The British Media is currently in full blown moral panic mode over obesity, I was listening to the Today (the morning news on Radio 4) after an program filled with dire warning of catastrophe and calls for government action a few Tories were brought on to make a few “nanny state” type points current Tory MP Boris Johnson and former Tory Cabinet Minister and all round right wing nut job now sitting in the Lords Norman Tebbitt.
I was so astonished by what Norman came out with I felt compelled to transcribe it for your reading pleasure here’s the link if you want to hear it yourself (realplayer clip) Norman gets going after about 3:35.
After Boris had done his it’s our own fault leave the companies alone bit the interviewer turned to Norman who went a bit mad remember this is an interview about obesity
John Humphrys - Fair point Norman Tebbitt?
Norman Tebbitt – well clearly Boris and I agree that the government has a responsibility for public health and that’s very important. But the root cause of this problem like a number of others is the breakdown of family life. Families now don’t so often eat together they don’t prepare meals properly erm… Wives are virtually pressurised into feeling they ought to go out to work instead of looking after their children and it’s the breakdown of family which is at the root of it and very poor education in these matters in schools.
John Humphrys – so In other words no role for the government?
Norman Tebbitt – Oh yes indeed because it’s the government which is pursuing the breakdown of family life erm. We’ve had one thing after another whether it’s tax policy or social policy which undermines the family erm. undermines marriage, erm. in the house of Lords at the moment we’ve got this gay marriage bill going through that doesn’t help (muffled laughter from other interviewee Boris Johnson) we don’t even only have an epidemic of obesity erm to use the words which Boris doesn’t like we’ve got a huge problem of AIDS and the governments attitude is to do everything it can to promote buggery
Interruption by interviewer
More laughter from Boris Johnson
That’s just fantastic from obesity to gay marriage and buggery in 185 words the man deserves a medal.
Still it’s nice to know that even fellow Tories (or at least Boris Johnson who is somewhat unusual) openly laugh at this kind of thing nowadays
You know, when someone gives an opinion, I find it helpful if their points are somehow, I don't know, linked together?! That was just mindless dribble.
'Raine
"And on that day, on the horizon, I shall be. And I shall point at them and say unto them HAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!" -- Ravenwing
RedImperator: "Yeah, and there were little Jesus-bits everywhere."
Crimsonraine: "Jesus-bits?!"
I've seen gay marraige linked to increasing divorce rates, legalized incest and pedophilia, and even drug use, but never obesity. I'm pretty sure someone's working on a link between gay marraige and terrorism as we speak.
My question for that guy is: How come the United States, which will probably the last nation in the industrialized world to allow gays to marriage has the highest obesity rate?
