Get fat, get paid!

Incredible scheme to throw money at the obese

In another astonishing example of Labour’s propensity to spend our cash – you know, spot a problem, throw money at it – they now propose a £372 million strategy to pay people to lose weight!

Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, and Ed Balls, the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said that England should become the first leading nation to reverse the trend for expanding waistlines, especially among children. Well, they try to keep the principles nice and simple – we, and our kids spend too much time sitting around, eating too much and exercising too little. What the scheme doesn’t attempt to solve is the lack of competitive sporting activities in schools, the restoration of five (or more) football, rugby, hockey, cross country, athletics, netball, cricket, or swimming teams in most secondary schools. Nor does it address the problem of allowing children to play on the streets or parks, because non of us feel safe under this Labour government’s administration of law and order, just ask the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith. (Of course she’s busy doing something to improve the morale of Police Forces -not!)

Crikey! When I was a kid growing up along the riverside in South Shields I didn’t have time to eat and get fat! We were out of doors from the sun coming up until it went down again, with a very brief interlude for a quick meal. Whilst on the subject of keeping kids fit and healthy, South Tyneside Council has just started a free Saturday Sports Activity club for 8 – 14 year olds to be held at Brinkburn Community Centre, Harton Lane, South Shields. It’s a big help, but wouldn’t be so necessary if schools were doing what they were doing thirty or forty years ago. The club runs every Saturday from 12.30 till 2.30 p.m.

So, back to the scheme, lose weight and get some cash or some shopping vouchers to spend on more food! Who do you think might be behind such ideas? Sam Coates tells us in his Red Box blog, the anti-obesity drive, in association with Kellogg’s, GlaxoSmithKline and SlimFast, that it’s the food manufacturers coughing up for the all party group on obesity. What a way to get us to try their newest products!

Right I’m off to do a mile or two on my cross trainer!