Great chieftain o’ the dieting-race
Ban on national dish sparks debate and hilarity among Lords
THE United States could make inroads into its obesity crisis if it lifts its ban on haggis, the House of Lords has heard.
But according to one peer, leading medic and television presenter Robert Winston, Scotland’s “revolting” national dish should be trialled on guinea pigs first, the residents of Glasgow.
Labour peer Lord Winston said he was “a little bit surprised” that Lord McColl of Dulwich, a retired professor of surgery, had championed the health benefits of haggis.
He told the House of Lords: “Would charity be better at home and if it does really deal with obesity maybe we should be promoting it a little bit in Glasgow?”
But the SNP’s Pete Wishart hit back, claiming: “If Robert Burns was around today, no doubt he’d brand Lord Winston a ‘sleekit, cow’rin, tim’rous beastie’ for this affront tae a haggis.
“What’s really revolting is the millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money spent funding the bloated House of Lords year on year which seems to serve little purpose other than to allow unelected peers to insult our national dish.”
WITH some of the world’s highest obesity rates, they could easily stake a claim to being “the puddin’-race”.
But according to one of the leading medical experts sitting in the House of Lords, haggis could be a key weapon for the United States in its war against obesity.
Ahead of Burns’ Night, Lord McColl of Dulwich, a retired professor of surgery, said American Scots were being deprived of the “wholesome” food and he called for the US to lift its ban on the import of Scotland’s national dish.
At question time in the House of Lords, Tory peer Lord McColl called for the Government to put pressure on the American administration to lift the ban, which has been in place since 1971.
He told his fellow peers: “The United States government is depriving 24 million American Scots of this wholesome food which satisfies hunger very much more than the junk food many Americans consume.
“This would help to deal with the greatest epidemic they have, the obesity epidemic, which is killing millions and costing billions of dollars – and the cure is free.”
But Lord Winston, a leading fertility doctor and television presenter, hit back, saying that haggis was “revolting” and if it could be used to curb obesity it should be promoted in Glasgow first.
Conservative peer Lord Forsyth of Drumlean, a former Scottish Secretary, also joked that former First Minister Alex Salmond should be sent permanently to the States to help sort out the obesity problem with haggis.
Labour peer Lord Winston said: “I confess to being a little bit surprised that one of the most senior qualified medical practitioners in the chamber is asking this question seeing there is a questionable issue about haggis, which I find personally a revolting food.
“Would charity be better at home and if it does really deal with obesity maybe we should be promoting it a li t t le bit in Glasgow?”
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs minister Lord de Mauley replied to the suggestion of making the residents of Scotland’s largest city guinea pigs for the haggis’s weight-loss claims by adding: “What a good idea.”
And he recommend a “large tot of whisky” to help Lord Winston enjoy some haggis.
But the Scottish Government’s minister for external affairs and international development, Humza Yousaf, described Lord Winston’s comments as “a terrible affront to the great chieft ain o’ the puddin’-race”.
The Glasgow MSP said: “Wee sleekit cow’rin tim’rous Lords might not like haggis but in the run up to Burns Night I am delighted that millions of people around the world will be enjoying Scotland’s national dish.
“This year, 2015, is Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, with a huge increase in our food and drink exports over the last five years it is clear many of those across the globe clearly don’t share Lord Winston’s opinion.”
During the Lords exchange it was claimed former environment secretary Owen Paterson had lobbied the US authorities on lifting the haggis ban during a visit to America last summer.
Lord de Mauley said the barriers to the ban being lifted included restrictions on the import of lamb and US unwillingness to recognise animal lungs as an acceptable food stuff.
Lord Forsyth quipped: “Given the seriousness of this matter, should the Government not consider appointing a special envoy with energy and imagination to go to the United States and stay there until this matter is resolved.
“Could I suggest that Alex Salmond is currently looking for a job.”