The Battle of Medway.

I think it's time to wrap up the issue of the Ciggy Busters. When the story first appeared in This Is Kent, the blogoshpere went on the offensive.

The Youtube video and the Facebook page disappeared in a matter of hours.
Rachel Noxon, anti tobacco righteousness co-ordinator and funder of this stunt disappeared behind a password wall on her site.
Kent police got involved, as did local MP's.
And now This is Kent has run a follow up story, prompted by the reactions of the bloggers, the country over:

A VIDEO project in which children snatched cigarettes from smokers in Chatham High Street has caused outrage online.
Angry bloggers and pro-choice campaigners have been setting the internet alight with their disbelief at Ciggy Busters, an anti-smoking film created by pupils at The Hundred of Hoo School.
The organisers said those "ambushed" in the video were willing volunteers.
Blogger Bucko The Moose wrote in a letter to The News: "Smokers have reacted so strongly to these events as they are tired of being treated as third-rate citizens.
"Smoking is still a legal activity, taken by personal choice yet smokers are bombarded daily by the righteous who want to impose more and more restrictions.
"People I have discussed this issue with have compared the actions of these children to that of the Hitler Youth and I do not disagree."
A Medway public health spokesman said: (Could this be the infamous Rachel Noxon?)"There has been a misunderstanding about young people taking cigarettes from members of the public while filming in Chatham high street – this is simply not true.
"We have checked with the organisers and all the people who had cigarettes taken off of them were actors or willing participants. At no point did any smokers have their cigarettes taken without their permission.
Media artist Margherita Gramegna, who mentored the Ciggy Busters project, said she would not be issuing a statement until she has discussed the project with the students. (That could be good)
Phil Johnson, chairman of Freedom to Choose, the largest pro-choice organisation in the country, described the project as "highly irresponsible".
He said: "The whole thing was a totally, utterly, ridiculous stunt aimed at a minority faction of 25 per cent and it is sending out the wrong message to kids.
"It is the victimisation of a minority group. Whether we want to smoke or not is a freedom of choice."
Mr Johnson, 59, who has smoked since he was 10 years old, added: "What you can see on the video are hordes of young people charging at other people."
He said the film suggests: "That it is all right to run round the street attacking people that are doing something they don't like. It is not sending a very good impression to the youth of today.
"The disgusting thing about it is A Better Medway have been part funding the thing. What did they want to fund – civil unrest?"

Although the Ciggy Busters said they were to continue their activities in September, there has been nothing yet. I think we have heard the last of these people. The battle of Medway has been won by the bloggers.

And just as I say that, The Filthy Engineer reports this:

I see NHS Medway are at it again. This time they want to restrict the building of fast food outlets.
Fast-food outlets could be banned from operating near schools in Medway as part of an effort to cut child obesity.
More meddling from the Righteous. Their justification is..
The obesity rate among Year 6 children for 2008/9 in Medway is 19.4%, above the national average of 18.3%.
Oh dear you might say. Something must be done for the sake of those poor cheeeldren.

So now the interfering busybodies want to prevent fast food outlets being built near schools "To cut childhood obesity".

As I commented at his place, what if an adult, who lives near a school wants to buy some fast food? As we live in an adult world and not Never Never Land, it should be choice of the adult to do that if they please. The choices of  adults should not be taken away just in case a child gets fat.

The siting of any type of business is dictated by market forces. Market forces are dictated by adults. They have the money and therefore control the spending power.

How many year 6 children go out and earn a living that they can them spend getting fat on fast food. Let me think about that for a minute...erm...none.

Granted, they get pocket money. Some of them may have a paper round or help out on the market on a Saturday. Even so, their earning power will be so small that they could not get obese, even if they went out and spent it all on lard.

Getting fat costs money and that money comes from the parents, ie. adults. If adults demonstrate an inability to say no when their little darlings keep pestering them for junk food, it is not the remit of the local council to step in and "do something". It certainly isn't the remit of the local council to block food outlets that other people would want to use.

A spokesman for Medway Council (Noxon again?) said: "It is a priority of Medway Council and NHS Medway to ensure all children have a healthy start in life.

Well it shouldn't be. It should be a priority of the council to clean the streets and empty the bins. Not to interfere in the private lives of the locals.

And The Engineer pointed out this:

The statistics also showed the rate had dropped from 20.4% in 2007/08.

So childhood obesity is falling in Medway anyway, yet they still deem it necessary to stick the boot in.

Whoever on the council, supports this idea needs to get a job in my ever expanding fish factory.

It's weird doing all this blogging about Kent when I have never been there and live so far away. I should be blogging about Blackburn with Darwen council. Trouble is Kent and Medway seem to be a bunch of hectoring busybodies where as Blackburn with Darwen does not.

Get this. I live in a town with no bin fines, no litter wardens, no obesity initiatives, no CCTV camera cars and none of the righteous busybodying that we see examples of on the blogs everyday. I am lucky.
Labour have just this week, regained control of the council after the disappearance of a couple of councillors. And you know what they want to do. Increase the spending cuts even further than the previous coalition. Wow! I think that while they were in opposition they kept saying the cuts aren't going far enough. Now they are unexpectedly in control again, they have to act on what they have been saying. They were opposing for the sake of it and have backed themselves into a corner. Oh well.

In fact, the biggest busybodies around here are not the council but the local newspaper. It seems they are not happy with just reporting the news, they want to make it, too.

They have been campaigning for a while to have restrictions placed on young drivers. Now it seems that Cardiff University have expressed similar ideas, the righteous at the Telegraph have got their cocks out and had a happy wank.

Ban young drivers from driving at night.
Ban young drivers from carrying young passengers.
Introduce graduated licences.

What a load of bollocks.

Fortunately the commenter's agree:

Parly, Whalley says...
5:09pm Tue 21 Sep 10
Banning young drivers from using their cars at night or from having friends or family members in with them?? Seriously??????
.
I am strongly in favour of making our roads safer and increasing awareness amongst younger drivers but with respect, this must be one of the most ridiculous suggestions I’ve heard!

There's hope for us yet.