neilcumming

Some interesting stats.

Pulaski

Yeah. The rest of the UK is stronger/ better in almost everything without Scotland.

"Average" life expectancy for men in the rest of the UK will increase by 2½ years, and 2.1 years for women, numbers which rival the Nordic countries which have the longest life expectancies in Europe. How bad is it Scotland when 8½% of the population can drag the average life expectancy down by 2½ YEARS?

scrubbedexpat099

Lots and lots of Mars Bars?

Pulaski

Deep-fried ones.

scrubbedexpat099

Are there any other?

Pulaski

I have a hunch that alcohol, tobacco, a high fat diet, and a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables could also have something to do with it.

Nutek

Stop that.

Redeemed.

neilcumming

Bad diet,alcohol abuse ,drug abuse ,tobacco abuse (I know people who smoked 60 cigs a day!).Scotland the sick man of Europe for decades thanks to succesive UK government.Vote No to keep the status quo,aye right !

Nutek

LMAO

Seriously?

SultanOfSwing

Yeah, I'd be interested to know how that works, myself

Pulaski

So what would an independent Scottish government do?


They could eliminate VAT from fresh fruit and vegetables but charge a full 20% VAT on fast food, license vendors of alcohol and restrict sales to certain times of day, prohibit sales to children, and tax it heavily to discourage over consumption, and require the percentage of alcohol to be marked on all alcoholic beverages,spirits, wine, beer, and even shandy. They could outlaw use of drugs. They could license the sales of tobacco, levy massive taxes such that poor people would probably have to choose between eating or smoking, outlaw sales of tobacco to children, and prohibit smoking in restaurants, bars and public buildings. They could also require a large health warning to be printed on the tobacco packaging, something about the risk of heart disease and cancer, and put it in clear type on a white background.

Yeah, those measures would help just about any idiot to live a healthier lifestyle!

On the other hand perhaps people could start taking PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for voluntarily poisoning themselves? ..... Nah, that'd never catch on.

Yorkieabroad

I'm curious....and this is a genuine question.....how are any of those the fault of the UK government, that they specifically targeted Scotland, and gave favourable/preferable treatment to the rest of the UK?

neilcumming

Im blaming the UK governments for not doing anything about it.It doesnt have be this way.Where there is a will there is a way and as a far as I can see there never was a will.The UK is a european country so why is it that other countries in europe like Spain,Italy and France dont have these alcohol abuse problems? Maybe because they educate people from an early age about alcohol.Its the same with diet.Its not just in Scotland ,England has its fair share of binge drinkers at the weekends.

Yorkieabroad

And yet you said Scotland was the sick man of Europe thanks to the UK govt....that was the point I was querying.

There aren't (yet!) any alcohol/drug abuse issues in my family (although I did have a large-ish night last night....) but I'd always put that down to family upbringing, rather than government policy.

Pulaski

Not doing what? It seems to me the government has done plenty. Do I have to list all the things they've done, and in some cases been doing for decades? .... Oh, I did already!