As If That's A State You Aren't Part Of....

A pub refused to serve a five-year-old girl apple juice in a champagne flute on New Years Eve - with the manager telling her parents it was 'not a good look'.

Celebrity doctor Renée Hoenderkamp made the request to the waiter at the Old Bull & Bush in Hampstead, north London , so that her daughter could join her husband in the celebrations at around 7pm.

However, the NHS doctor says that a manager at the gastropub told her 'it could encourage her to drink alcohol' and served it in a tumbler instead.

And this is suddenly an outrage, as if mumsie hasn't based her entire career around nanny state meddling... 

The TV presenter claimed every other child in the restaurant was 'stuck on a screen while the parents downed their champagne', believing the whole situation felt 'very judgmental and nanny state'.

Well, yes. Good job! Right? 

Dr Hoenderkamp said she would not be surprised if the 'slow virtue signalling and nanny state wokeness' displayed in the pub that night got into other places.

Where have you been, doc? It's already embedded everywhere. Thanks in no small part to, well, people like you.  

Start As You Mean To Go On, Liz..?

The UK government could scrap its entire anti-obesity strategy after ministers ordered an official review of measures designed to deter people from eating junk food, the Guardian can reveal.

The review could pave the way for Liz Truss to lift the ban on sugary products being displayed at checkouts as well as “buy one get one free” multi-buy deals in shops.

I shouldn't get too excited, the blond buffoon said much the same thing, only to roll over like a Labrador offered a low-calorie Bonio. But still...

Health experts have hailed the levy as a key initiative in the fight against dangerous obesity.

“There doesn’t seem to be any appetite from Thérèse [Coffey – the new health secretary] for nanny state stuff,” one source said.

Officials at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the part of the Department for Health that formulates policies to tackle major public health problems, were said by a source to be “aghast” at the prospect of Truss potentially discarding strategies to counter junk food that have been agreed and approved by parliament.

It is upsetting all the right people.

And If Anyone's Qualified To Speak On 'Dishonesty'...

Sir Chris Whitty claimed attempts by tobacco lobbyists to make any debate around smoking legislation about health vs freedom are 'dishonest'.

...it's surely him. As Longrider points out.

Under the final must-do plan, doctors should promote vaping to patients as an 'effective tool to help people to quit smoking tobacco'.

'We know vapes are not a "silver bullet" nor are they totally risk-free, but the alternative is far worse,' the review states.

That's if you can actually get to see a GP, of course! 

Cartoons and images on vaping products that appeal to children should be banned and flavours should be reviewed to ensure they don't appeal to young people, the report states.

What sort of flavours don't appeal to young people, then? Semolina? Broccoli? 

Mr Javid told Parliament that the Government 'will now consider its response' to Dr Khan's 'clear and challenging' recommendations. He said the Government is already investing in smoking prevention through a public health grant but 'will examine where we can go further'.

I know where you and your wretched nannying government can go, Sajid... 

Why Must We Remove Freedom From Everyone...

...simply to prevent a small sector of society from abusing it?

A move to outlaw weddings for under-18s was backed by senior Tories yesterday.

The right to marry at the age of 16 is a loophole that should go because it encourages child abuse and exploitation, former chancellor Sajid Javid said.

Both of which are against the law. Is this so widespread? Well... 

Mr Javid, who comes from a Pakistani background, said: ‘I’ve seen this myself in the community I was raised in, young girls expected to enter into marriage far before they were ready to with painful consequences. Let’s call this what it is: Child abuse.’

Yes, let's! And let's see some action against it that doesn't affect the existing rights of the majority population, shall we? 

Academic and author on family law Patricia Morgan acknowledged the ‘problem of attitudes to women in some communities’ that see girls marry young, but added: ‘This is a very minor issue. It affects only a very small number of people. I am surprised ministers think it is worth the time and effort.’

Sadly, I'm not. It has the hallmarks of modern Toryism all over it. Ignore the elephas maxima in the room and find some way of looking to be doing something without actually pointing fingers.  

A Classic 'Something Must Be Done' Story...

A heartbroken son described watching CCTV of his father's final moments as he went into the sea to try and save the family dog - and called for action to prevent further tragedies on the beach.

What sort of action? It's a tragic story, it's true, but it's a genuinely foreseeable one.

The 69-year-old went into the water to try and help Connie at Hove beach but had not realised that the pebbles had formed a "very sudden drop".

The son is understandably desperate not to face the truth that poor decision-making lead to this tragedy: 

“The thing that shocked me the most was that in 55 seconds, a man that gave so much to business, so much to academia, goes just like that."

Being 'academic' is no guarantee of common sense. It never has been. 

At his inquest, senior coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley spoke of the “huge shelf” which “does catch people out”.

However, she noted that even without this drop, the state of the water that day would have made it hard to survive.

Walking a dog near the sea in wild weather - and then going in the sea after it when it seems in trouble - is really only going to end one way. It has so often, after all. 

Not that there isn't always some unscrupulous chancer looking to prey on someone's suffering to gain publicity for themselves... 

Conservative councillor for Wish Ward, Robert Nemeth, is helping Robbie find a way of tackling the risks of pebbles shelves.

He said: “It’s absolutely essential that a solution is found to what is clearly a huge problem.

"I’m going to be spending a lot of time over the coming months working with the council and other linked parties to offer answers.

"It’s clear that change must take place to avoid any further tragedy taking place.”

I bet your constituents are delighted to learn you're going to be spending time trying - fruitlessly - to cheat Darwin rather than attending to their concerns, that you may actually be able to influence, Mr Nemeth. 

As the council point out, they've done everything they can:

“We already have in place a considerable number of beach safety signs. They have been designed in line with the RNLI’s beach safety sign guidelines, which are a nationally recognised standard for beach operators.

“During rough weather we also put up additional mobile warning banners. “We are currently reviewing our beach safety signage to consider possible further options for ensuring public safety.

“However, we would first and foremost always appeal to residents and visitors not to go in the sea during difficult weather conditions.”

Quite.  

The Nanny State Will Follow You Home...

There has been a steep rise in global online alcohol orders, which increased 40% to $17bn in 2020 and are projected to reach $40bn by 2024, according to the alcohol market research firm IWSR.

Diageo, whose brands including Guinness and Smirnoff vodka, reported a surge in online alcohol ordering when it released financial results on Thursday. Orders doubled in the UK and trebled in the US.

I'm sure there's a reason for that...something beginning with 'c', perhaps? 

Overall alcohol sales have fallen due to the enforced closure of pubs, bars and restaurants, but sales at supermarkets and online have soared.

Bingo! But...if overall sales have fallen, so what? 

Twelve of the world’s largest drinks brands will unveil the plans on Thursday, drawn up in partnership with UK retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, as well as the delivery specialist Uber Eats.

Under the agreement, staff who deliver food and drinks to the door will be trained in how to spot signs of intoxication and check ID if they suspect someone is underage.

They will be asked to refuse to deliver alcohol if need be, just as pub landlords are supposed to do if customers have had too much.

Which is fine for pubs and restaurants - their gaff, their rules, as Longrider is often wont to say.

But this isn't 'their gaff', is it? It's mine. And yours. Did you think you made the rules there?

The companies will train staff on how to prevent trouble and de-escalate conflict when customers take exception to being denied service.

No, call it what it is - being denied the thing you've paid to have delivered because some spotty youth or barely-verbal third worlder smells booze on your breath or you're stuck in the loo and you've asked your 14 year old to answer the door. 

All to satisfy...well, who, exactly? 

The tougher controls on online drinks ordering are being coordinated by the International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD)...

Aha! These folks. 

Who - in addition to poking their nose into what you get up to in the privacy of your own home - have...other goals. And they aren't shy about them:

In addition, IARD members are determined to positively impact a broad range of Sustainable Development Goals, including improving environmental sustainability, contributing to economic growth, driving social responsibility and working with local communities.

Alcohol sales are just the start of this organisation's ambitions.