Salt of the Earth? Not in Stockport chip shops!

"They've banned salt in the chippy, Ada!"

The council in Stockport is the latest to get themselves all in a lather about the relationship between salt intake and unhealthy Northerners. They think fish and chip shops and takeaways in general use far too much and that customers delight in oversalting their food. So they've aked for salt cellars to be removed from eyesight in case a whole lotta shakin' goes on.

Personally I think chips without salt are rather tasteless. But I don't care for that finely ground Cheshire stuff. No wonder they had to reduce the holes in salt cellars from 17 to 5. No, I much prefer some tasty sea salt freshly ground over the fish and chips I buy. When the chippy chirps up and asks if I want "salt 'n vinegar" I demur and think of my own crystals falling over the food.

Food without salt is, well, not that tasty. Food with too much salt? Not that great, either. If slavering Mancunians (and Cheshire type Stockporters!) can't summon up self control, then they may get heart disease, palpitations and dizzy spells. They know the score. But I don't see it the business of the state, local or national, to be mother, nanny and next-door-neighbour rolled into one.

Salt shakers might have been doing too much shaking. But let's get a sense of proportion.

Cafe fan banned in case smell of bacon offends Muslims

Now this is a case of political correctness (or more truthfully political stupidity) causing offense all round. This time its the morons from Stockport Council, no doubt being watched by the Cheshire Cat, who have deemed the smell of bacon cooking in a cafe may offend passing Muslims. This council, by the way, is run by LibDems. Come on, get a life, there's a national crisis on!

This whole nonsense was caused by a guy called Graham Webb-Lee, who complained that his Muslim friends refused to visit him becase they ''can't stand the smell of bacon.'' He lives next to the cafe. However, he has apparently been complaining on and off to the council who seemed totally uninterested in his complaints until he got a load of Muslim friends and mentioned this to the council officials. Oh, boy, that changed their tune. They were round to the cafe owner, Turkish Muslim Cetin Akciecek, to read the riot act.

I suppose the next thing is Cetin being marched off for "retraining". The whole thing is outrageous and is just another reason why the Coalition needs to get rid of these morons when cutting council jobs.