THE NANNY STATE

luka

luka

Well-known member
and this is how law usually works. theres a tacit realisation that this only applies to the lower classes
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
luka said:
and this is how law usually works. theres a tacit realisation that this only applies to the lower classes
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Yeah, I mean I'm hardly the most hardcore lefty here but it's obvious that there's an assumption that it's only poor people who either have, or cause, these sorts of social or public health problems. Minimum alcohol pricing may discourage someone from drinking quite so many cans of Special Brew in a week - then again, it may not, they may drink just as much and simply have less money for everything else - but doesn't affect someone who's pickling themselves in vintage burgundies or single malt.

And while I try to avoid slippery-slope arguments, I can see this as part of a move towards an insurance-like model for the NHS in the near future, where you will still be able to get free treatment if they reckon you've been sufficiently "virtuous", or rather, can refuse treatment if they think you've been "naughty".
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The aspect of this that involves morality is, I think, deeply Protestant. Or it's related to the kind of Protestantism that took root in Britain, anyway. A cynic might say that the punitively high taxes we have on tobacco, booze and now sugary drinks aren't really intended to curb our consumption of them at all, but are just a way of raising revenue that's seen as more morally acceptable than simply raising taxes across the board because they single out behaviours that are considered "sinful", or at least "naughty".

The sugary drinks thing is very revealing, actually, because I think it applies only to drinks with added sugar, meaning fruit juices are exempt even though many of them contain more sugar than Coca-Cola.

And the duty on petrol and diesel is just a modern extension of the idea of "sin" to include the environment. I wouldn't mind it being so expensive if we had trains and buses that were competitively priced, but we don't. If you drive to work every day then you can't just decide not to because a litre of fuel has gone up by 10p. You're just that bit poorer at the end of the month.
 
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Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The "good" (implicitly middle-class) mother gives her kids Copella Apple & Mango juice, which is natural and has vitamins in it, so that's fine. The "bad" (implicitly working-class) mother gives her kids Coca-Cola, which is full of additives, so she must be discouraged by a price hike.

The fact that the juice has 30% more sugar in it than the Coke is neither here nor there.
 
IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
luka said:
and this is how law usually works. theres a tacit realisation that this only applies to the lower classes
Click to expand...
Certainly the bar in the posh tennis club where I play squash twice a week completely ignores the ban on selling alcohol after 8pm which is otherwise pretty much absolute across Lisbon and strictly enforced
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
luka said:
and this is how law usually works. theres a tacit realisation that this only applies to the lower classes
Click to expand...
Kind of unarguable when you look at how many crimes are punishable with a fine, which is often within a prescribed range for a certain type of offence, or even a fixed amount.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
drink white wine and a camembert in a no booze zone no problem. white lightning at the bus stop. eyesore. different story. we all know the rules.
 
Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
My brain is almost overloading at the potential opportunities for "squash racket" puns in this thread.
 
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