No Smoking Day was forgotten as desperate health lobbyists scrambled to a three line whip by whining, pleading, scaremongering and - most disgracefully - lying about minimum alcohol pricing on every media outlet they could manage.
Thanks to all of you who e-mailed or tweeted the shameful nonsense you'd seen or heard peddled as fact (special plaudits to the two who fired off complaints to the BBC) but I feel I have to pick a winner.
Runner-up for the utter garbage award goes to serial liars the BMA who claimed that minimum pricing is to be implemented in Scotland next month. But stand out liar of the whole day of astonishing mendacity must surely be Dr Hilary Jones who stated on Steve Wright's Radio 2 show that minimum pricing is not only already in force north of the border - which it most certainly isn't - but has also been proven to be a success!
Yes, he really did also say that government should be ashamed of "keeping pubs open".
Was he challenged on any of this demonstrable poppycock? Of course not, it was on "internationally respected news service", the BBC.
Truly we are living in insane times, ladies and gents.
9 comments:
He thinks "...jobs have come before health...", whereas in his case I suspect arse has come before face.
I'm still waiting for anyone to link the increase in chronic liver disease (despite reduced alcohol intake) to the apparently hugely under-diagnosed incidence of hepatitis (hep-C I think). Sure Chris Snowdon did a piece on it a while back.
As far as the beeb are concerned, I don't think anyone really expects them to exercise any sort of journalistic integrity or ability when it comes to peddling healthist nonsense. That said, I do find writing to them constantly can be a little cathartic on occasion.
I'm beginning to think that these phrases like, "internationally respected" with regard to the bbc and "envy of the world" with regard to the nhs are similar to the delusional hopes of footie fans that think every time a world cup comes around that we stand a chance of winning.
Meanwhile, the rest of the real world see us as a laughing stock.
Very true. Just like every country claims its police force is the best in the world, and the US laughably describes its friendly-fire happy army in the same way.
I work abroad a lot and have done for many years. Outside the UK people genuinely used to respect the BBC. This has changed as it becomes apparent that the modern BBC has agendas and frequently reports things that are obviously spun or completely untrue. Trust in its output is declining overseas as well as at home and the corporation seems unable to grasp the obvious reasons why. Nobody on its health team has a science degree, none of them dare criticize medics, even when the lies are blatant and they generally don't have a clue what hey are writing. Most of the "news" is written by charity hacks and government PR types. At least the BBC can take comfort in the fact that Hilary Jones works for the competition.
Read and agreed.
My bad. I now understand that this is a regular slot on Steve Wright's show so I presume that I am being forced to pay for someone to lie to me and the rest of the UK population courtesy of the BBC.
I am surprised, nay, almost shocked. Dr Hilary has had sensible things to say in the past, putting scare stories into perspective, even endorsing ecigs. He has obviously been given a talking to, and to protect his comfortable media role, started reading from a script prepared by the loonies.
I just bought a bottle of Whyte and MacKay for £11 (only 28 units, doesn't really count as drinking) which is 39p a unit. There is supermarket own brand toilet cleaner whisky available cheaper. I am north of Aberdeen. The Silly Nannying Puritan party hasn't put in minimum pricing yet.
Yes, he is lying, but that is what the BBC and the medical profession specialises in these days.
Well, Wednesday did have so many of the usual suspects (taxpayer funded.) throwing their toys and stethoscopes out of prams. It must have been a very quiet day in the clubhouses of golf courses in England.
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