tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post1406769080548035325..comments2023-10-17T15:56:22.827+01:00Comments on Velvet Glove, Iron Fist: Viva EspaƱaChristopher Snowdonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15963753745009712865noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-89130180922956006832013-03-06T12:28:27.439+00:002013-03-06T12:28:27.439+00:00Apparently Greece came in at No 3 in the EU health...Apparently Greece came in at No 3 in the EU health / longevity survey, and they are far and away the biggest smokers in EU, with, I believe, more than 40% of the male population being smokers and close to 30% of the female population.<br /><br />I had the EU smoking prevalence PDF bookmarked, but when I tried to access it just now it wouldn't let me in. Timed out, it said. Hence no link. Sorry.nisakimanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04563041282703559939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-64777337907419963682013-03-05T22:33:24.726+00:002013-03-05T22:33:24.726+00:00"NHS report says NHS not to blame for patient..."NHS report says NHS not to blame for patients' deaths" shocker! <br /><br />I heard all the coverage today and started to think I was the only human left on the planet with the power of critical thought.<br /><br />1) The above - no mention that the NHS might be slightly biased when it comes to "explaining" why so many of us dying. And this on the day the NHS CEO was hauled over the coals whilst bleating that patients dehydrating to death wasn't his fault.<br /><br />2) They blamed "smoking and booze" primarily, with diet as a nice add on, and then without anyone thinking anything was odd, actually named examples of "good countries" - Spain, Greece, Italy and France - ALL of whom have far higher smoking rates than us!!<br /><br />3) They then said the stubborn death rates were in the young in people under 25 - yet we know that most (if not all) smoking-related diseases are diseases of old age. People are not dying of smoking-related lung cancer at 23.<br /><br />4) They then said the one success was in heart disease which had dropped enormously. Er, isn't heart disease supposedly a "smoking related disease?" So now we are supposed to expect that smoking has caused an increase in some diseases and a reduction in others? Either their conclusions in this report are bollocks or they're lying about heart disease being related to smoking (I'm not putting lying about both beyond them, either).<br /><br />Then on Today at least, the whole report was rounded off with one of the presenters saying it was all thanks to the smoking ban (wow, don't even need the anti-nutjobs when you have them on staff, do you?) before saying the ban had been "an enormous success." Oh and then adding how "fantastic" the NHS is, for good measure. Good impartial reporting there - by what measures? Who says? <br /><br />The whole thing stank. Apart from the fact it seemed designed to deflect attention from Staffordshire and to also add extra pressure for the wobbly minimum pricing policy, the presenters attitudes amazed me. On no other policy, from any party, would they just say, as fact, that it was "an enormous success." Yet with the smoking ban it's different.<br /><br />There really is some directive somewhere saying that they have to say black is white often enough so people start believing them. I've lost count of the number of recent pub closure articles I've seen that don't mention the ban. Just amazing. And sinister.<br /><br />Thank God for this site and a handful of others, like DP and Frank.<br />James Burrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17887499076992310207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-32476231816876733602013-03-05T21:45:53.093+00:002013-03-05T21:45:53.093+00:00Of course the BBC have no bias whatsoever and a co...Of course the BBC have no bias whatsoever and a complex analysis of many factors that affect longevity can be legitimately boiled down to another plug for the anti tobacco, alcohol and food lobbyists. There is absolutely nothing at all wrong with claiming that heart disease is avoidable and why bother with trivialities such as the years of life lived in good health not really aligning with the lifestyle factor data you keep banging on about? <br /><br />All of this is absolutely fine if you are not supposed to be an impartial, quality broadcaster and would not dream of employing a public health industry obsessive in an editorial position.<br /><br />Unfortunately the BBC is supposed to bring us quality impartial news but instead employs people with agendas who subject the British public to a barrage of public health propaganda on an almost daily basis. <br /><br />All that is missing from this BBC article is the usual plug for minimum alcohol pricing. Ivan Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18364023294207490403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3585028625507474093.post-6447250346860745772013-03-05T21:05:29.752+00:002013-03-05T21:05:29.752+00:00The French puritans are hailing only 1% of deaths ...The French puritans are hailing only 1% of deaths <a href="http://www.thelocal.fr/page/view/alcohol-kills-49000-french-people-a-year#.UTZdFaJ7Lng" rel="nofollow">in Denmark</a> being alcohol-related. But they are 18th in the list, 12 places below ... France. Dick Puddlecotehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01481866882188932892noreply@blogger.com