Why do our governments want to make us feel guilty?
guilt... if we don't eat the government prescribed 5 portions of fruit a day... 5 portions of vegetables a day...
Guilt if we drink more than the proscribed units of alcohol a week...
Guilt if we smoke... guilt if we dare to drive our car and stomp great big carbon footprints everywhere...
the UK has the highest number of cctv surveillance cameras in the world, the government wants to see into every aspect of our lives. Not content with that they want to dictate our lifestyle, based of course on statistics. And anyone who has even a passing relationship with statistics realises that they can be used to prove any point that you fancy, never mind reality, you can create you own statistical fantasy world.
Governments thrive on control, be that of fiscal policy, public services or reality. Add to that the constant (imagined) threat to our freedom of terrorist attack and you have the perfect nightmare, George Orwell's 1984 has come true.
It's all bollocks of course... one third of us will die from cancer whether we smoke or treat our body as a temple, the climate is fucked and the government wants to expand our airports. We bear the brunt of the bankers obscene greed...
So my new years resolution is to ignore anything the government proclaims, to not feel guilty for someone else's sake and to let my heart guide me.
guilt... if we don't eat the government prescribed 5 portions of fruit a day... 5 portions of vegetables a day...
Guilt if we drink more than the proscribed units of alcohol a week...
Guilt if we smoke... guilt if we dare to drive our car and stomp great big carbon footprints everywhere...
the UK has the highest number of cctv surveillance cameras in the world, the government wants to see into every aspect of our lives. Not content with that they want to dictate our lifestyle, based of course on statistics. And anyone who has even a passing relationship with statistics realises that they can be used to prove any point that you fancy, never mind reality, you can create you own statistical fantasy world.
Governments thrive on control, be that of fiscal policy, public services or reality. Add to that the constant (imagined) threat to our freedom of terrorist attack and you have the perfect nightmare, George Orwell's 1984 has come true.
It's all bollocks of course... one third of us will die from cancer whether we smoke or treat our body as a temple, the climate is fucked and the government wants to expand our airports. We bear the brunt of the bankers obscene greed...
So my new years resolution is to ignore anything the government proclaims, to not feel guilty for someone else's sake and to let my heart guide me.