COMMENT The National Health Service may face many difficult challenges but it finds one thing very easy - spending our money.
The bedevilled scheme to put all GP patients’ records on a massive national computer is turning into a shambles before our eyes.
And barely is this scandal revealed than the Government announces plans for another project which could squander millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money - a national campaign against obesity.
No-one denies that Britain is getting flabbier or that obesity is a health issue.
The question is, how much public money should be spent on telling people what they already know and deterring adults who seem hell-bent on eating themselves to an early grave?
There is no mystery about why people turn fat. They eat too much and exercise too little.
But unlike tobacco or alcohol, food is not habit-forming. Over-eating is not some deep-rooted addiction, disease or psychological disorder.
This is a matter of discipline and good parenting.
It is an issue where a quiet word from GPs and a little self-control is worth more than any amount of NHS-sponsored television advertising or billboards.
And yet the first instinct of politicians, when faced with any problem, is to throw our money at it.
The very real fear today is that NHS money which could be better spent on treating the sick and aged will be squandered on preaching a nanny-state message to people who would rather binge on burgers than even consider a salad.
Heaven helps those who help themselves. The NHS should do the same.
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Licence to steal for shoplifters
Shoplifting has already been virtually decriminalised.
There was a time when it was recognised for what it is - theft. Offenders were hauled before the courts to be fined or, in serious and repeated cases, jailed. Their offence and fate would be reported in the press.
Today, the average shoplifter is issued with a fixed-penalty fine - assuming he or she hangs around long enough to be given it. Heaven help the shopkeeper who tries to detain a shoplifter. If he is not beaten up by a posse of the thief’s pals, he is likely to be accused of infringing the suspect’s human rights.
Today, the Government’s Sentencing Advisory Panel recommends ending the last deterrent to store theft. It says jail terms should be scrapped for all but the most extreme cases.
This is a licence for shoplifting and a further erosion of the line between right and wrong.
Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime?
Labour’s election promise has become a gross lie and a betrayal of every decent, honest citizen.
This article posted on August 25, 2006 at 6:34 pm.
Bloated NHS tells us to get fit
The bedevilled scheme to put all GP patients’ records on a massive national computer is turning into a shambles before our eyes.
And barely is this scandal revealed than the Government announces plans for another project which could squander millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money - a national campaign against obesity.
No-one denies that Britain is getting flabbier or that obesity is a health issue.
The question is, how much public money should be spent on telling people what they already know and deterring adults who seem hell-bent on eating themselves to an early grave?
There is no mystery about why people turn fat. They eat too much and exercise too little.
But unlike tobacco or alcohol, food is not habit-forming. Over-eating is not some deep-rooted addiction, disease or psychological disorder.
This is a matter of discipline and good parenting.
It is an issue where a quiet word from GPs and a little self-control is worth more than any amount of NHS-sponsored television advertising or billboards.
And yet the first instinct of politicians, when faced with any problem, is to throw our money at it.
The very real fear today is that NHS money which could be better spent on treating the sick and aged will be squandered on preaching a nanny-state message to people who would rather binge on burgers than even consider a salad.
Heaven helps those who help themselves. The NHS should do the same.
———————————-
Licence to steal for shoplifters
Shoplifting has already been virtually decriminalised.
There was a time when it was recognised for what it is - theft. Offenders were hauled before the courts to be fined or, in serious and repeated cases, jailed. Their offence and fate would be reported in the press.
Today, the average shoplifter is issued with a fixed-penalty fine - assuming he or she hangs around long enough to be given it. Heaven help the shopkeeper who tries to detain a shoplifter. If he is not beaten up by a posse of the thief’s pals, he is likely to be accused of infringing the suspect’s human rights.
Today, the Government’s Sentencing Advisory Panel recommends ending the last deterrent to store theft. It says jail terms should be scrapped for all but the most extreme cases.
This is a licence for shoplifting and a further erosion of the line between right and wrong.
Tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime?
Labour’s election promise has become a gross lie and a betrayal of every decent, honest citizen.
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