Sunday 22 April 2012

The Guardian Goes Full-On Dictatorship...

...over, of all things, the ridiculous obesity 'crisis':
But if the answers, whatever they are, involve challenging corporate power and practices, legislating to improve the content of food or even limiting individuals' freedom to consume junk, then so be it.
Is this the moment the 'Guardian' finally jumped the shark?

20 comments:

Trooper Thompson said...

I'd say they jumped the shark a long time ago. What a shame they can't slip on the shark and fall into its jaws, to be torn to shreds.

Katabasis said...

This is a keeper!

One to show people who think that "progressive" is synonymous with "freedom".

And they can't write this one off as 'just someone's opinion in CIF' as it's the damn editorial.

Andrew said...

And there's an equally sickening article on the the BBC's site too:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17803918

Michael Fowke said...

They'll take my junk food burger out of my cold dead hand.

Mark Wadsworth said...

We had McDonald's this lunchtime for a change, £1.99 well spent. I'm a bit peeved that they gave me a McChicken Sandwich and not a Big Mac, but splendid value Sunday brunch for the family for £10.44.

As to 'obesity crisis' it is not a 'crisis', is it? A 'crisis' is when some big tough decision has to be made today which will alter the future course of history (e.g. Cuban missile crisis, or maybe sudden outbreak of some terrible infectious disease). A few fatties getting or remaining fat is not a crisis, it'll be the same in ten or twenty years time, nothing terrible will happen which wouldn't otherwise have happened.

Anonymous said...

"tax it (and then tax it again, and again), impose minimum pricing (and keep regularly raising the minimum price), prohibit it being advertised, ban it ..."

and why this cry (again) today ?



> Jamie Oliver, interviewed in today's Observer Food Monthly, laments the lack of government action on obesity.
So, there you go - exactly what is "junk food" - well forget all the waffle about "food that is nutritionally deficient, has too much of that, too little of this" - "junk food" will be what someone with an axe to grind and given the authority to wield it will determine - in short "things we think you [people who for some stupid reason think you should have any say in the matter at all - which only goes to show how you need someone making your decisions for you] shouldn't ever be allowed to eat" ...

Hmm - I wonder if any of the recipes in this months Observer Food Monthly might fall foul of the "law of the food police" the Observer/Guardian so desperately wants ... and I wonder if they and Jamie would care to speculate how many "jobs and businesses, including restaurants" will go under when these "you can't make that any more, you certainly can't sell that because this 'outlet' is within a kilometre of a school, you just try and see how many burgers you manage to sell when you have to charge £10 for it, because of all the 'health tax' payable on burgers ..." sure fire cures for the "obesity epidemic" are in place ...

Anonymous said...

I blame Cyril Smith.

Anonymous said...

Arrh Jim lad. So we can't afford the pensions coz we iz all living longer (sic - well using sic ala cif to mean what they think rather than for a direct misplet(genuine sic) quote).

But we iz all dying cos we iz fatties. And it gonna cost mucho stuffo.

Divide et impera. Plus ca change...


WANKERS

Captain Haddock said...

The usual L.O.O.B from the usual suspects .. what else can one expect ?

David Duff said...

Don't you people understand, The Graun is liberal - liberal, I tell you - and you will listen and repeat it after me - LIBERAL!

Or else!

Stonyground said...

It will be a crisis if the bastards succeed and I can't find myself a nice cuddly woman with a big arse.

Captain Haddock said...

"woman with a big arse" ..

If you're really desperate Stony .. there's always Flabbott .. ;)

JuliaM said...

He said woman with a big arse, not woman who IS a big arse... ;)

Captain Haddock said...

Fair comment Julia .. :)

dfordoom said...

The next step will be to ban meat, thus not only addressing the "obesity crisis" but also "saving the planet" - compulsory mung beans and carrot juice for all. So much for "Britons never, never will be slaves."

JuliaM said...

"What a shame they can't slip on the shark and fall into its jaws, to be torn to shreds."

Indeed!

"And they can't write this one off as 'just someone's opinion in CIF' as it's the damn editorial."

On the contrary, I think they are finally becoming proud to show their true colours.

"And there's an equally sickening article on the the BBC's site too..."

Oh, indeed, it's a concerted media onslaught. That's where all your taxes are going - to fakecharities lobbying government.

"A few fatties getting or remaining fat is not a crisis, it'll be the same in ten or twenty years time, nothing terrible will happen which wouldn't otherwise have happened."

Spot on.

JuliaM said...

"Don't you people understand, The Graun is liberal - liberal, I tell you.."

Only for the new meaning of 'liberal'.

"So much for "Britons never, never will be slaves.""

Indeed :(

andy said...

Jump the shark.
Where does that expression come from?


and as for the Gruniad piece does anyone expect anything but drooling left wing dogma and propaganda from it these days? it long ago stopped being a real newspaper.

JuliaM said...

It comes from 'Happy Days'.. :)

Anonymous said...

Just t'other day, to be precise Sunday, the G's sister organ, the Observer, published an editorial, alongside an interview with a certain Mr Oliver, and an article relating to both, making the point that "it was about time" that 'cheap'n'nasty junk foods in all their noxious varieties' [I paraphrase] , including of course all the cheap'n'nasty processed products that simply litter the shelves of every supermarket and convenience store be either taxed very very heavily to actively discourage people from buying them, or better yet, banned outright. Etc. Etc.

> possible measures, including "fat taxes", limits on fast-food outlets near schools and an end to "irresponsible" marketing of unhealthy foodstuffs

> legislating to improve the content of food or even limiting individuals' freedom to consume junk,

And there were a considerable number of comments on the articles of the "yay, yeah, smash the filthy profit driven purveyors of junk, the people who make it and the people who sell it", etc. etc.

Today the G has an article: Foodbank handouts double as more families end up on the breadline : Trussell Trust says two centres a week are opening in UK to give food parcels to working families struggling to cope

> Britain's leading foodbank network, the Trussell Trust, says every single day it is handing out emergency food parcels to parents who are going without meals in order to feed their children, or even considering stealing food to put on the table, as the government's austerity measures start to bite.

and guess what "theme" can be found recurring in the comments.

[sarcasm borne of despair at the fuckwittedness of some people warning]

.. definitely not "Isn't it disgusting ... people not being able to afford to buy enough cheap food to simply feed themselves and their children .... and we know who is to blame " ....