Monday 15 November 2010

The Ever-Changing Message

Shelley Jofre, by my calculations, peaked at a rate of two public health-crafted soundbites per minute in tonight's Panorama.

Obesity crisis, empty calories, and liberal sprinklings of diabetes all got in, along with 'maybes', quite a few 'coulds', and a load of 'something must be dones'. She swallowed the super-sized lot.

It's not available to watch again yet. Still got to go the rounds in every available BBC platform, you see, so I'll have to paraphrase the first jaw-dropper (about 2 minutes in).

[Some large young girl said] It makes it easy for me to be fat because chocolate is sold in double packs. When I buy these I eat it all instead of just one.
The message being, of course, that the less toxic pleasure available, the better. This from a programme talking about how tackling obesity can learn from attacks on tobacco.

Really?

Strange, then, that Ireland banned sales of the smaller packs of ten cigarettes - leaving only the double-sized packs of twenty to buy - in 2007, to rapturous applause from ASH Ireland.

The same doctors who are itching to see smaller chocolate bars are also pushing for a measure to increase the same economies of scale for cigarettes in Scotland, and it's been mooted on our side of the border too.

The message from tobacco control, then, would appear to be that if you only make larger packs available, consumption reduces.

I wish these bansturbators would at least try to be consistent occasionally.

If this were truly about health (which it's not), and small really is beautiful, then the best course of action would be to allow sales of single cigarettes surely? Except that they are banned by our oh-so-wise state, of course.

Confused? You will be if you listen to public health tax-scroungers.


7 comments:

manwiddicombe said...

Probably best that you avoid the 'debate' on the Panorama blog then DP. Many of the comments there are insane! "tax the fatties" (#2), "call in the EU" (#3), "age restrictions on fatty foods" (#4), "tax fatty foods to subsidise healthier foods (#various) to name but a few .. .. ..

TheFatBigot said...

The shop at the bottom of my road sells single ciggies, but only to those under 18.

Chuckles said...

And other parts of the world, they were careful to ban sales on packs of 30's.

Anonymous said...

Yes the BBC comment pages seem to have more than their fair share of lefty wingnuts and bansturbators.
Bit like the Guardian,twat city.
Never mind once the P.I.G.S go bust their blood supply will go with it.

Anonymous said...

Why are people so seemingly helpless? There used to be something called 'self-control'. Eat too much? Don't buy the twinpack of chocolate bars.

But then to want it regulated just adds insult to injury.

I feel a post coming on ...

Churchmouse

Sam Duncan said...

Or put one away for later, churchmouse.

Why are our elected representatives so keen to pander to the weak-minded, dimwitted and addlebrained? A sense of fellowship?

J Bonington Jagworth said...

Swiss supermarkets sell chocolate bars in packs of ten, yet, curiously, the locals are normal sized. Maybe they just know about self-control..?