Last night, Herself was watching a programme on television.

It was a discussion on the ‘problem’ of obesity.

There was much weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth about how the problem of obesity is getting out of hand and how we must ‘do something about it’.  They talked about advertising campaigns in the meeja and hinted darkly at ‘further steps’ which of course means regulation and insane Nanny State laws.

My first thought was one of wry amusement that all those who supported the smoking ban were now going to get a taste in their own back yard. Once the “It’s For Your Own Good” brigade get going there is no stopping them.

My second thought was slightly more fundamental.

Why?

Why the fuck should people worry about the level of obesity in a country?  If I want to eat myself up to fifty stone, then that’s my fucking business.  I doubt there is a sinner in the place that doesn’t know that being overweight is slightly undesirable to say the least.  If people want to run the risk of diabetes or heart failure then that is their business.

Of course we are going to get the old chestnut about how ‘obese people are a drain on the health service’ but that is a load of bollox.  OK, so overeaters don’t contribute any extra to the running of the health service [unlike smokers who pay considerably more than they are supposed to cost] but that is irrelevant.  The health system is there to help those with health problems and if those problems are ‘self inflicted’ then so what?  If you are going to go down the path of not treating ‘avoidable’ problems you are going down a very rocky road – no more health treatment for sports injuries, alcohol related injuries or just about any fucking injury you care to mention.

Any person who is admitted to hospital is asked a series of questions including whether they smoke or not.  Naturally, if they smoke then their admission is for a ‘smoking related’ illness, even if it’s a sprained ankle.  Soon we will start to see the rise of weight related illnesses.  Soon we will hear that just about every complaint known to man is caused by obesity.  Obesity will become ‘the greatest cause of preventable death’, mark my words.

Now I’m just waiting for someone to invent ‘passive eating’ or ‘second-hand obesity’.