The UK Is Going Orwellian

I just found this article posted on one of the forums I read that relate liberties, etc.

I’m almost speechless (I know, hard to believe but it does happen occasionally – deal with it….LOL):

To battle obesity, Britain creates nine ‘healthy towns’

By Ben Quinn Ben Quinn – Fri Nov 14, 4:00 am ET

London – In Manchester, Britain’s third largest city with half a million people, residents will begin carrying electronic tracking tags that log how far they run or cycle each day. The tag will even help track how many calories residents burn. Those who hit the running trail every morning will be rewarded with coupons at stores and even days off work.

Although this new program may sound a bit Orwellian, in Manchester and eight other towns throughout England the British government is banking on it to help rein in the nation’s obesity problem.

In an announcement this week, the British government designated the nine “healthy towns” where commercial marketing techniques and training programs will be used in the battle to trim the public’s waistline.

~snip~

The British Government’s health secretary, Alan Johnson, described obesity as England’s “biggest health challenge” and has allocated £30 million ($45 million) to the nine “healthy towns.”

The money will be used in these pilot cities to develop innovative ways to encourage residents to adopt healthier lifestyles. If the program is successful, the government plans to implement it at the national level.

The government funding will be administered by town councils and local health authorities, which will also dip into their own budgets to run the different programs.

Members of the public taking part in a scheme in Manchester, will be invited to carry one of the electronic tags when they exercise in public parks where the tags can be swiped at access points to log the distance they’ve covered and how many calories they’ve burned. People will also get points for buying vegetables and other healthy foods.

The tags, which are modeled on retail loyalty card schemes, will also store up points based on how much its owner exercises. Users can then redeem the points in a special catalog where they can get sports clothing, shoes, and other equipment, as well as a “healthy” day off at a swimming pool for example.

Read the FULL STORY here.

“Although this new program may sound a bit Orwellian”????? Are they kidding? It sounds VERY Orwellian to me.

How long before it is National? How long before the nanny-state nazi do-gooders try that here? How long before they monitor how many times a time you urinate or move your bowels; or if a woman misses her menstrual cycle? How long before we are all awakened like the men and women in boot camp to gather outside for our mandatory exercise to start the day? How long before we are all monitored 24/7/365?

WHERE exactly are they getting the money for this? All you ever hear is how the NHS has NO MONEY, and how towns are cutting back to save money. So where the hell IS this money coming from?

You couldn’t pay me enough to live in the UK today. Not with all the CCTV cameras watching everyone’s moves, some of them even talk to you IF you drop something. Then let’s not forget that some of their towns are recruiting and training young children (can anyone here say “Hitler Youth Movement”?) to watch their neighbors to make sure they don’t litter, smoke where they are not supposed to, put trash bins out too early, etc. and to report anyone who does.

What will it take to wake people up to what is happening?

This is NOT the world I was born into, and I HATE what is happening today.

~ by swfreedomlover on November 16, 2008.