Tonight:
5°c
The basic divide between conservatives and progressives never changes. Tories believe in original sin and individual responsibility. Whigs believe people are naturally good and thus society is to blame.
Earlier this month, David Cameron made a speech in Glasgow saying for the first time that some people who are poor, or fat, or addicted to drugs or alcohol should blame themselves, not society: "We talk about people being 'at risk of obesity' instead of talking about people who eat too much and take too little exercise."
As an Old Etonian, he was obliged to put in a little caveat: "Of course, circumstances - where you are born, your neighbourhood, your school and the choices your parents make - can have a huge impact." Indeed. But he stuck nobly to his central point: "Social problems are often the consequence of the choices people make." It seems almost miraculous that he could have got this fact so clear and then spoken it out loud.
And now we have these treasurable pictures of Cameron looking miserable, confused and rueful on finding that his bike had been stolen. He had popped into a local supermarket in Portobello Road to buy a slimming salad - no Pringles and Rubicon for him - and found it had gone when he came out.
Given that Cameron's going to be our next PM, it's absolutely one of the best things that could have happened to him. I don't wish him ill personally, and I expect he can comfortably absorb the financial hit, but I very much hope his next bike gets stolen, too. Somebody chose to nick it, he has realised. Notoriously, a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged. Cameron's instructive bike loss may not be quite as good as that but every little helps to nudge him further in the right direction.
And Cameron is right to focus not just on poverty, crime and addiction but on obesity. Britain faces medical disaster in the not-so-distant future, because so many people have chosen to eat themselves stupid. Two-thirds of adults are obese or overweight.
Just think about the extraordinary body distortion we now take for granted. Looking at the kids on the streets in Hackney, you don't know whether to laugh or cry. A time-traveller from 50 years ago wouldn't believe his eyes.
Naturally, Health secretary Alan Johnson has this week stepped in to offer us the Whig reaction to the problem. He reproved Cameron, saying the obese shouldn't be vilified and "we should take a moment to consider how complex these issues really are..." But they are not. As Cameron said, people get fat because they eat too much and exercise too little. Then their children do the same. It's simple. Too much in, not enough out. We all can choose what we do about that.
Reader views (3)
Whilst it is of course terrible what happened to Samantha no on then s tied her down and forced cakes down her throat and refused to let her exercise. The person who attacked her could probably claim it wasn't their decision to attack but something that had happened to them caused them to do it and so on ad infinitum.
I am overweight and have taken up cycling and going to the gym (council so too expensive) and walking up stairs. I am accepting that whatever subconscious issue caused me to become fat in the first place it is up to me to change the situation otherwise I will die early.
All Cameron is saying is that ultimately every person decides whether they burgle or murder, whether they eat too much or jack up, whether they spend their whole life in an alcoholic stupor. Yes there are reasons, but there is also help and unless you want the state to start forcibly dieting people you are going to have to take some responsibility for yourself - you are no longer a child.
- Charlie Clark, glasgow, 28/07/2008 13:13
Report abuse
Agreed, some people who are overweight have eating issues with deep seated causes. However, as someone who is overweight herself, I agree that the majority of overweight people (including myself and at least half of my extended family) eat too much and take too little exercise because it's easy to do, not because of any underlying eating disorder, howsoever caused.
The problem is that once the pounds have crept on it's jolly difficult getting rid of them, much harder than it is to not put them on in the first place. Long working hours, sedentary lifestyles and family commitments can make it logistically difficult to incorporate suitable levels of exercise.
However, the onus to overcome these logistical difficulties (and at the same time consume fewer calories) lies with me, not society and not government.
- Petra, London, 27/07/2008 21:22
Report abuse
I think it's sickening that people so grossly misinformed as both David Cameron and David Sexton can be so flipant in their remarks regarding people with weight issues.
I myself am overweight, the result of a sexual assault, where it was easier for a time to bury my feelings in food then to seek the help I needed.
Being overweight is the same as being a drug addict or an alcoholic. They are all diseases that require a dedicated approach to resolving. Being overweight isn't the issue, it's what causes people to overeat, drink or use drugs that is the real issue here.
Typical of a politician to refuse to face the facts of the situation and jump to incorrect conclusions about what the real issues are.
Call me Mr Cameron, I'll tell you what it's like to be on my side of this debate. I'll give you all the details of my sexual assault so that you can blame me to my face, instead of my assailant, that's correct isn't it?
Public statements such as these are only going to make people who need help more afraid to ask for it, as I was for many years.
The fact that overweight people can be vilified publicly by someone such as David Cameron who thinks he has the necessary skills to lead a country is truly frightening.
- Samantha, Bethnal Green, London, 25/07/2008 15:57
Report abuse
