Health advice too often follows the principle of the noble lie. Rather than being told the plain truth, we are told what the authorities believe will lead us to behave properly, when “properly” means not just in the way that is most prudent for ourselves, but what is seen to be morally appropriate. When the best current scientific evidence meets moralising paternalism, it is truth that starts to bend.
ReadWe get the food system we deserve because at the end of the day we prefer having choice and cheap prices at the point of purchase to the alternative of fewer options but fairer pay for all, good animal husbandry and an agricultural sector that maintains the soil for future generations rather than chasing higher short-term yields.
ReadAs heterosexual couples gain access to Civil Partnerships, why not offer legal partnerships to platonic couples, too?
ReadWhy is the metropolitan elite always characterised as liberal?
ReadRulers, wrote the Roman poet Juvenal, survive by providing the people with bread and circuses. His observation has acquired a twisted relevance in recent years. Brexit has become a political circus without the laughs while the duty to provide bread has become criminally neglected. These two aberrations are deeply connected.
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