Britain's gone from ...

[Michael Grove]

Nanny state to naggy state

was the title of an article from Philip Johnston in The Daily Telegraph on Tuesday -

"DO we really need to be told to drink water or avoid getting sunburnt in hot

weather? Blimey it's hot; and thank goodness the announcer at my railway station

was thoughtful enough to remind me to drink water, otherwise it might not have

crossed my mind. On a relatively short journey into the office yesterday, I heard the

following message played on four occasions: "This is a special announcement.

During the current warm weather, we advise passengers to carry a bottle of

water with them while on the train."

Who decided that we need to be told to carry water, and why? Is the train company

being sponsored by Evian or Highland Spring? If so, they must be doing pretty poor

business, as I did not see anyone actually clutching a bottle. In fact, no one took any

notice at all apart from me, who just found it irritating. We are so inured to being

hectored all the time that it is just background noise for most people now." 

Presumably this Nanny state to naggy state transition happened sometime between -

The time when the Labour Government displayed such “astonishing arrogance and

short-sighted stupidity without consulting the voters in any way at all” to enshrine

the Lisbon Treaty into British law - as recently referenced by William Hague the present

Conservative Government Foreign Secretary ...

... and yesterday's pronouncement from four of Britain's biggest water companies -

Severn Trent, Affinity, South East and Yorkshire who told their customers to

cut back and use water "wisely" as temperatures hit a record 32 degrees centigrade.

Mr Hague said that enshrining the Lisbon Treaty in law “did severe damage to the EU’s

democratic legitimacy in this country”. The treaty has proven to be deeply controversial

because it extended the powers of European Commission bureaucrats to impose

laws on Britons. IT also gave the EU a formal legal personality which moved it

towards being considered as a state, as well as the creation of a new role of

foreign minister.

HOW on earth can this be sanctioned in the context of the fact that the

EU Budgetary losses over the last 18 years have never been signed

off at audit because the EU Commission continues to insist that the

losses are entirely the responsibility of the Nation States of the EU ? 

Democratic Accountability -

What Democratic Accountability !!!???

Perhaps as cricketer David Gower has argued - 

“Townies” should be forced to learn about what happens in 

the country, as he laments the influence of city dwellers who

“love tarmac, are allergic to grass and don’t understand

Morris dancing”.

.