Happy Meal meddlers backtrack?

Sue Kedgley and National's Jackie Blue appear to be backtracking from their earlier calls to ban -- or at least "give serious consideration" to banning -- McDonalds toys and McDonalds Happy Meals, and even Helen Clark felt the need to observe that "getting rid of kids' fast food deals such as McDonald's Happy Meals is not the way to fight child obesity."

Several email correspondents lambasted both Blue and Kedgley for their busy-bodying, to which Kedgley replied (punctuated just as she sent it; as one wag said she seems to want to ban the use of apostrophes as well):

Please dont believe everything you read in the papers. I said to a reporter it was something the inquiry into obesity might look at ..end of story. I cant ban anything, we live in a democracy and we need a majority of MPs to vote for an ything.

So 'majority rules' is apparently okay with Sue, then. In another response she told a correspondent:

Well you shouldn't fall for a media beat up. All I said was that these were the sort of issues the select committee would be looking at. And he managed to twist it into me calling for a ban.

To be fair, most of Kedgley's headlines come from "calling for a ban," so when a reporter is presented with fat, food, Sue Kedgely and "something the inquiry into obesity might look at" the word "ban" would naturally spring to mind.

Meanwhile, Jackie Blue responded on behalf of the Nats:

Thank you for your feedback. In the article. [sic] I was quoted as being 'open minded' about this issue and hoped that the committee could make recommendations that would turn our obesity epidemic around (whatever they might be). What wasn't reported in the article was that I said that National's position would have to be discussed at caucus and I understand that Tony Ryall has made a statement to a TV station today that National does not support banning of happy meals and toys etc. I hope that reassures you.

It doesn't. "Whatever they might be." sounds ominous, doesn't it, and Blue sounds so open-minded that anything could walk in -- and maybe already has. And has anyone actually seen Ryall's reported attempt to rescue Blue? I haven't seen anything from Vile Ryall since last Sunday, and certainly nothing on this subject. Methinks she's wriggling.

LINKS: Fat-fight MP plans Happy Meal ban - Sunday Star Times
Happy Meal ban unlikely to succeed - Newstalk ZB

TAGS: Politics-NZ, Health, Politics-Greens, Politics-National