A few days after I wrote this post, it's reported McDonald's and PepsiCo are to help write UK health policy. To be fair Kelloggs, Unilever, Mars and Diago are also at the heart of writing the government's policy on obesity. Health secretary Andrew Lansley has set up five 'responsibility deal' networks with business, co-chaired by ministers, to come up with policies. Of course these businesses will be completely altruistic.
Then the Daily Mail, (ok, ok), say MPs have employed a food adviser to the Commons administration committee because they are furious about Commons food. They regard it as 'overpriced' and 'literally uneatable'. Bob Ainsworth is asking for Commons catering to be privatised as 'it could not be worse'. A bacon roll in Portcullis House used to cost £1.30 and is now £1.90 and the MPs aren't impressed - to put it mildly - with the new ' all or as little as you eat' £15 flat fee for up to three courses which was introduced in the MPs' dining room recently.
A spokesman for the Commons administration committee insisted it was normal for Commons select committees to draft in expert outside advice. The new MPs' food tzar is expected to be paid around £500 a day, but then surely he's worth it. After all Jon Hewitt is an expert with considerable experience in the industrial catering trade. He must have thought it was Christmas when he was invited to undertake this investigation. It will be interesting to read his evaluation but I doubt if it will ever be published.
Then we have the pantomime Happiness Patrol which aims to measure our happiness levels. I'm speechless.
'They're behind you.' 'No they're not.' 'Yes they are.' You'd better believe it.
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14 comments:
SR speechless? So pigs have managed to get airborne?
Don't you dare consider it - your words are worth hearing every day, even if I do just 'tune out' now and again!
Ah, the Happiness Factor.
A thoughtful SR posting; an Obo rant; and, a "Service User 'A'" treatment once a day will ensure a high score.
David Cameron unveils new UK plc corporate song Now we can call the cabinet 'The Diddy men', suits them.
Trouble is, this show seems destined to have a long run with sequels in the same vein...
...unless we have more posts like this :)
I trust that this is only in England. Our health is in the much more capable hands of Nicola Sturgeon...
If they are going to be measuring happiness, I think they'd better get themselves a measure that goes into negative figures.
There's not a lot of be happy about in the UK.
Auch WfW, you're far too kind as always. But it does really infuriate me at times the level of common sense of our elected leaders.
Joe, what can I say. Is the expression 'whatever tickles your fancy' acceptable? ;)
Takes me back some years that link CH. It'll take more than a tickling stick to get me on the road to happiness.
That indeed is worrying Sheila. Sometimes we ignore the 'wee' things at our peril, because they then quietly grow into a bigger and more influential pile.
It did say UK health tris, but knowing the Mail... That aside, we're still paying for it.
At least pantomimes only show up at Christmas; these clowns are with us all year!
That's true Julia. We have panto day in day out.
What now my "paranoia" Rosa regarding the conglomerates controlling government?
Not only does government have to administer the human resource agenda it now has to make a donation towards the conglomerates PR standing and its marketing budget?
You're not paranoid RA. They ARE behind you spending your money.
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