The Dangers of Salt - The New Cocaine

Those of you with long memories (not addled by age, drink or drugs) may recall that way back in 2008 I wrote about councils trying to limit the number of holes in salt shakers at fish and chip shops.

"Seemingly at least six councils have ordered five-hole shakers, at our (council taxpayers') expense. These are being given away to chip shops and takeaways in their areas.

Drywite Ltd make the five hole shakers at £2 each. They have now received orders from at least five other councils, including Gateshead and Middlesbrough Council.

As one rather wise chippy owner said, it doesn't matter how many holes it has, people are going to put on as much salt as they want.

Additionally, why not save yourself the £2 and simply bung up some of the holes with sticky tape or glue?

Carol Ackerman, who runs Carol's Plaice in the suburb of Acklam, said:

"People will just put on more salt if they want more.

In fact, we have had some people unscrewing the lids to do so."

Another brilliant use of council taxpayer's money!"

Well it seems that the anti salt lobby is up to its old tricks again (quite why Nanny has such a bee in her bonnet over salt - a necessary part of the human diet - I don't know...could it be that Nanny is related to slugs?), Stockport council (Lib Dem run) wants fish and chip shops, cafes and Indian restaurants to hide salt shakers behind the counters.

The "thinking" being that if people don't see the salt they may not use it, and those that do want it will have to ask for it.

Ironically Stockport is facing a budget cut of around £50M, so quite how they have found the resources necessary for this campaign I don't know.

The campaign is part of the Greater Manchester ASK campaign, which aims to cut salt consumption.

All utter bollocks:

1 One size fits all does not work wrt "safe" levels of food, drink or drugs.

2 A healthy person, who drinks water and exercises regularly, will excrete (I like that word:)) excess salt via urine and sweat.

3 As a child I used to shave blocks of sea salt for my mum (anyone know where I can get these now?), and would enjoy eating chunks of salt (I have not got a sweet tooth). I am now middle aged, and in ruggedly good health!

4 We should be allowed to eat food in the way we wish.

5 Shall we criminalise salt to such an extent that it will become the new "cocaine" of the street dealers?

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The Booze Police

Did you know my loyal readers that this is "alcohol awareness week"?

No, I didn't know that either, until I by chance came across this wee note (see below) in the Times yesterday.

Speaking personally I don't need any of Nanny's minions to remind me about alcohol, but it is very kind of them to do so!

Regarding the note written by the venerable doctors, I would make a few of observations:

1 They are seriously out of touch, regarding dictating prices that would lead to a £1.50 pint; when was a pint last £1.50?

2 Normal people do not drink gallons of ultra cheap cider. To punish the normal population for the actions of a desperate, sad minority is simply not right.

3 Physician heal thyself: "Although the physical health of doctors compares favourably with that of the general population, they have an increased prevalence of alcohol and drug problems and a higher suicide rate.

Data from the U.S.A. indicate that approximately 10% of physicians become dependent on psychoactive drugs or alcohol at some time during their careers. Dynamic influences in their upbringing, pressure of work and ready access to drugs may all predispose to drug or alcohol misuse."

Source Alcohol and drug use and related problems in the medical profession

I also noted in another media organ that there is a "growing campaign for minimum alcohol prices"...errrmmm...no there isn't! This is merely a media invention to give the media something to write about.

Anyhoo, in order to celebrate "alcohol awareness week" I will be consuming a veritable smorgasbord of alcohol, I recommend that you do the same (feel free to buy some using the excellent links on this site).

Sherry enemas all round!

Here is the letter from the doctors, as per The Times:

"Sir,

As Directors of Public Health in the North West, we believe that the time has come for effective action to stop the irresponsible sale of cut-price alcohol by the off-trade. We welcome the Government's recent proposals to introduce a mandatory code for alcohol retailers and believe that this should be implemented at the earliest opportunity to address increased alcohol consumption and health harm in the UK. However, we also urge the Government to take further decisive action by bringing forward legislation to introduce a minimum price per unit for alcohol of 50p per unit.

None of us comes to this policy solution easily. However, despite considerable investment in the NHS and public health messages, a new Licensing Act and efforts by the industry itself, HMRC figures show that the overall consumption of alcohol continues to rise, as measured by volume of alcohol sold. Hospital admissions due to alcohol harm have risen by 64 per cent in the North West in the past five years. Apart from the implications for public health of this situation, we believe that the cost to the NHS in the North West of £400 million per year is simply unsustainable.

Of course, personal responsibility must continue to be part of our collective focus in tackling alcohol consumption, but it is naive for any of us to think it can be the sole focus. Alcohol is sufficiently price elastic for the aggressive price-cutting we have seen in recent years to affect individual consumption. It follows, as Sheffield University has shown, that raising the price of the cheapest alcohol sold would affect overall consumption and would target effectively the consumption of those that drink above moderate levels.

We know that the Government has argued that it does not wish to penalise moderate drinkers. Neither do we. A unit price of 50p means £1.50 for a pint in the pub or £4.50 for a bottle of wine in the supermarket. Is this really too much to pay to save 3,393 lives per year, to cut crimes by 45,800 and save the country £1 billion every year in alcohol-related costs?

We urge the Government to act quickly and decisively. The political leadership that was shown on smoking in public places needs to be shown on alcohol too. As with smoking, the politicians that take a lead in combating alcohol harm may find that they command the public’s respect and support as a result.

Dr Arif Rajpura
Blackpool PCT

Dr Diana Forrest
Knowsley PCT

Professor John Ashton
Cumbria PCT

Dr Julie Higgins
Salford PCT

Dr Abdul Razzaq
Trafford PCT

Fiona Johnstone
Halton and St Helens PCT

Dr Frank Atherton
North Lancashire PCT

Dr Stephen Watkins
Stockport PCT

Alan Higgins
Oldham PCT

Dr Rita Robertson
Warrington PCT

Janet Atherton
Sefton PCT

Jan Hutchison
Bolton PCT

Melanie Sirotkin
Tameside and Glossop PCT

Dr Kate Ardern
Ashton, Leigh and Wigan PCT

Dr Sheila Will
Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT

Dr Peter Elton
Bury PCT

Dr Ellis Friedman
East Lancashire PCT

Maggi Morris
Central Lancashire PCT

Dr Heather Grimbaldeston
Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT"

Visit The Orifice of Government Commerce and buy a collector's item.

Visit The Joy of Lard and indulge your lard fantasies.

Show your contempt for Nanny by buying a T shirt or thong from Nanny's Store.

www.nannyknowsbest.com is brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Celebrate the joy of living with booze. Click and drink!

Why not really indulge yourself, by doing all the things that Nanny really hates? Click on the relevant link to indulge yourselves; Food, Bonking, Toys, Gifts and Flowers, Groceries

Nanny Bans Ties

Full marks to John Peckham, head teacher of Bramhall School Greater Manchester, for being a bit of a sissy girl when it comes to health and safety.

He has decided that the wearing of real ties by his pupils is way too dangerous, so he has banned his pupils from wearing knotted ties because he says they could pose a safety risk.

Clip-on ties, like those worn by police officers, are now the order of that day at Bramhall High School in Stockport.

Precisely how many thousands of children die each year because their tie strangles them?

Pillock!

Learning to tie your own tie is one of life's great benchmarks, taking you from dribbling infant to fully fledged sprog.