Normally I am hesitant to invoke 1984

[oursin]

But, really? this? Am reminded of Winston Smith's compulsory and surveilled physical jerks.

The National Health Service is to put its own 1.35 million staff at the head of a new fight against obesity by encouraging them to join weight-watching groups and take out gym memberships, its new head will announce this week.

How about you reduce the stressful conditions they are working under, getting ever more so, rather than piling another requirement on top of them?

I am more on board with the idea of having healthy food available in hospitals, for staff, patients and visitors. This seems more to the point than 'encouraging' them to join gyms and weight-watching programmes (where are they going to find the time for that?).

And related to this, via Barbara Ellen's column (scroll down): Belgian MP Maggie De Block has been made minister of social affairs and health, amid criticisms that, at more than 20 stone, she is far too overweight for the job.

Even if De Block doesn’t have underlying health issues affecting her weight, there is the insidious implication that her appearance is more important than any experience or intelligence she could bring to the job, that how she looks matters more than what she does.