Another example of BBC "impartiality"
Thursday, February 5, 2009 Yesterday the BBC News website published THIS article by Dr Alan Maryon-Davies, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health. The title says it all: "Why we need more nannying".
On Tuesday I was asked by Five Live's Morning Reports if I would give an interview responding to the article. I wasn't allowed to read it - it was embargoed until 05:30 on Wednesday - but I was sent a brief synopsis:
The nanny state doesn't go far enough - according to public health expert Alan Maryon Davis. In this week's Scrubbing up column for the BBC News website, he suggests a ban on smoking in cars carrying children and a ban on massive price-cuts on alcohol. He says it's not nannying but responsible government.
The key parts of the column with regards to smoking are:
"We are happy to see bans on tobacco advertising and the selling of alchohol and tobacco to minors because we understand the dangers for young people.
"And to my mind the really shining example of how far the public have come in accepting laws to help protect us from self-harm is the huge support for smoke free public spaces and workplaces throughout the UK.
"This has already saved many lives and will, I believe, prove to be the greatest step forward in public health since the birth of the NHS.
"What next? I would like to see a ban on smoking in cars with a child on board and a ban on displays of cigarettes in shops."
I was interviewed for 2-3 minutes on Tuesday evening. Yesterday morning approximately ten seconds of the interview was broadcast. I have no problem with that at all. That's how it goes. And to be fair to Morning Reports, I suspect the item/interview was shortened because (a) there were other more important news stories, and (b) the programme featured a second story about smoking, this one involving pregnant mothers.
What I would question is how Alan Maryon-Davies's article was ever considered "newsworthy" in the first place. There was nothing "new" about it. It offered no new evidence, no new research. It was just a column on a BBC website. And yet the BBC considered it sufficiently important to give it an embargo and a featured link on the BBC News home page.
At least Morning Reports gave me the chance to respond. The BBC website didn't. And even if they had, can you honestly imagine them putting a direct link to my article on their home page where everyone could see it?
One more point: on the very same day that the BBC chose to publish (and promote) an article supporting further legislation to "micro-manage our health", the House of Lords was debating the government's Health Bill which includes (among other things) a ban on the display of tobacco in shops.
Coincidence? You decide.
Simon Clark
I shall be discussing Alan Maryon-Davies' article on BBC Radio Essex at lunchtime (12.35) today.
BBC
Reader Comments (8)
I hate to admit it Simon, but they do seem to be winning this war don't they!
Every day now, we are bombarded, with more ludicrous stories, which are getting sillier by the day.
I received an email this morning from a friend in the USA, who tells me that California are now going to allow smoking indoors again, in certain bars and clubs.
But here, in the land of more and more suppression, and nannying, we are on the receiving end 24 hours a day.
Last week, it was hiding tobacco displays, the week before it was, third hand smoke, yesterday it was pregnant women take oxygen from their babies if they smoke. What on earth will they dream up next?
America started this war, and we, like the simpletons the majority of British people are, are taking it to its limits and believing every Goddamned word, being levelled at us.
These puritanical New Labour, freaks, are spending our money on weapons of mass-propaganda, to defeat us. We are supposed to be one and the same people for Christ sake.
I know you don't like the likening of the anti smoking lobby (that's far too nice a term for them) to the Nazis, Simon, but please tell me, what are they, if not Nazis?
We need to start fighting back. If we don't, then like the Jews in Germany in the 1930s, we are doomed.
Coincedence?
No. Not when the BBC decide to show a drama about assisted suicide shortly before the Lords discuss it.
No. Not when the BBC produce a drama running rich with the Make Poverty History campaign and air it shortly before a G8 summit.
If your eyeballs can stand a little colourful Anglo-Saxon language, you might want to pop along here for The Filthy Smokers critique:
http://devilskitchen.me.uk/2009/02/give-em-inch_04.html
I think people are just starting to wake up and get angry with Brown et al. Just look at the so-called "wildcat" strikes which are taking place in the labour heartlands. Whether or not you agree with the principle behind them it does say something. Once people start to lose their livelihoods they will remember all that labour have done to their own people and hopefully won't vote for them for a very long time. I think 50 years would be about right.
So,the good Dr thinks we all need more nannying does he ? Well, I take that as a personal insult to my intelligence Dr Maryon Davies.
And as for 'your' government it has obviously failed miserably in the education system if this is what you recommend to the citizens of this country.
And - whether certain people like to be reminded of the fact, or not - over a THIRD of all German doctors were 'closely associated' with the Nazi Party (it wasn't brown-shirted thugs who carried out all those charming 'experiments' in the camps).
My point ?
Being a 'doctor' is no guarantee of either Wisdom, Intelligence, or Humanity.
Nonetheless, it remains one of Life's Eternal Mysteries to me why SO many people are SO willing to swallow WHATEVER 'doctors' have to say..............
...because, Martin, we no longer live in a Christian country with one God, we now have Healthism with a pantheon of gods called doctors.
There are major and minor gods. Some of the minor gods are, for example, the gods of beauty aka plastic surgeons with their assistant angels, cosmetic dentists.
In the most major group are those who promise immortality aka public health officials (or, as they're known to heretics, medical fascists).
In Healthism there are no gods of wisdom or tolerance - they were banished and became dark angels and are worshipped only by heretics. The Grand Inquisitor of Healthism, Liam Donaldon battles constantly with the wilful souls of these heretics but is helped in his war by acolytes such as Dr Maryon-Davies.
wanted for treason blair prestcot brown straw flint reid hewitt collaborators and there enforcers the price is working stubbing out blairs legacy and labours war of mass destruction imposed on liberty respect tolerance equality identity compassion democracy integrity united kingdom who gave who the right to impose persecution bullying abuse and the deaths of innocent people under their controlled democracy are traitors have no elusions they are accountable for this so this is your better united kingdom as in war you pay the price for liberty its not what we want its what thay gave in memory of anthony mcdermott who was bullied and persecuted into suicide and hanged himself and all others so this is your new healthy united kingdom to all parties protect demands liberty and movments reinstated no liberty no peace lest they forgot no compromise this is an afront to our forfathers from protect