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ARE WE LIVING IN A NANNY STATE?

from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)

Mirror

ARE WE LIVING IN A NANNY STATE?

Claire Donnelly And Nick Webster

From the number of bananas we eat to the heat of our bath water - the government influences almost every moment of our lives.

Just yesterday the House of Lords debated a change in the law on smacking children, and doctors lobbied Blair for a ban on smoking in public places. Some of the legislation is vital, but much is simply common sense.

So are we living in a nanny state?

To find out, CLAIRE DONNELLY and NICK WEBSTER chronicle a day in the life of a fictional British family - a married thirty-something couple with a teenage daughter and schoolboy son - who follow the government's very real advice to the letter.

7:00am
AT their home in Kennington, South London, mum Jane, 38, is preparing breakfast for husband, Mark, 39, and their children, Amy, 13 and Robert, six.

She is busy knocking up a fresh fruit salad and freshly squeezed orange juice to give the family two of the five daily portions of fruit and veg the government recommends to prevent cancers and heart disease.

7:30am
DAD Mark, a lawyer, has a quick shower. No chance of him being scalded thanks to a thermostat control they had fitted - recommended by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

8:00am
JANE is getting ready for work as a secretary in the City. She went back to work when Robert started school, encouraged by the Government's Tax Credit system for working mums.

8:15am
MARK is chewing nicotine gum as he sets off for the Tube - he's used public transport since London's congestion charge was introduced - after taking Health Secretary John Reid's advice and quitting smoking. Since 1997, the government has spent £31million on anti-smoking campaigns.

8:30am
AMY insists on walking Robert to his primary school, before she heads for her own classroom at the nearby comprehensive. She knows the government wants 70 per cent of Britons participating in regular physical activity by 2020.

8:45am
JANE picks up a work colleague. They are part of Liftshare, a car pool initiative set up in response to government aims to cut congestion and reduce emissions. Encouraged by the Department of Transport's THINK! campaign she also switches off her mobile phone before getting into the vehicle.

11:00am
LIKE all four to six-year-olds in his area, Robert is given another piece of fruit, free, at school. With 15 per cent of all 15-year-olds and 8.5 per cent of six-year-olds now obese, the government promotes healthy eating.

12:30pm
AFTER a morning of meetings, Mark heads to the company gym for a 30-minute workout, then nips to a nearby deli for a healthy green salad and fruit juice.

He is aware of the government's warnings that 24 million adults are clinically obese and that the problem will cost the NHS an extra £30billion a year by 2022 if nothing is done.

1:00pm
JANE runs to the shops at lunchtime to buy sun tan lotion for the family holiday. Usually they use factor eight cream but Public Health Minister Melanie Johnson has advised using only factor 15 and above - as well as remaining in the shade between 11am and 3pm.

2:00pm
MARK makes a note to check the children haven't been pilfering from the family's stockpile of food kept for any terrorist attack.

Following the advice in a Home Office leaflet sent out to 24 million households earlier this year, they have stored three days' supply of baked beans, tuna, chocolate bars and bottled water.

4:00pm
JANE heads home to collect Robert and then drops by Amy's school to see if she needs a lift.

She is keen to make sure Amy attends all her classes, especially since the government introduced fines and, in some extreme cases, jail sentences, for the parents of truants.

Tomorrow is Sports Day - or Fun Day - where the kids are encouraged NOT to compete but have a lovely time around a May pole.

The school outing has been cancelled for fear of losing or injuring any of the children.

4:30pm
AMY tells her mum she wants to buy a guinea pig. But with government plans to ban youngsters under 16 from buying pets Jane says "No."

She knows the proposed Animal Welfare Bill will also upset young Robert.

Although they only seem to live a few weeks, Robert loves winning goldfish whenever the annual funfair visits.

But the bill also includes a ban on live prizes.

Amy goes off in a sulk and Jane recalls a piece of advice she was given by her cousin, who saw a £300,000 TV advert by NHS Health Scotland which reminds parents that adolescent tantrums are a typical part of family life.

4:45pm
JANE doesn't like Robert watching TV because of all the junk-food adverts.

She can't wait for Health Secretary John Reid to fulfil his promise and ban ads for burgers, crisps, fizzy drinks and sweets from children's TV shows.

She spends an hour trying to get through Robert's school report which, in line with government regulations is now longer than a Russian novel.

6:00pm
AMY rings her gran to moan about her pet problem. While on the line, she reminds her grandmother of the dangers of wearing ill-fitting slippers.

She's heard the government is spending £225,000 teaching the over-55s to wear slippers to prevent them tripping, possibly costing the NHS a fortune.

8:00pm
WHILE Mark and the kids wash up after dinner Jane goes out for a half-hour walk. She knows the government has said adults should undertake at least 30 minutes a day of exercise five days a week.

On her return she takes a long drink of water. The government recommends eight glasses of water a day.

8:45pm
PAUL and Jo, friends of Mark and Jane, pop round for a drink.

They are careful not to drink more than the Chief Medical Officer's recommended alcohol limit of no more than three or four units for men or two to three units for women.

9:00pm
TO Jane's surprise Paul lights up a cannabis joint. She doesn't mind smoking in the house, but is confused over the legal position of the drug.

Paul says the recent legal reclassification of cannabis means possession of small amounts is no longer an arrestable offence.

But Jane remembers Home Secretary David Blunkett saying the police could arrest marijuana users in certain "aggravated" cases, such as when the drug is smoked near children.

And young Robert is asleep upstairs.

10:00pm
NOW a little more relaxed the two couples discuss a mutual friend who is delighted the government is considering introducing licensed brothels and "tolerance zones", where street prostitutes are allowed to operate.

Of course he will follow another government recommendation - and wear a condom.

But they are unlikely to be allowed to smoke after sex since the brothel will be a public place.

10:35pm
AFTER settling down to watch Question Time - to keep abreast of any new government initiatives - it's off to bed.

(posted 7206 days ago)

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