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Thursday 25 November 2010

Verity Murphy | 12:51 UK time, Thursday, 25 November 2010

The government has issued warnings that Britain is on the verge of an obesity epidemic, and next week will publish a White Paper on the nation's public health.

They say the approach to a healthy nation should be based on voluntary agreements and personal responsibility, not top-down legislation - but why have big food and drink companies been able to heavily influence their policy?
Our Science editor Susan Watts has been finding out.

Our Economics editor Paul Mason will look at the risks of euro contagion, not least after some startling comments by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel today - almost designed to worry the bond markets.

We also have an interview with the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, who has been a huge influence on David Cameron's approach to welfare and education.

"We're going to have a system where the middle classes are discouraged from breeding because it's jolly expensive, but for those on benefit there is every incentive. Well, that's not very sensible."

We'll consider how damaging Howard Flight's comments could be for the Tory brand.

And we'll be looking at the prime minister's 拢2m plan to measure our nation's happiness. From April, the Office for National Statistics will ask people to rate their own well-being with the first official happiness index due in 2012. We've had exclusive access to a YouGov poll which asks how happy, wealthy and physically attractive people are feeling as 2010 draws to a close.

Join Kirsty at 10.30pm on 主播大秀 Two.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    I do hope Mr Reinfeldt is not short.

    David Cameron criticised over John Bercow dwarf joke


    When Mr Bercow said he was ''not happy'' about the incident, Mr Cameron quipped to journalists at a Westminster lunch yesterday: ''So which one are you?''.

    -------------------------

    Mr Cameron should tread carefully, these people are prone to being a bit touchy!


  • Comment number 2.

    Cameron's Happiness Index

    Tonight NewsNight has an exclusive revelation following the Prime Minister's announcement on Happiness following a Cabinet Office leak that anyone scoring below the official "I'm alright, Jack" Key Performance Indicator will be put on a special prescription of "Liquid Luck" to cheer them up.

    The confidential report proposes this innovation based on a review of Ron Weasley's Quiddich performance in the Harry Potter documentary film series, Liquid Luck will form a key plank in getting the nation's Happy Sheet score back into the black.

    However concerns have been voiced that Liquid Luck would fall foul of the anti-doping rules in sport, so Robert Peston has been formally banned from receiving it on the grounds that he would use it to help Arsenal, although experts say only the Dark Lord has this power.

    Claims that the ConDems are living in a fantasy world were shrugged off by Nick Clegg, who said: "This is total rubbish - I'm very much living in the real world dealing with Masses of Muggles complaining about tuition fees going up!"

  • Comment number 3.

    He has a point....

  • Comment number 4.

    'THE LAST DAYS'?

    While politicians try to get the world back into growth (aka extraction and destruction of raw materials, at an ever-increasing rate) the world that technological man configured, appears to be going mad (at home and abroad).

    Avoid discussion . . .

  • Comment number 5.

    'REMEMBER YOU ARE NOT A GOD' (#1)

    Is Divinity Dave getting forgetful in that respect? I posted not a couple of hours ago that he seems to be very full of himself.
    It was most apparent at PMQs that contemptuous dismissal, and personal attack, were the two weapons of the over-confident TPM (Toff Prime Minister). That, and finding himself demmed amusin' - the three weapons . . .

    They are all children - is Dave's lack of maturity telling? Are we due for a grosse Sarkozeee moment? I do hope so.

  • Comment number 6.

    #3 M76UK


    The superficial issue here is about people in positions of power/authority opening their mouths before they engage their brains. Especially when it is all too easy for the preoletariat to extract an 鈥榰s and them鈥 scenario.

    The secondary issue is that it is almost impossible for anyone to raise subjects such as this without being hung out to dry.

    Because there is a valid point that ought to be aired in amongst what he said. Instead, knee jerk reactions, retractions and recriminations mean we shy away from making anyone feel uncomfortable about the way our society is 'progressing'. And I use the phrase advisedly.

  • Comment number 7.

    A PREDICTION

    The White Paper will make no acknowledgement of the true nature (and political intent?) of the NHS.

    How appropriate for food and drink to be involved - tobacco? Will 'national tiredness' feature? Vitamin D (sunlight exposure) is in the news again, but what of diurnal rhythms and a natural sleep patterns? In short: we have a National Sickness Service (long identified as such). Will that be addressed?

    Government taxes the errors and excesses that lead, inexorably, to sickness (but not death). Then government massively funds the NHS with those taxes, while telling a gullible public how fortunate they are. Spot the error. Notice the massive industry of 'Storage to Death' of the old. Civilisation it is NOT.

    But the above, addresses the PHILOSOPHY of health - not the POLITICS of a game called 'health', that is all mixed up with money, state sanctioned poisons, and with POWER.

  • Comment number 8.

    DAVE WANT'S TO KNOW 'HOW LIFE IS IMPROVING'

    There is a typically Davish assumption in that remark. What a wally. If only Lizzy could get close enough to tell him some home-truths.

  • Comment number 9.

    Speaker Bercow is under the influence...of his wife...thank God...

  • Comment number 10.

    Tories have 'never had it so good'.

    Lots of new peers, lots of cuts, rants against 'the poor' breeding and 4 billion a year state subsidy to millionaire landowners ringfenced. Does life get much better than this?

    how 'rich' would these landowner be if like in nearly every other country in the world there was a land tax and compulsory land registration?

    we are not all in this together. The monarchy model creates an apartheid mindset and language.

  • Comment number 11.

    ``The words of Howard Flight could damage the Tory Brand`...only in the thoughts and worlds of the Newsnight lot!!!...For those of us living in the real world his words have an everyday resonance indeed..You only have to look around to see the feckless, state funded, breeding that infects almost every town in our land. Labour will always jump to their defence as they hope to garner their votes. This is a truely non story of someone who simply spoke the truth....next story please

  • Comment number 12.

  • Comment number 13.

    ..Tony Blair on the Evolution of Religious Thought ..

    this is the first vid of several new ones they recently put up which saves having to listen through the whole lecture.



    watching these Tony reminds me of those ancient stories of people who did something so wrong they then spent the rest of their life in a monastery doing penance.

    there is perhaps a more interesting vid with bob woodward as he describes the investigative journalist process.



  • Comment number 14.

  • Comment number 15.



    Part of the opening 鈥榖lurb鈥 for this page reads .....

    鈥淲e'll consider how damaging Howard Flight's comments could be for the Tory brand.鈥



    Surely more 鈥榙amaging鈥 for the Big Con 鈥榗loak of many colours鈥 (Some choose to call it 鈥榖rand鈥 but I cannot bring myself to ask to look at any Con鈥檚 nether regions to confirm that this word is being used appropriately!) is the way that King Con dismissed the 鈥榠shoo鈥 with such apparent short-tempered disdain? Almost like Bart Simpson but without jaundice! .....

    Perhaps not the best lyrics for a hit song ..... 鈥楴ot me, not my problem, not my pay grade!

    We have now had three episodes of 鈥榃e really are not all in it together鈥 .....

    Last week, the story today and the 鈥榬evelation鈥 sic also today -as if we didn鈥檛 know it before - that King Con will inevitably 鈥榣ook after his own鈥 instead of considering the 鈥渘ation鈥檚 best interests鈥!

    King Con talks PR, but it might as well be just 鈥楶R鈥.....

    Because 鈥楧avie Boy鈥 鈥榓int ever gonna be one of the people ..... Like ever!

    And neither does he really want to be ....

    Like ever!

  • Comment number 16.

    in the interview Woodward says he was told by three well placed sources that iraq wmd evidence was skimpy and blames himself and regards it as a personal failure for not making more out of it and following the 'skimpy' clue up. He says if you have no smoking gun evidence then you haven't got evidence which is what the 'skimpy' comment was pointing to.

  • Comment number 17.

    When I first heard the government wants to measure how happy we are, I laughed because I thought it was a spoof. So that made me happy.

    When I learned it was true, I was amazed (not sure what that rates). Then I wondered how much they were going to waste on this tosh. Happiness rating began to plummet.

    Then came to the conclusion politicians must live on another planet. Made me ecstatically happy.

    Then I woke up - with a vivid recollection of The Matrix.

  • Comment number 18.

    "Public Health Policy"

    I doubt starving poor people out of the food and drink they readily consume, in favour of food they despise, would find much support from voters.

    "Howard Flight"

    There's something really offensive about the broadcast media's assumption of the offense we all feel towards Mr. Flight's comments. To stem Kirsty's giggles - which sum up the media's glee 鈥 [can鈥檛 recall name of Newsnight journalist] should have sited the IFS statistic that the 'Question Time' Mr. Dimbleby provided, in support of the comments - as much as it undoubtedly pained him to do so.

    Common sense tells you that when the money will appear, no matter how many children you have, you are less concerned about birth control. A poor education and, hence, lack of will power to insist on contraception, doesn鈥檛 help, either.

  • Comment number 19.

    TONY STILL SAYING NOTHING WITH A LOT OF WORDS (#13)

    Can we not find enough money to buy his silence? Soon, one among his audience (probably a little boy) is going to point that finger. He was our Prime Miniser for god's sake - he ADMIRED Dubya Bush!

    Oh the shame.

  • Comment number 20.

    鈥淪witzerland is to hold a divisive referendum this weekend, which is likely to approve the automatic expulsion of "foreign criminals" convicted of offences ranging from murder to falsely claiming benefits.
    Despite the international criticism heaped on Switzerland over its minaret ban the SVP is defiant about its plan to kick out "foreign criminals".



    It is predicted that 58 per cent of the electorate will approve the measures to automatically expel, once released from prison, all foreign criminals convicted of offences ranging from murder to burglary and the misappropriation of social security or unemployment payments.
    They would be barred from re-entry for up to 20 years.

    鈥淭he government has voiced concerns about the proposals and warned that they would break bilateral agreements Switzerland holds with the EU.鈥

    Oh that we in UK had the same degree of separation from EU laws (as opposed to bilateral agreements) and the power of public referenda that Swiss citizens enjoy. That鈥檚 what I call democracy.

    And don鈥檛 let the government鈥檚 publicity campaign to retain First Past the Post voting fool you, it is intended to keep the status quo whereby we continue to be lumbered with the same corrupt and uncaring party MPs, and elections where millions of votes cast for minor parties are ignored.

  • Comment number 21.

    A nice bit of drama in the world's most expensive talkshop!

    "The European Parliament voted to eject UKIP MEP Godfrey Bloom following comments he made against German social democrat Martin Schultz".



    Nigel Farrar spoke up in support of his UKIP MEP and I wish his party had got the 10 MPs at Westminster that PR would have produced. We need more challenge and less political correctness and stuffy procedures....and -

    What austerity drive?

    "Pay rises all round on EU gravy train: Extra 拢3,000 a year for MEPs after judges' ruling."



    鈥淢ore than 46,000 officials will now receive the 3.7 per cent pay rise in full, backdated to July 2009. They will also be paid interest on the overdue sum; the decision, which will directly benefit the judges who handed down the ruling, prompted outrage last night."

    Tory MP Douglas Carswell said: 鈥榊et again we see self-serving Eurocrats handing large amounts of our money to other self-serving Eurocrats鈥

  • Comment number 22.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 23.

    # barrie, Hannan Gagged by the Corporate Nazi's !

  • Comment number 24.

    According to today's Daily Express, 99% of people want to get out of the EU.


    oh and Nick Clegg fears he will be toast in 1 year's time


    Well people, it's about time UKIP had it's first PM!

  • Comment number 25.

    Sorry, the 2nd reference should have been

  • Comment number 26.

    ABOUT NOW SOMEBODY USUALLY STARTS A WAR (#23)

    Or has it already started - a war with reason - a war with ourselves - A WAR INSIDE OURSELVES?

    Thanks Bro. Hannan is no White Knight, but he is a rational voice in a den of irrationality, giving pause for disturbing thought. I got X-Factor resonances, as he was dismissed by Simon Cowell.

  • Comment number 27.

    NOT JUST ANY TOAST . . . (#25)

    But VERY DRY, D-C TOAST. Dave was always going to hang Nick out to dry. Nick will be brought down by the marshal-arts trick of 'DEFEAT BY THE ENERGY OF HIS OWN URGENCY aka NEED.

    Needy Nick has been outwitted by Dodgy Dave. Never trust a man who will re-shape his head to win approval. Dave REALLY IS a shape shifter, and a bit of a lizard too (but not in the Icke way, we hope).

  • Comment number 28.

    AND 'TRUST ME I'M VINCE', SLICED WHITE, IS BURNED BLACK! (#27 additional)

    Vince even had me fooled, when he was the calm voice of deep financial reason. He had perfected that light (dancing) delivery, and air of - dare I say - integrity.

    BOOOOOM! 'To dust and ashes in it's heat-consuming.'

    Westminster is a rotten barrel - the rot is contagious.

  • Comment number 29.

    FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT (THAT WE HAVE GOT OURSELVES ANOTHER ONE)

    Go here to remind yourselves of the man who bought Nick, knowing Nick would pay the price. (Not unlike modern banking - now THERE'S a thing!)



    Now take a HARD look at Dave - the current face of politics.

    'So are they all - HONOURABLE men.' (Julius Caesar!)

  • Comment number 30.

    Jeremy's interviewed Chris Hitchen's for Monday's edition of Newsnight!

  • Comment number 31.

    happiness = work or public subsidy ie access to money to fulfil your dreams.

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