politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » As we head into August the impact on holidays becomes the big

eek said:

Malmesbury said:

Scott_xP said:

Philip_Thompson said:

Whackamole is the right analogy and the right tactic.

The Government thinks the pandemic is

1. a game
2. can never be beaten

Awesome.

As someone who knows Game Theory (a bit) -

- Yes, this is a game. Like nuclear war.
- The current measures cannot beat the virus. All they can do, at best, is suppress it to a very low level.
- The only way to beat the virus is a vaccine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXzNo0vR_dU

TOPPING said:

Philip_Thompson said:

TOPPING said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

"burger and side salad"

LOL

A typical Mickey D's customer writes...

Yes I am a typical customer there, I'm not ashamed to say that. Are you?

Or are you too posh and too good for McDonalds?

LOL x2

When you need a McDonald's you need a McDonalds, me included, but I can tell you now when I go I don't have a "burger and side salad".

another_richard said:

TOPPING said:

Philip_Thompson said:

TOPPING said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

"burger and side salad"

LOL

A typical Mickey D's customer writes...

Yes I am a typical customer there, I'm not ashamed to say that. Are you?

Or are you too posh and too good for McDonalds?

LOL x2

When you need a McDonald's you need a McDonalds, me included, but I can tell you now when I go I don't have a "burger and side salad".

Would you like to tell us more about this McDonalds addiction you have Toppo ?

Personally I only go when I receive the 'meal for £2' vouchers.

TOPPING said:

Philip_Thompson said:

TOPPING said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

"burger and side salad"

LOL

A typical Mickey D's customer writes...

Yes I am a typical customer there, I'm not ashamed to say that. Are you?

Or are you too posh and too good for McDonalds?

LOL x2

When you need a McDonald's you need a McDonalds, me included, but I can tell you now when I go I don't have a "burger and side salad".

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Malmesbury said:

noneoftheabove said:

Malmesbury said:

Scott_xP said:

Philip_Thompson said:

Whackamole is the right analogy and the right tactic.

The Government thinks the pandemic is

1. a game
2. can never be beaten

Awesome.

As someone who knows Game Theory (a bit) -

- Yes, this is a game. Like nuclear war.
- The current measures cannot beat the virus. All they can do, at best, is suppress it to a very low level.
- The only way to beat the virus is a vaccine.

There are several other ways to beat the virus other than a vaccine, but they are too costly and draconian given the likelihood of a vaccine being available and effective in the not to distant future. Otherwise they would have to be considered.

Aside from a vaccine - only a complete shutdown with everyone in a sterile box, with no contact with each other. At all.

The Chinese tried a form of that - and the virus is still popping up.

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Barnesian said:

Carnyx said:

noneoftheabove said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Barnesian said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

rottenborough said:

moonshine said:

My anecdata from two different friends that were in Spain when "quarantine" measures were re-introduced is that they have no intention whatsoever of following the advice. One is already back at work in his office (for the first time since March ironically). The other intends to fly back 48 hours before the school term starts.

What annoys me most about this government is that they insult our intelligence with the messaging. Stop playing games. Either imported cases matter, in which case stop fucking about and ban RyanAir from flying and take arrivals to central quarantine facilities. Or it doesn't matter in the grand scheme with good flight hygiene and pre-boarding testing and let people do what they want.

It's like the country is being run by the two facets of Tyler Durden.

My first reaction on hearing the news on Spanish holiday returnees was that a lot of people would ignore the quarantine rule.

Some will but I would expect many will either work from home or respect their responsibilty for the common good

If they are returning from the Canaries there is no common good in self isolating. They are simply harming their employment prospects and their kids for no good reason.

You cannot possibly know that

If I had the enforced choice of meeting someone from Leicester or someone just back from the Canaries, Id be choosing the one coming from the place with a 10 times lower infection rate rather than the one that isnt foreign.

Who mentioned the Canaries? The OP Moonshine said "Spain", which implies the mainland, at leasdt in common parlance.

The Foreign Office. Foreign Office also extended its travel advice for Spain, now telling people to avoid non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as mainland Spain on grounds that it was simpler and countries had to be treated as whole.

The Canaries are technically part of Spain but are isolated far away and have a much lower incidence of the virus than the UK. That's what this discussion was about.

I support the Government's actions on Spain as a whole but the Canaries bit was rubbish and undermines the Government's credibity - which is a bad thing in controlling the virus.

noneoftheabove said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Guilty, but prefer the taste of diet coke to normal coke, not ordering it to save calories, just a taste thing.

noneoftheabove said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Guilty, but prefer the taste of diet coke to normal coke, not ordering it to save calories, just a taste thing.

Philip_Thompson said:

Gallowgate said:

noneoftheabove said:

Gallowgate said:

@noneoftheabove the nearest “Leon” to me is in Manchester...

Nando's might sit in between McDonalds and Leon in terms of healthy options and thats everywhere.

I’m really looking forward to Government subsidised half price Nando’s to be honest.

Same!

Half chicken extra hot with roasted veg and corn on the cob is my "healthy" go to choice from Nando's. Spicy rice and coleslaw if I'm not trying to be healthy.

Malmesbury said:

We have plenty of data, in lots of detail. The government has more - mainly in terms of ultra low level and splitting of pillar 1 and 2 testing.

The header is poor. Simon Jenkins is a photo-Heffer - a weird reactionary on a number of subjects.

As usual, he is wrong - the government advice isn't from Imperial. Just about everyone in the country in the field is providing input - all with their own models. Jenkins is just too lazy to go beyond a few sneers.

Managing this epidemic is a matter of snap decisions, made within days. This is because of the rate of take off (potentially exponential).

MaxPB said:

Philip_Thompson said:

Gallowgate said:

noneoftheabove said:

Gallowgate said:

@noneoftheabove the nearest “Leon” to me is in Manchester...

Nando's might sit in between McDonalds and Leon in terms of healthy options and thats everywhere.

I’m really looking forward to Government subsidised half price Nando’s to be honest.

Same!

Half chicken extra hot with roasted veg and corn on the cob is my "healthy" go to choice from Nando's. Spicy rice and coleslaw if I'm not trying to be healthy.

Peri chips and garlic bread. Rice instead of chips if I'm feeling healthy. The thigh fillets are actually a pretty good meal, I actually changed my nandos order for the first time in probably 20 just before lockdown and I got the thigh fillets.

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

noneoftheabove said:

Gallowgate said:

@noneoftheabove the nearest “Leon” to me is in Manchester...

Nando's might sit in between McDonalds and Leon in terms of healthy options and thats everywhere.

MaxPB said:

Philip_Thompson said:

Gallowgate said:

noneoftheabove said:

Gallowgate said:

@noneoftheabove the nearest “Leon” to me is in Manchester...

Nando's might sit in between McDonalds and Leon in terms of healthy options and thats everywhere.

I’m really looking forward to Government subsidised half price Nando’s to be honest.

Same!

Half chicken extra hot with roasted veg and corn on the cob is my "healthy" go to choice from Nando's. Spicy rice and coleslaw if I'm not trying to be healthy.

Peri chips and garlic bread. Rice instead of chips if I'm feeling healthy. The thigh fillets are actually a pretty good meal, I actually changed my nandos order for the first time in probably 20 just before lockdown and I got the thigh fillets.

Gallowgate said:

noneoftheabove said:

Gallowgate said:

@noneoftheabove the nearest “Leon” to me is in Manchester...

Nando's might sit in between McDonalds and Leon in terms of healthy options and thats everywhere.

I’m really looking forward to Government subsidised half price Nando’s to be honest.

nichomar said:

Why go out for a meal if you are not going to eat what you want and like just because it’s unhealthy. You might as well stop at home.

MarqueeMark said:

I've never been to a Nandos.

(Would probably love it if there was one locally though.)

MaxPB said:

eek said:

noneoftheabove said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Guilty, but prefer the taste of diet coke to normal coke, not ordering it to save calories, just a taste thing.

+2 - I can't stand the taste of full sugar Coke or Pepsi but will happily drink Diet coke and Pepsi Max.

I can't however drink Coke Zero because it's too close to real Coke.

Heads exploding in Atlanta right now.

kle4 said:

noneoftheabove said:

Gallowgate said:

@noneoftheabove the nearest “Leon” to me is in Manchester...

Nando's might sit in between McDonalds and Leon in terms of healthy options and thats everywhere.

You seen the calorie counts? My gods it's delicious but wow!

TOPPING said:

Malmesbury said:

noneoftheabove said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Guilty, but prefer the taste of diet coke to normal coke, not ordering it to save calories, just a taste thing.

Given a full on coke is a far sized bag of sugar, not adding it on top of the rest makes a certain kind of sense.

Huh? Coke is coke. A large one at McDonald's is a smadge over 200 calories.

All the "healthy" fruit juices are far worse (if only because people think they are not pure sugar and somehow "healthy").

TOPPING said:

That's why forcing restaurants to put calorie counts is such a bad idea.

People don't go to restaurants (or shouldn't) thinking - how can I minimise my calorie intake. They go to enjoy. If they are halfway sensible they know that it is unlikely to be a diet option.

MarqueeMark said:

I've never been to a Nandos.

(Would probably love it if there was one locally though.)

Philip_Thompson said:

TOPPING said:

That's why forcing restaurants to put calorie counts is such a bad idea.

People don't go to restaurants (or shouldn't) thinking - how can I minimise my calorie intake. They go to enjoy. If they are halfway sensible they know that it is unlikely to be a diet option.

I don't think its a bad idea at all for big brand restaurants to do that.

McDonalds have had the calorie information on their drive thru menu for years now and it does no harm. It nudges me if I'm going for a wrap to go for the grilled chicken rather than the crispy chicken (~150 kcal saving) but its just awareness and letting people choose. It doesn't mean everyone has to pay attention but let those who want to do so do so.

Independent restaurants I wouldn't make do it.

eek said:

Completely off-topic but for those people in an area with Amazon Fresh (London) I've just seen that you can discover what a decent supermarket is like - Amazon Fresh has all of Booths' ready meals available.

DavidL said:

TOPPING said:

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

A Big Mac & Fries = around 900 calories = around a third (just over) the RDA so for one meal there's nothing wrong with it. At 3pm after lunch and before supper is not such a great idea.

In comparison there is about 600 calories in a bottle of wine, ahem.

alex_ said:

Barnesian said:

Carnyx said:

noneoftheabove said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Barnesian said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

rottenborough said:

moonshine said:

My anecdata from two different friends that were in Spain when "quarantine" measures were re-introduced is that they have no intention whatsoever of following the advice. One is already back at work in his office (for the first time since March ironically). The other intends to fly back 48 hours before the school term starts.

What annoys me most about this government is that they insult our intelligence with the messaging. Stop playing games. Either imported cases matter, in which case stop fucking about and ban RyanAir from flying and take arrivals to central quarantine facilities. Or it doesn't matter in the grand scheme with good flight hygiene and pre-boarding testing and let people do what they want.

It's like the country is being run by the two facets of Tyler Durden.

My first reaction on hearing the news on Spanish holiday returnees was that a lot of people would ignore the quarantine rule.

Some will but I would expect many will either work from home or respect their responsibilty for the common good

If they are returning from the Canaries there is no common good in self isolating. They are simply harming their employment prospects and their kids for no good reason.

You cannot possibly know that

If I had the enforced choice of meeting someone from Leicester or someone just back from the Canaries, Id be choosing the one coming from the place with a 10 times lower infection rate rather than the one that isnt foreign.

Who mentioned the Canaries? The OP Moonshine said "Spain", which implies the mainland, at leasdt in common parlance.

The Foreign Office. Foreign Office also extended its travel advice for Spain, now telling people to avoid non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as mainland Spain on grounds that it was simpler and countries had to be treated as whole.

The Canaries are technically part of Spain but are isolated far away and have a much lower incidence of the virus than the UK. That's what this discussion was about.

I support the Government's actions on Spain as a whole but the Canaries bit was rubbish and undermines the Government's credibity - which is a bad thing in controlling the virus.

What is the UK policy towards the French colonies?

Barnesian said:

TOPPING said:

Malmesbury said:

noneoftheabove said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

Guilty, but prefer the taste of diet coke to normal coke, not ordering it to save calories, just a taste thing.

Given a full on coke is a far sized bag of sugar, not adding it on top of the rest makes a certain kind of sense.

Huh? Coke is coke. A large one at McDonald's is a smadge over 200 calories.

All the "healthy" fruit juices are far worse (if only because people think they are not pure sugar and somehow "healthy").

A pint of draught Guinness is healthier - 125 calories.

Scott_xP said:

Futile...

https://twitter.com/jessicaelgot/status/1288028171342958592

MaxPB said:

DavidL said:

TOPPING said:

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

A Big Mac & Fries = around 900 calories = around a third (just over) the RDA so for one meal there's nothing wrong with it. At 3pm after lunch and before supper is not such a great idea.

In comparison there is about 600 calories in a bottle of wine, ahem.

You do, however, piss most of that out.

HYUFD said:

Around a 100 Tory MPs are affiliated to the One Nation Group so they still have influence even if they have lost big hitters like David Gayle, Rory Stewart and Amber Rudd

alex_ said:

DavidL said:

Barnesian said:

HYUFD said:

Barnesian said:

Carnyx said:

noneoftheabove said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Barnesian said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

rottenborough said:

moonshine said:

My anecdata from two different friends that were in Spain when "quarantine" measures were re-introduced is that they have no intention whatsoever of following the advice. One is already back at work in his office (for the first time since March ironically). The other intends to fly back 48 hours before the school term starts.

What annoys me most about this government is that they insult our intelligence with the messaging. Stop playing games. Either imported cases matter, in which case stop fucking about and ban RyanAir from flying and take arrivals to central quarantine facilities. Or it doesn't matter in the grand scheme with good flight hygiene and pre-boarding testing and let people do what they want.

It's like the country is being run by the two facets of Tyler Durden.

My first reaction on hearing the news on Spanish holiday returnees was that a lot of people would ignore the quarantine rule.

Some will but I would expect many will either work from home or respect their responsibilty for the common good

If they are returning from the Canaries there is no common good in self isolating. They are simply harming their employment prospects and their kids for no good reason.

You cannot possibly know that

If I had the enforced choice of meeting someone from Leicester or someone just back from the Canaries, Id be choosing the one coming from the place with a 10 times lower infection rate rather than the one that isnt foreign.

Who mentioned the Canaries? The OP Moonshine said "Spain", which implies the mainland, at leasdt in common parlance.

The Foreign Office. Foreign Office also extended its travel advice for Spain, now telling people to avoid non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as mainland Spain on grounds that it was simpler and countries had to be treated as whole.

The Canaries are technically part of Spain but are isolated far away and have a much lower incidence of the virus than the UK. That's what this discussion was about.

I support the Government's actions on Spain as a whole but the Canaries bit was rubbish and undermines the Government's credibity - which is a bad thing in controlling the virus.

From what I understand the government are in discussions on exempting the Canaries from quarantine which makes sense as they are closer to Africa than mainland Spain

Good to hear. It is the only part of the Government's actions on Spain that I disagree with. It is just so rubbish. Lots of holiday makers go to the Canaries and their economy depends on tourism. And the incidence of the virus is much lower than the UK's.

I have no "skin in the game" but I just don't like clearly rubbish damaging decisions.

I am not sure that is a particularly good point. When on holiday people tend to spend a lot of time in crowded restaurants, mixing with lots of people from a variety of places, getting to know some of them quite well, drinking a lot to impair judgment and all kinds of other irresponsible behavior. It's not the same risk as a masked trip to your local Tescos, whatever the local incidence of the virus is.

We can argue about the Canary Islands all day. I think ultimately whether it was a sensible decision comes down to whether their inclusion was deliberate or a cock-up/oversight. I tend towards the "cock up" view, hence bad decision. I don't understand otherwise why they were originally left off the changes to the guidance on non-essential travel. Perhaps somebody can explain.

Once the Government had announced the contradictory/inconsistent position on the Canary Islands they were basically forced to rectify one way or another. ie. clarify that quarantine only applied to the mainland, or extend the guidance of travel to the Islands. If HYUFD is to be believed, having jumped one way, they might now revert to the other. Although personally i think that is unlikely, unless they were REALLY confident that cases won't grow there.

MaxPB said:

DavidL said:

TOPPING said:

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

A Big Mac & Fries = around 900 calories = around a third (just over) the RDA so for one meal there's nothing wrong with it. At 3pm after lunch and before supper is not such a great idea.

In comparison there is about 600 calories in a bottle of wine, ahem.

You do, however, piss most of that out.

Scott_xP said:

HYUFD said:

Around a 100 Tory MPs are affiliated to the One Nation Group so they still have influence even if they have lost big hitters like David Gayle, Rory Stewart and Amber Rudd

Only if Parliament matters.

Cummings literally holds it in contempt. They are no brake on his plans.

Philip_Thompson said:

TOPPING said:

That's why forcing restaurants to put calorie counts is such a bad idea.

People don't go to restaurants (or shouldn't) thinking - how can I minimise my calorie intake. They go to enjoy. If they are halfway sensible they know that it is unlikely to be a diet option.

I don't think its a bad idea at all for big brand restaurants to do that.

McDonalds have had the calorie information on their drive thru menu for years now and it does no harm. It nudges me if I'm going for a wrap to go for the grilled chicken rather than the crispy chicken (~150 kcal saving) but its just awareness and letting people choose. It doesn't mean everyone has to pay attention but let those who want to do so do so.

Independent restaurants I wouldn't make do it.

MaxPB said:

Philip_Thompson said:

MaxPB said:

DavidL said:

TOPPING said:

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

A Big Mac & Fries = around 900 calories = around a third (just over) the RDA so for one meal there's nothing wrong with it. At 3pm after lunch and before supper is not such a great idea.

In comparison there is about 600 calories in a bottle of wine, ahem.

You do, however, piss most of that out.

Is that true?

Yes, the calorific value of it is in alcohol and sugar. You'll keep the sugar and piss away the alcohol. Beer has most of its calories in carbs which is why beer bellies exist.

IanB2 said:

nichomar said:

DavidL said:

Barnesian said:

HYUFD said:

Barnesian said:

Carnyx said:

noneoftheabove said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Barnesian said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

rottenborough said:

moonshine said:

My anecdata from two different friends that were in Spain when "quarantine" measures were re-introduced is that they have no intention whatsoever of following the advice. One is already back at work in his office (for the first time since March ironically). The other intends to fly back 48 hours before the school term starts.

What annoys me most about this government is that they insult our intelligence with the messaging. Stop playing games. Either imported cases matter, in which case stop fucking about and ban RyanAir from flying and take arrivals to central quarantine facilities. Or it doesn't matter in the grand scheme with good flight hygiene and pre-boarding testing and let people do what they want.

It's like the country is being run by the two facets of Tyler Durden.

My first reaction on hearing the news on Spanish holiday returnees was that a lot of people would ignore the quarantine rule.

Some will but I would expect many will either work from home or respect their responsibilty for the common good

If they are returning from the Canaries there is no common good in self isolating. They are simply harming their employment prospects and their kids for no good reason.

You cannot possibly know that

If I had the enforced choice of meeting someone from Leicester or someone just back from the Canaries, Id be choosing the one coming from the place with a 10 times lower infection rate rather than the one that isnt foreign.

Who mentioned the Canaries? The OP Moonshine said "Spain", which implies the mainland, at leasdt in common parlance.

The Foreign Office. Foreign Office also extended its travel advice for Spain, now telling people to avoid non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as mainland Spain on grounds that it was simpler and countries had to be treated as whole.

The Canaries are technically part of Spain but are isolated far away and have a much lower incidence of the virus than the UK. That's what this discussion was about.

I support the Government's actions on Spain as a whole but the Canaries bit was rubbish and undermines the Government's credibity - which is a bad thing in controlling the virus.

From what I understand the government are in discussions on exempting the Canaries from quarantine which makes sense as they are closer to Africa than mainland Spain

Good to hear. It is the only part of the Government's actions on Spain that I disagree with. It is just so rubbish. Lots of holiday makers go to the Canaries and their economy depends on tourism. And the incidence of the virus is much lower than the UK's.

I have no "skin in the game" but I just don't like clearly rubbish damaging decisions.

I am not sure that is a particularly good point. When on holiday people tend to spend a lot of time in crowded restaurants, mixing with lots of people from a variety of places, getting to know some of them quite well, drinking a lot to impair judgment and all kinds of other irresponsible behavior. It's not the same risk as a masked trip to your local Tescos, whatever the local incidence of the virus is.

Crowded restaurants where tables are at least two meters apart, where there are no buffet options, the table isn’t set until you sit down, only single use condiments, staff wearing masks, no menus unless down loaded or on the door, masks required when not actually eating. Limits to size of groups. To name a few restrictions.

And, unlike at home, eating out actually means outside, quite often. Not inside a stuffy pub on a day like yesterday.

Philip_Thompson said:

MaxPB said:

Philip_Thompson said:

MaxPB said:

DavidL said:

TOPPING said:

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

A Big Mac & Fries = around 900 calories = around a third (just over) the RDA so for one meal there's nothing wrong with it. At 3pm after lunch and before supper is not such a great idea.

In comparison there is about 600 calories in a bottle of wine, ahem.

You do, however, piss most of that out.

Is that true?

Yes, the calorific value of it is in alcohol and sugar. You'll keep the sugar and piss away the alcohol. Beer has most of its calories in carbs which is why beer bellies exist.

I thought you absorbed and kept the alcohol calories too?

I mean if you're not absorbing the alcohol then you wouldn't get drunk.

Barnesian said:

DavidL said:

Barnesian said:

HYUFD said:

Barnesian said:

Carnyx said:

noneoftheabove said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

Barnesian said:

Big_G_NorthWales said:

rottenborough said:

moonshine said:

My anecdata from two different friends that were in Spain when "quarantine" measures were re-introduced is that they have no intention whatsoever of following the advice. One is already back at work in his office (for the first time since March ironically). The other intends to fly back 48 hours before the school term starts.

What annoys me most about this government is that they insult our intelligence with the messaging. Stop playing games. Either imported cases matter, in which case stop fucking about and ban RyanAir from flying and take arrivals to central quarantine facilities. Or it doesn't matter in the grand scheme with good flight hygiene and pre-boarding testing and let people do what they want.

It's like the country is being run by the two facets of Tyler Durden.

My first reaction on hearing the news on Spanish holiday returnees was that a lot of people would ignore the quarantine rule.

Some will but I would expect many will either work from home or respect their responsibilty for the common good

If they are returning from the Canaries there is no common good in self isolating. They are simply harming their employment prospects and their kids for no good reason.

You cannot possibly know that

If I had the enforced choice of meeting someone from Leicester or someone just back from the Canaries, Id be choosing the one coming from the place with a 10 times lower infection rate rather than the one that isnt foreign.

Who mentioned the Canaries? The OP Moonshine said "Spain", which implies the mainland, at leasdt in common parlance.

The Foreign Office. Foreign Office also extended its travel advice for Spain, now telling people to avoid non-essential journeys to the Canary and Balearic Islands, as well as mainland Spain on grounds that it was simpler and countries had to be treated as whole.

The Canaries are technically part of Spain but are isolated far away and have a much lower incidence of the virus than the UK. That's what this discussion was about.

I support the Government's actions on Spain as a whole but the Canaries bit was rubbish and undermines the Government's credibity - which is a bad thing in controlling the virus.

From what I understand the government are in discussions on exempting the Canaries from quarantine which makes sense as they are closer to Africa than mainland Spain

Good to hear. It is the only part of the Government's actions on Spain that I disagree with. It is just so rubbish. Lots of holiday makers go to the Canaries and their economy depends on tourism. And the incidence of the virus is much lower than the UK's.

I have no "skin in the game" but I just don't like clearly rubbish damaging decisions.

I am not sure that is a particularly good point. When on holiday people tend to spend a lot of time in crowded restaurants, mixing with lots of people from a variety of places, getting to know some of them quite well, drinking a lot to impair judgment and all kinds of other irresponsible behavior. It's not the same risk as a masked trip to your local Tescos, whatever the local incidence of the virus is.

That's an argument about holidaying in general not about the Canaries decision specifically.

MaxPB said:

Philip_Thompson said:

MaxPB said:

Philip_Thompson said:

MaxPB said:

DavidL said:

TOPPING said:

DavidL said:

kinabalu said:

Philip_Thompson said:

noneoftheabove said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

Philip_Thompson said:

RochdalePioneers said:

eek said:

RochdalePioneers said:

I won't be at all surprised if the government don't swiftly rescind the Spain thing following the obvious pressure from the entire travel sector about how many people they are about to make redundant. Contradiction and hypocrisy to do so? Perhaps, but as they're making it up every day with no clue what they did previous days (cf eat half price burgers / don't eat burgers) it fits the pattern of behaviour.

If the "quarantine" was actually quarantine then perhaps they had a point. As it is if someone is even there at the airport to collect your form the authorities appear to spend zero enforcing it as them calling on you and you not being there is fine for a whole host of reasons. As with so much of their stuff it is nonsense on stilts.

That would require the Government to admit that they made a mistake. And as with Cummings when forced to choose between admitting they made a mistake and doubling down the Government will double down.

So if we all need to lose weight and the government is announcing a stack of anti-obesity measures from August including the plan to scrap buy one get one free on food, was not buy one burger get one free in August a mistake...? Or just the usual disorganised chaos.

QTWAIN.

Not a mistake. The industry is devastated at the minute. And while going out it's entirely possible to think about what you order and choose a healthier option and not a supersized meal with sugary drinks.

The key to having a healthy weight is to make smart choices ... it is categorically NOT to never go out!

I know you are on the libertarian end of the spectrum and I respect that. Which means that you know as well as I do what people are in most cases likely to be eating. It is not "sneering condescension" to point out that half price burgers in McDonalds paid for by the government is a direct contradiction to "stop eating burgers" said by the government. Yes its a fine balance between jobs and health. They don't attempt a balance or nuance. Its "eat burgers / don't eat burgers" in the same breath.

No hypocrisy. It's half price anything but be careful and don't overeat.

One meal does not obesity cause. A lifetime of smart choices is required to keep healthy.

The government should not be saying all or nothing. Education and moderation are key, what is wrong with that?

Philip. "Be careful and don't overeat". In McDonalds. On Half Price Big Macs. With restaurants specifically reopened to allow people to do so.

Come on. You know what McDonalds punters are in there for. Its not for a salad bowl.

How often do you eat at McDonald's? I do, do you with your sneering pretensions?

If you actually eat their nobody puts a gun against your head and forces you to buy a meal with large fries and large sugary Coke.

When we go we get out children chicken nuggets with carrot sticks instead of fries in their happy meal. I tend to get a burger and side salad instead of fries and Coke Zero.

Personal choice and responsibilities are things for people to learn.

You are clearly their average consumer.

Perhaps. There is a very snobbish attitude on this site sometimes that people here are "too good" for McDonalds, KFC etc and their customers. Its not big and its not clever.

More than one things can be true at the same time at the moment two things are true.
1: The hospitality industry has been devastated by the virus and the government mandated social distancing and lockdown and needs support to get back on its feet.
2: Obesity is an issue and people need to try and make smart choices.

The government is trying to tackle both truths. No hypocrisy.

McDonalds have actually done a lot to offer healthier meals than 10-20 years ago. And healthier fast food joints like Leon have become more popular too.

Indeed. You can tell by some posts here those who are going based off preconceptions of what McDonalds is, versus customers who actually go there and know what it really is.

I worked there while a student at uni 20 years ago when Supersize meals were still an option and Supersize Me came out as a movie. The menu then, compared to the menu now, is completely different. Supersize options were dropped immediately when that movie came out and carrots sticks, fruit bags, salads, grilled chicken and far more other options have long been introduced too. Its entirely possible to have a fully healthy meal at McDonalds now in a way that wasn't possible 20 years ago.

This is true. You can play Macs safely if you keep your wits about you. I, for example, never have fries unless it's with a single burger, and even then it's small fries. So if I'm doing a Big Mac that is all I'm doing. A Big Mac. And no puddings obviously.

Others get it all wrong. I've seen it many times, heard people ordering in ways that make no sense at all -

"Quarterpounder with cheese, large fries, apple pie, please ... and a diet coke."

I mean, c'mon.

My wife actually likes the taste of diet coke. She finds full fat coke far too sweet and won't drink pepsi. It takes all types I suppose. Personally, I don't like McDonalds. But good luck to anyone who does. Its probably a lot better for you than a creamy curry or a fatty Chinese, both of which I am quite partial to.

A Big Mac & Fries = around 900 calories = around a third (just over) the RDA so for one meal there's nothing wrong with it. At 3pm after lunch and before supper is not such a great idea.

In comparison there is about 600 calories in a bottle of wine, ahem.

You do, however, piss most of that out.

Is that true?

Yes, the calorific value of it is in alcohol and sugar. You'll keep the sugar and piss away the alcohol. Beer has most of its calories in carbs which is why beer bellies exist.

I thought you absorbed and kept the alcohol calories too?

I mean if you're not absorbing the alcohol then you wouldn't get drunk.

Different mechanism. Do people get fat from drinking gin?

Pulpstar said:

I can take or leave various diet cokes.
But Dr Pepper, now that's a drink worthy of its calories and sugar. An amazing creation.