Thursday
(0)First, they came for the tobacco.
With the 'junk food' demonisation campaign in full swing, now is the time for our heroic public officials to do their stuff:
All foods - including fast food and snacks - should carry clear warnings about their calorie content, MPs suggested on Thursday.Top executives from McDonalds, Cadbury Schweppes, PepsiCo UK and Kelloggs faced questions from the House of Commons Health Select Committee.
Obesity levels are soaring in the UK, but the firms said they did not believe that this was their fault.
The Food Standards Agency has described the problem as a "ticking timebomb".
Well, they would, wouldn't they. If food were not a problem then we would not need a 'Food Standards Agency' and then we would all be on our way to hell in a handcart (and we all need a handcart because we will simply be too obese to walk there).
This Court of Inquisition is merely Step 2. Step 3 is a choice of either legislative force or 'voluntary code of conduct'. Step 4 is another public campaign (disseminated by a reliably compliant media) because Step 3 'is not working'.
Then on to Step 5: the levying of 'sin taxes' on hamburgers to 'encourage a change of behaviour'. The money raised then pays for a lot more Food Standards Agents.
There it is. Step-by-step. Simple when you know how.
We are all in the wrong business.
We are all in the wrong business.
We aren't shameless bullies.
Posted by mark holland at November 27, 2003 05:25 PM
Given that this made an appearance in the Queens speech, perhaps we are all living in the wrong decade. This kind of crap is more at home in the mid-eighties.
Posted by Steve at November 27, 2003 08:48 PM
You're right. We should be in the business of lawyer exterminating!
Posted by Me at November 27, 2003 09:09 PM
Sorry Steve, your link didn't work for me in the above posting.
Posted by Ian Grey at November 27, 2003 09:09 PM
It can only be a matter of time before someone thinks "Hey! A Tobin tax! We can raise more revenue for Sure Start! And it's so-o-o ethical!"
The moment government begins to provide more information about something, you know that it can only be a few years away from either a new tax or a new ban.
Posted by Steven Chapman at November 27, 2003 09:42 PM
Hmm, pesky link eating gremlins. Anyway, I was referring to the fact that they managed to sneak an ID card bill into the Queens speech. The BBC decided this deserved a lower billing on their Queens speech page than top-up fees and some nonsense about regulating roadworks.
Posted by Steve at November 28, 2003 08:05 AM
Steve - the left is caught in a time warp. This 'Vee heff vays of mekking you hellty' was tried by those other dictators the USSR and Nazi Germany.
Posted by Verity at November 28, 2003 12:37 PM
Personally I'd love a tax break on my gym membership, it would save me a tidy sum each year I could use for something else.
Posted by Dave O'Neill at November 28, 2003 02:35 PM
