Friday 23 July 2010

It's a bad news business

Some very good news today from the Office of National Statistics (this, from the BBC ):

Death rates in England and Wales are at their lowest-ever recorded levels, official figures show.

Yet again.

Despite health concerns surrounding rising levels of obesity and alcohol use, death rates for both men and women fell by about 5% in 2009 from 2008.

Could it possibly be that those health concerns have been exaggerated just a tad?

Separate research released last year predicted that babies born today in the UK and other wealthy nations could expect to live to 100.

Not that this this will stop people like David Kessler telling us that children born today will die before their parents. Never, you will note, 'younger than their parents'—which is what they actually mean. They deliberately leave the phrasing open to imply that parents will outlive their children. Either way, they're wrong and every year new life expectancy figures show that they're wrong.

But, as I mention in Velvet Glove, Iron Fist (pp. 300-303), there is a British tradition to bury these annual tidings of good news. This year they have been buried with this:

Health gap 'wider than in Great Depression'

The health inequality gap in Britain is greater than it was during the post-World War I slump and the Great Depression, a study suggests.


Guess which story the BBC is focusing on (magnifying glass required, bottom right)...



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5 comments:

  1. Anonymous23 July 2010 at 13:10

    Privatise the BBC then nutters who promote this cobblers will have to pay for it themselves.

    A study suggests;
    translation.........

    A made up pulled out the air set of dubious figures suggests a load of useless gits are kept in well paid jobs to invent stuff !
    Paid for by the taxpayer as well no doubt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous23 July 2010 at 13:28

    Hasn't alcohol consumption been falling since around 2005?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Spartan23 July 2010 at 14:10

    Not in my world, Anon and neither has the falling :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous25 July 2010 at 21:39

    Many years ago(60s) ,my father warned me, the BBC will push for
    an England not fit for an Englishman to live in.

    With the help of The Guardian and
    The Commons of course.



    The Free Corps

    ReplyDelete
  5. DaveA30 July 2010 at 00:27

    Chris, you have been a busy boy, I feel a bit guilty about my email the other day.

    See you soon.

    ReplyDelete

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