Chronic conditions like Ulcerative Colitis and Crohns disease and heart disease.

I agree. I have ulcerative colitis (since 16) and I think what triggered it was my change in diet in the two years prior, as I had my own income from work and very high independence with all things. I think that it won't trigger for all, but I think that the type of food creates a kind of "allergic reaction" in some people, likely combined with a gut flora combination, or a bacteria that affects it.

Over the same period large swathes of the population have moved away from whole foods and exercise intensive professions to fast food, convenience food and sedentary keyboard professions.

I had a massage the other day and he thanked me for sitting behind a screen all the time. :D

while the employees here pay close to 50% in various taxes once earning above €65,000 per year approx.

In the past it used to be a kind of "agreement" where the companies get a tax benefit, because they hire locals. But that is not the case now, as the incentive is to maximize the benefit by hiring as few as possible and shifting obligations to cheaper areas through the global network. From a few years back I wrote something where it was on average, Google employees earned 1.7M for the company, but Ford employees were around 200K. That is quite a difference, and is why the tech companies are so highly valued, as with far fewer people, they can earn far more, without the need for that much capital expenditure or equipment.

It is a mess...

True, but it will never happen, like asking Turkeys to vote for Christmas

If the turkeys are living on the poverty line, perhaps it is preferable :D