Tuesday 22 February 2011

Are processed foods and alcohol safe: obreption.



Thousands are 'at risk of alcohol death' say doctors


McDonald's and PepsiCo to help write UK health policy


Wife of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley gave lobbying advice
The wife of Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, is running a public affairs business which boasts about advising drug and food companies, it emerged last night.


 
This coalition government is lacking clarity and probably needs a good dose of either an oral enema or a suppository.  Whatever’s wrong with it, we’re getting mixed signals.  The forest sale in England was conveniently dumped or put out to grass – very long.  Gove is being ridiculed by all.  Fox is having a tough time with defence, and the economy may not be as bright as we were told regarding the danger zone.  One person who deserves the pile of vitriol from patients, doctors, clinicians, nurses and relatives is, I’m afraid to say, Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary for England.  Suitcases are being kept across the border near the Welsh Marches and Hadrian’s Wall.  There was an interesting interview with Lansley on the Food Programme on Radio 4.  Sheila Dillon can only be taken in small doses, but she is quite smart at grilling government ministers, especially over health and food issues.  She caught Lansley out a few times suggesting he was too much persuaded by the processed foods industry.  In the usual BBC way of balance, they had an American expert say: if you want an orange, eat an orange; if you want an orange coloured liquid, drink a Fanta.  It sounds better and is well worth a listen.  (http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/foodprog ) Sheila Dillon’s parting shot to Lansley, who is never off Radio 4, was: we look forward to meeting you in a year’s time, if you’re still at Health.  I don’t know how many off-takes there are in the BBC, but I bet they thought ‘if you’re still alive’, ‘still in good health’, ‘not moved’, ‘undead’ ….

Blow me, he pops up again on the World Tonight with Ritula Shah, who is usually fairly well mannered, but even she couldn’t understand his apparently cosiness with the drinks industry in not pushing for a 50p per unit minimum alcohol charge.  (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qtl3 )A senior medic has advised that liver disease and consequent death will increase sharply over the next decade or two unless control is taken with alcohol pricing.  Lansley did his usual “I know best” routine (pathologists don’t get complaints from their patients) and in any case, it’s up to the Chancellor.  What he didn’t mention was the amount of pirate booze that’s around and that the government has totally lost the plot with any type of substance abuse.  Lansley’s chances of surviving are in doubt.

It’s not even a year and Cameron’s doing his ‘first in Egypt, then in Kuwait’ routine.  This sounds like shades of desperation, headline grabbing, lots of hand wringing.

The only people to gain from all of this are accountants, lawyers and new age religions.  Bring it on!

5 comments:

  1. A word of sound advice - perhaps useful to this government - from the late Henry Allingham (113 years old when he died)?

    "...always know your limitations."

    On the key to a long and prosperous existence, he added: "I don't know if there is a secret, but keeping within your capacity is vital."

    http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/cigarettes-whisky-and-wild-wild-women-1710744.html

    Mr Lansley and Mr Gove take heed...

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  2. I see Jim Devine has been made bankrupt at the Sherrif court. Is this Celtic devination and how many years will he get for cheating on his expenses? I suppose there's no chance of his paying up all the legal costs. Did you know about that Sikh temple priest in Glasgow? I take it he's not one of your clan, or at least he wasn't wearing one of your tartan obreptions.

    You've been going soft on some religions.

    Former MP Jim Devine declared bankrupt

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-12551359

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  3. Scientists create GM mice to investigate why people stutter

    The mice have been genetically modified to carry mutations that are more common in people who stutter

    Drayna said ... a better understanding of the biological basis of stuttering could help in the production of treatments.

    The pharmaceutical industry is good at finding a drug if they have a good target," said Drayna.

    This article was amended on Tuesday 22 February. The original headline and first sentence suggested that the GM mice stuttered. This has been corrected.

    It's not called the Gruniad for nothing!

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/feb/20/scientists-create-gm-mice-stuttering

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  4. Fred

    This goes to show that scientists don't have all the answers. I have no idea what the late Mr Allingham's views on alternative therapies were. He was one of the last links to the Great War of 1914-18. Incidentally, I've been having arguments with those of the Niall Ferguson persuasion who think that AJP Taylor's blunt assertion of the origins of the First WW being due to the railways. It may interest you to know that my dashboard has a feed from the restoration project of a border railway.

    Anonymous:

    This shows that the wheels of justice do grind, though slowly - the truth will out! It also seems that the Sherrif court was quick off the mark in bankrupting Mr Devine before Southwark Crown Court sends him somewhere to 'do porridge'.

    Vanessa:

    I think I heard this on Radio 5. All I can say is that I'm glad my comments on transgenic marriages and the view of Cardinal Keith may have again been prescient. Some dreadful Oscar detractors are trying to get Colin Firth in the role of Mickey Mouse in 'The Mouse's Squeak'.

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  5. Gruss Dich

    Noch gefunden

    ReplyDelete