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I read quite a bit of libertarian op-ed pieces and found this one interesting. I'm not familiar w/the libterarian movement in the UK nor have I heard of this author or the magazine that Reason pulled the article from and was interested in yall's thoughts on it.
Nudgers vs. Nannies - Reason Magazine
It is an issue I am torn on somewhat. The UK has a publically funded heath care system, so the fact that so many people are becoming obese, smoke and drink to excess does mean that the system can become overburdened. Why should healthy living people have to subsidise others? Of course, smokers and drinkers do pay more in taxes directly through their habits, but the same cannot be said of the obese. Having said that though, I do believe in a national health care system as the poor should not be left to rot and I do believe in the concept of a collective society.
Ultimately I believe that people should be able to choose what they consume. If you can smoke, drink and eat hamburgers then that also logically means that illegal drugs should then be decriminalised too. In that sense I guess am quite liberal. But at the same time people should certainly be educated about the things they are consuming. Smoking, drinking and bingeing on fried chicken is clearly not good for you and at the least education programmes should be developed. When I was in school we had chips and chicken burgers everyday because we liked them, we were never made aware of the harm that this food can have in the long run. People should at least be aware of the risks. It is good for cigarette packets to have images of blackened lungs. It is also good for food to be labelled in such a way as to say "eating this product to excess will ultimately kill you". You are then aware and make your free choice.