A far from healthy attitude to accountability

Verity

It's appalling from every standpoint, although it certainly illuminates what this government thinks of the intelligence of the average voter.

It's doubly insulting given the mental wattage of this government. That they judge the voters less intelligent than themselves outrageous.

Finally, government should get out of the health advice business. This five fresh fruit and vegetables mantra has almost run its course anyway. Remember when butter was bad for you? The government should get its sticky fingers out of the lives of the citizenry. I've never seen such bossiness and personal intrusion as there is in Britain. I think it's a leftover from the War.

It is also facilitated by their ability to cite the "costs to the NHS" of people not obeying their food/lifestyle directives. Another reason to dump the NHS.

Pete, Scotland

Well said.

What is anyone going to do about it though?

Nicholas

More like this please. Examples of government waste need to be exposed and quantified. Where the amounts involved are hidden, as here, it just makes them look worse.

As a taxpayer I don't want to stump up the bill for a highly paid celebrity ("high profile individual" FGS!) to lecture me on what I should eat.

Ruairidh

Sadly James I think the DoH thinking is probably accurate and the people the DoH are targetting are probably the same demographic that laps up the celebrity drivel on the newstands. That said the FOI request should be answered. The cost/benefit analysis on this is no state secret and should be disclosed.

TGF UKIP

Given the public's reaction to Ross and his BBC £18m and remebering Gordon's "No more celebrity politics" there should be real traction on this for the Tories IF they choose to pursue it with rather more ferocity than they usually manage.

But given who the Health shadow is, don't hold your breath.

DM

'Twas ever thus. The Treasury regularly pays them for tax credit/revenue returns.

Lance Grundy

Prior to Christmas, during November and early to mid-December, my local commercial radio station was airing non-stop NHS public information ‘adverts’ as part of something called the “Catch it. Bin it. Kill it” campaign which, almost unbelievably, is a campaign to tell people how to blow their noses into a tissue or, failing that, the importance of covering your nose and mouth when you sneeze. Fortunately, I was taught to do this by my parents - so long ago in my childhood, in fact, that I am incapable of remembering how old I actually was.

Whatever next? Mark my words, before long Labour’s Department of 'Health' will be spending millions of pounds telling us how to wipe our backsides.

“The Labour Party and the National Health Service, together ensuring Britons have squeaky clean bottoms”

You really couldn’t make this crap up could you?

Searcher

"This makes it impossible for the tax-payers to judge whether this is an effective use of their money." Really? Well, let's just have a guess then.

Trumpeter Lanfried

Sadly, I cannot think of any government statement over the last twelve months, from whatever source, and on whatever subject, which could not be characterised as 'weasel words' falling somewhere between patronising half truths at one end of the scale and downright lies or obstruction at the other.

Even more sadly, this corruption in public life is not confined to ministers and their special advisers. It seems to have infected the civil service which now acts like Mr Brown's own tribe of weasels.

J H Holloway

Point is, the 'celebs' will look pretty low for pocketing cash for aiding the public good.

Cue tabloid comparisons with nurse's pay etc...

Wilhelm

Giving a lot of money to Z grade celebrities might help them with their cocaine habit.

Susan Hill

Ah, Lance Grundy,you`re too late. There was a recent NHS survey at one of the main line London rail stations. They asked for volunteers who would have their fingers swabbed for bacteria ... specifically and only faecal bacteria. Having discovered vast hordes of the bacteria on something like 80% of hands they decided people needed educating in toilet hygiene.
Watch this space.

Verity

J H Holloway ... The naiveté ... the naiveté ...

You think all this is accidental ... ineptitude ... God, you people deserve what you are getting, you are so gullible.

Verity

I cannot believe that so many of you have your heads buried in the sand.

Don't you understand that this has been a 40 year project to destroy Britain. Project Napoleonic Schadenfreude. (They are best friends, after all.)

Roger Thornhill

We have seen a recent upsurge in talking heads going on about how we must be forced to "volunteer" more.

How about "celebs" volunteering their time for a good cause and doing free adverts for the NHS? Alan Sugar did for NS&I Premium Bonds.

Grief, it is a form of self-advertising as it is - gets their fizz on the goggle box.

Susan Hill

I`ll do it