes on to ‘great things’ – many Prime Ministers are ex Presidents, so watch out for the bloke looking over the shoulder of the person at the despatch box) he’ll probably be running the country in twenty years.

The event was truly thrilling – I loved it, despite being whole-heartedly opposed to the motion and in the minority. As I’m sure many who come to these pages regularly will know, I loathe them with a passion. For me, despite totally agreeing that the NHS needs a good shake-down, the thought of an organisation like them running it makes me shiver. I recognise that my view is extreme and that I am obviously in the minority but I NEVER see any sign of any kind of leadership from the company that I’d want to see emulated by the NHS. All I see is the kind that says ‘let’s grab as much money from consumers as we possibly can…..oh look, someone over there is making a bit of dosh selling widgets – I think I’ll have a slice of that action, no matter what the cost to the community, the environment or health. As long as I and my shareholders carry on getting fatter that’s all I care about.’ When and if I get sick, I want to be cared for by someone who I believe to have a bit of compassion and care, not a bunch of out-and-out sharks.

Anyway, that’s enough of a rant from me – I do put my money where my mouth is on this one and have more-or-less totally stopped giving any of my money to them these days. My small stance is clearly completely against the flow of feeling in the nation as the company's sales continue to soar and their profits too. I must be so far from the weight of public opinion on this as to be considered insane.

I was ‘forced’ into going into a branch recently because it was the only sensible place I could meet a colleague before a meeting for a coffee and a sandwich. Can you believe they’ve started selling sewing machines? How much of a niche market is that? You have to believe that if they feel that their business is going to grow more by selling sewing machines then soon, they’ll be selling houses, schools and hospitals too……scary beyond belief.

The evening progressed to dinner in the Great Hall of Exeter College, an oak panelled room of such staggering beauty it’s hard to describe. Lit by candle-light, full of colleagues and clients in evening wear, having a great evening, it felt like being part of something very special indeed.

Last year, I was expressing devotion to Henry Hound!