I especially dislike the call to use "Peer Group Pressure" on fat children, this is a licence to bully, and we have more than enough of that in schools, and will also encourage anorexia and bulimia particularly in teenage girls.
I would find it difficult to vote for the Tories if they persist with rubbish such as this.
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Parents have 'no excuse' for allowing children to become overweight, Tories say
Parents who allow their children to become morbidly obese have "no excuse" for letting them over-eat, the Tories will say.
In a speech which echoes David Cameron's criticism of fat people last month, Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, plans to attack those who attempt to blame obesity on "big bones" or social factors, and call for more individual self-reliance.
As well as parents, youngsters should be encouraged to use "peer pressure" on their overweight friends to educate them of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and not give in to the temptation to pick up bad habits themselves.
In the speech, called "No Nannying, No Excuses," to Reform, the public sector think tank, he will say: "Tell people that biology and the environment causes obesity and they are offered the one thing we have to avoid - an excuse.
"People who see more fat people around them may themselves be more likely to gain weight.
"Peer pressure and social norms are powerful influences on behaviour and they are classic excuses.
"Our need, and not just in relation to public health issues, is to act on the environment, while fostering positive peer pressure and social norms. We have to take away the excuses.
"Nor is this about telling people what to do. Tackling the environment should not be a licence to lecture people, because they have no excuse not to exercise, or eat their fruit and vegetables."
"Nannying - at least among adults - is likely to be counter-productive. If we are realistic about the impact of social norms and peer influence in affecting behaviour, we must also realise that we should not be nannying people.
"Providing information is empowering, lecturing people is not. So, no excuses, no nannying."
Last month, Mr Cameron received equal measures of praise and criticism after telling those struggling with their weight or other social problems to take more responsibility for themselves.
He said: "We talk about people being 'at risk of obesity' instead of talking about people who eat too much and take too little exercise.
"We talk about people being at risk of poverty, or social exclusion: it's as if these things — obesity, alcohol abuse, drug addiction — are purely external events like a plague or bad weather."
The working group will consider plans for mandatory, EU-wide food labelling, with broad advice on nutrition and healthy eating, rather than the Government's favoured traffic light scheme.
It will also discuss whether the food industry should use agreed standards on portion sizes, government campaigns on healthy eating, and incentives for local councils and small businesses to promote exercise.
Mr Lansley's words are part of an overall Conservative approach designed to address issues which can not be solved through regulation and legislation alone.
The Responsibility Deal will balance some "proportionate" regulation with new incentives for business to help address public health problems such as poor diet, alcohol abuse and lack of exercise.
While the group's findings will not automatically become Conservative policy, they are likely to underpin the party's thinking on public health in the run up to the next election.
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