When MPs are sworn in, do they take the hypocritic oath?
Yesterday it was announced that ‘buy one, get one free’ offers on products high in sugar and salt were to be banned from supermarkets in order to combat the UK obesity problem. Well the Tory government can bog off! All this does is bite into the resources of the poorest in our society and does nothing to stop us ingesting too much of what we do not need. Personally, I wish to stop ingesting this sort of hypocrisy!
If this government were serious about, well anything really, but in this case, obesity, then I can tell them where to start. First abolish the subsidy on parliamentary meals! Where else can an elite get a five course meal for as little as £11! Let’s start putting fat cats on a diet!
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Removing the BOGOFs will increase the profit of supermarkets while hitting the pockets of the poor. If any of the cabinet actually cared about the issue or the nation’s health in general it would legislate to reduce the amount of sugar and salt allowed in any product. Some cans of soup contain more than twice the recommended adult daily dose of salt. They get by this by suggesting that our ‘portion’ is less than a can full! How many of us have a third of a can of soup for our lunch? How many people open a tube of Pringles and eat just a dozen of them?
Our food is deliberately contaminated with salt, sugar, fat and an astonishing number of chemicals. Why do we tolerate it? We don’t in the physical sense because those ingredients fuel obesity, increase cholesterol, and raise our collective blood pressure. I call for maximum percentages allowed to be minimised now.
As for our legislators… here’s a thought.
Rather than a mere register of member’s interests, let’s limit their income while in office to their salary. So MPs, and anyone who sits in a second chamber (a properly elected one), should be forced to donate all income, over and above their wage or allowance, to their favourite registered charity. If they are really there to serve then let them.
I’d throw in unlimited free use of public transport or a ‘pool’ electric car. Free uniforms and two paid support staff members for each (drawn from a civil service pool). I would also build a couple of blocks of flats for them to live in while attending parliament. No allowances or subsidies and no second homes, no employing your spouse as secretary or making millions from part-time posts in private and public companies. I’d also tie their salaries to that of nurses so that they only get a rise when the NHS does.
