I’m going to say it.
God, it’s so difficult to say.
But… here goes.
The Daily Mail is right (the bit about the nanny state, starting about halfway down).
There. I said it.
I feel so dirty.
But, just this one time, it’s true.
Just take a look at all the proposals (helpfully summarised by the lovely BBC) outlined in the government’s new health plan.
I used to be fat (used to be?). It was my own fault. I was buying up to four cans of Coke a day from the school “tuck shop” (which was actually a load of vending machines shoved in the corner of the 6th form common room). I had a complete lack of self-control. I’ve now lost a lot of weight (but not enough). It took a lot of work and willpower, but I managed it, without any interference from the Government. Basically, most people who are fat could easily change if they made the effort — you don’t need lifestyle coaches or other such nonsense.
The Government’s plans will not work. I know full well that a Double Whopper with Cheese is maybe going to have a few more calories than the average meal — it’s common sense: it’s a great lump of red meat and cheese sandwiched between white bread! A sensible person notices these things, and only eats fast food occasionally.
Banning junk food adverts during kids TV will make very little difference — what would help is if parents would actually take some interest in their kids health and not shovel burgers and chips down their throats because they can’t be bothered cooking anything else.
The smoking ban is OK, though I’m sure it will just be another little sign for people to ignore (see St John’s Precinct, Paradise Street Bus Station, Liverpool Central station).
I also post this link, purely for the article title.