It's Poison

Marmite Is No More

The vast expansion of the soft-despotic state has occurred primarily because of three great sucking tentacles.  These suckers have fed the beast more than any other and resulted in the great amorphous bureaucratic blob that now sits over us, crushing us with its dead weight of rules, regulations, controls, and bans.  Let's not forget the ban.  The identity of the tentacles? State education, state health and state welfare. 

Together these three represent eighty percent of government spending in New Zealand.  Without them there would be no despotic state.  State education tells us how and what to think.  State welfare feeds and clothes us.  State health protects our bodies from disease and damage.  The government ends up controlling us entirely: mind, body, and soul.  One of the great ironies of our time is that the West, which claims to be the "land of the free", is more controlled and smothered by the state than any other region or country upon the globe.  Because we approbate this smothering despotism with votes, somehow we see ourselves as free--as if a man who chooses to be a slave is any less a slave than an involuntary one. 

Every so often, however, the self-deceiving charade is made plain.  No more so than in Denmark.  It has banned Marmite!  Yup.  For reasons of public health. 

The strongly flavoured dark brown spread made from brewer's yeast has joined Rice Crispies, Shreddies, Horlicks and Ovaltine prohibited in Denmark under legislation forbidding the sale of food products with added vitamins as threat to public health.

Many well known breakfast cereal and drink brands have already been banned or taken off supermarket shelves after Danish legislation in 2004 restricted foods fortified with extra vitamins or minerals.

But Marmite had escaped notice as an exotic import for a small number of ex-pats until the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration telephoned Abigail's, a Copenhagen shop selling British food, to ban the famous yeast spread.

"I don't eat it myself, I don't like it but Marmite was one of our best selling products. Not a day goes by without someone coming in and asking for it," said Marianne Ørum, the shop owner.

"All the English people here are shaking their heads in disbelief and say that it is insane. I agree but it is the law. It's becoming impossible to run a business in this country. We are not allowed to do anything anymore. It is the way Denmark is going. . . .
Lyndsay Jensen, a Yorkshire born graphic designer working in Copenhagen, told the British ex-pat RedHerring.dk website, that Britons would carry on spreading Marmite on their toast, even if it meant smuggling it in to Denmark.
"They don't like it because it's foreign," she said. "But if they want to take my Marmite off me they'll have to wrench it from my cold dead hands."
The sale of any foodstuff with the "addition of vitamins, minerals and other substances" must be first approved by the Danish authorities after a health scare over their effect on children or pregnant women when combined with other foods with high vitamin levels.

"Cold dead hands" eh?.  That's the spirit.  

But, seriously, isn't it wonderful that we have such enlightened and munificent governments  to take care of us? 

When the people set themselves up as gods they will demand their government bear the attributes of deity.  It is inevitable.