Closing the UK's parks and public spaces really could be a tipping point | Barney Ronay


There is always compromise, always managed space – but banning exercise in this country would be a disaster

You can take our pubs and our shopping centres. You can wall us up behind the front door with Netflix and newsagent wine. But don’t take away our glimpse of the sky, that proscribed 30 minutes of brain-soothing, body-stretching exercise.

Judging by the experiences of Spain, Italy and France, this is the next stage for the UK. Quite how long we can put off a complete ban on personal exercise is open to question. But a concerted effort is required here because, with the weather this week forecast to reach as a high as 23C, this really could be a tipping point.

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Do we really want to be a nation that bans exercise before it bans smoking and the sale of tobacco?

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