Fat chance of health overhaul

CONGRATULATIONS to Bill Carmichael for his refreshing honesty, admitting that his obesity is self-inflicted (Yorkshire Post, April 15). Confirm it yourself, if you must, by going on a cruise.

Mr Carmichael’s admission demands that the spotlight must yet again be turned on the funding of the NHS.

Should the NHS continue to bear all the financial responsibility for treating the pathological consequences of our self-indulgence?

The existing funding model is scarcely fit for purpose and too often fails to deliver the level of care which politicians have assured patients they can expect. But which political leader dare order a radical overhaul of healthcare funding?

Real taste of Yorkshire

From: Keith Gatenby, Highfield Drive, Kirton In Lindsey, Gainsborough.

REGARDING Ian McMillan’s search for the traditional Yorkshire drink (Yorkshire Post Magazine, April 16), I would make the following suggestion.

I was brought up in the 1940s in the West Riding, in the centre of the heavy woollen district, in the middle of the shoddy industry – Batley!

We would buy a “penn’orth” of Spanish (liquorice), fill a Watson Bros pop bottle with water, insert the Spanish and shake and shake and shake until we had a bottle of dark grey liquid. It was vile but with a pile of mucky fat sandwiches it was the perfect picnic. Surely “Spanish watter” must be a strong contender for Yorkshire’s traditional drink.

I really enjoy reading Ian McMillan’s articles.