http://www.dailymail.co.uk/…

Every teenager will have to do at least 50 hours of community work before the age of 19, Gordon Brown has announced.

The Prime Minister believes youngsters would be less likely to turn to crime if they had a sense of citizenship.

The scheme, a form of ‘national service’ for teenagers, will ensure they spend a minimum of 50 hours working with charities and vulnerable groups such as the elderly or disabled.

Forming part of Labour’s next election manifesto, it will be woven into plans to make everyone stay in education or training until the age of 18 by 2011.
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/…

Displaying cigarettes in shops could be banned in England under government plans being considered to cut smoking and discourage children from starting.

Tougher controls on vending machines in pubs and restaurants are also being discussed, and the public will be consulted on the proposals soon.

Ex-smoker and Tory leader David Cameron said the idea was worth looking at.

But the Association of Convenience Stores said the move would be ineffective and present major problems.

It said forcing shops to hide their cigarettes would create practical difficulties and result in extra expense for shop owners.

Outlining the proposals, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo said it was “vital” to teach children that “smoking is bad”.

“If that means stripping out vending machines or removing cigarettes from behind the counter, I’m willing to do that,” she said.

Ms Primarolo stressed: “Children who smoke are putting their lives at risk and are more likely to die of cancer than people who start smoking later.”

Opposition leader Mr Cameron backed the idea, saying: “As someone who struggled with giving up smoking, it helps if you take away some of the temptation.

Why is it so difficult to understand that when you take away people’s personal responsibility they become spoiled children and things generally get worse all around? The next stop is complete prohibition. It’s awesomely pathetic and sad. Do the British really have no self control or confidence in their fellow man? And of course this bullshit is to save the children. I hope they ban Twinkees from the shelves too. And prohibit fish and chips. That fried food can give you a heart attack right?

http://www.thesun.co.uk/…

The Conservatives will propose banning plasma screens and other energy-guzzling electrical goods in a report to be unveiled next week.The proposals target white goods like fridges and freezers, as well as TVs, personal computers and DVD players that use too much energy or operate on stand-by.

The ideas come from a Conservative group set up by David Cameron to develop policies to protect the environment and although the measures to make household electrical appliances more energy efficient are not binding on Mr Cameron, they are thought likely to be warmly received by the Tory leader.

The group will also suggest scrapping Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as a measure of the nation’s success in favour of a model that measures people’s happiness drawn up up by Friends of the Earth.

Under the proposals, a cap could be set on the energy use of each electrical appliance, and those exceeding limits could be banned from sale in the UK.

That’s the conservative party?! Is the British definition of conservative the opposite of the US English one? I had read previously about plans in parts of Europe to ban or heavily regulate standby modes and any power bricks which continued to use energy when not transforming current. This is nuts. Let the market decide electrical usage. If the cost of generation/transmission/storage goes up then people won’t keep their PS3, Xbox360 or Wii in standby mode. You pay for what you consume. What’s next? Requiring people to turn off lights before they leave a room? Legislate that sensors must be used in all rooms to guaranty lights are only on while someone is in it? Why don’t they save some power and turn off all those cameras? I’d bet unnecessarily left on lights consume more than TVs in standby.

Even more odd is this Friends of the Earth happiness measurement of national success. I’m really speechless.