Whine like babies and we get the nanny state

RECENTLY I’ve discovered the delights of the kitchen.

More often than not, the cooker at Deano Towers is bubbling away as something halfway edible is being created.

I’ve even taken to baking and at least twice out of every 10 attempts manage to turn out a passable cake or pie. And the result, dear reader, is your old pal Deano has developed something he’s never had before: A tummy.

After a lifetime with a body that could fit, ungreased, up a drainpipe, the beginnings of a gut now hang over my belt.

Not being a vain type, this does not worry me unduly, though the prospect of a future waddling about like a six- foot jelly provokes some concern.

I’ve even cast a speculative eye over the local swimming baths – and not for the usual reason. But I am sure of one thing. My burgeoning waist is my fault and it’s my responsibility to sort out.

Slim

It is certainly NOT the job of government to slim me down.

However, that is not the opinion of one Liz Thomson ( above), 35, from Ovenden, West Yorkshire.

Liz, who weighs in at a sturdy 22- stone, blames the government for the fact her darling daughter Holly, 11, is overweight.

She was wheeled out onto This Morning to slam the authorities for not taking firmer action against childhood obesity.

It may be the case that, as Liz claims, Holly has an eating disorder. If so, good luck to the whole family in getting it sorted. But what really makes my growing tits wobble is that the first reaction is: blame the government!

The modern excuse for all ills is: “It’s the government’s fault!”

It’s raining – the government should be doing more about global warming.

I’m late – the government should spend more on public transport.

I’ve no job – the government should employ someone to drag me from the front of Jeremy Kyle. It’s. A. Load. Of. Bollocks. Ever since Labour in 1945 began – rightly – the welfare state and the NHS, there’s been a huge shift.

Things have stopped being our responsibility and have become the government’s.

The nanny state is not something that’s been imposed on us. It’s something millions have whined for.

When the state treats us like children, it’s because many, many of us have acted like kids.