You There! Step Away From The Happy Meal, Laddie!
The increasingly authoritarian "liberals" in Britain are now working on banning the humble McDonald's Happy Meal. The people's republic city of Liverpool is set to enact a ban on the meals. It's for the children, of course.
McDonald's Happy Meals are to be banned in Liverpool over claims they are contributing to the epidemic of childhood obesity.
The city council is planning to outlaw the meals on the grounds that they are damaging the heath of children – particularly as they offer free toys in order to encourage parents to buy junk food for their children.
The Liberal Democrat-controlled authority claims the credit for taking the lead in the campaign that led to the ban on smoking in public places.
Members of Liverpool City Council's Childhood Obesity Scrutiny Group want a bye-law that would forbid the sale of fast foot accompanied by toys.
Councillors say the promotional items are used to boost sales through the "Pester Power" phenomenon – children pestering parents for Happy Meal toys.
The scrutiny Group has ordered a report from town hall officials that would pave the way for the bye-law that would be the first of its kind in the UK.
Lib Dem councillor Paul Twigger said: "The Scrutiny Group is recommending that a bye-law be enforced to stop the circulation of free toys associated with junk food promotions.
"We consider it is high time that cash-hungry vultures like McDonald's are challenged over their marketing policies which are directly aimed at promoting unhealthy eating among children.
"Childhood obesity is a dire threat to the health in this country and it needs to be nipped in the bud urgently.
"Children are directly targeted with junk food and McDonald's use the Happy Meals to exploit Pester Power of children against which many parents give in.
"In most Happy Meals the toy is sold with a burgers containing four or five tablespoons of sugar, along with high-calorie fries and milkshakes.
"These fattening meals are being shamelessly promoted through free toys and it is clear that it is going to take legislation to combat the practice.
The left has become much worse than what they rebelled against forty years ago. They now think their groupthink mentality is the only way to think and that decisions must not be made by anyone but them. The lovely "cash-hungry vultures" remark is especially telling.
It just doesn't say what Mr. Twigger thinks it does. Nice jackboots, Mr. Twigger.
Left Wing, World news | Gaius February 24, 2008
By feeblemind, February 24, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
If I read the article correctly, you can still order a burger and fries for your kids. So what this amounts to is simply taking toys from children.
By Maggie, February 24, 2008 @ 9:38 pm
feeblemind -
Yep, such IS everything liberal/socialist … lame and feeble.
By Greatful, February 25, 2008 @ 1:10 am
Public health issues usually start the fascist ball rolling. Who would not want to be healthy? A perfect issue for a a lazy demagogue pol to take control with – just ask Hitler or Castro. Much better to leave this kind of rulemaking to the marketplace as we see now in the price of gas, which has brought to profitable life the alternative fuel car. "Let 100 flowers bloom." said Chairman Mao and when they did; Sir Richard Branson turned them into jet fuel.