Taken from Sp!ked, musician Joe Jackson explains why it's time to extinguish this illiberal, undemocratic, junk science-inspired legislation.
What is needed is not just the repeal of the smoking ban and other illiberal laws, but a return to healthy scepticism about the claims made about various risks, fairness and tolerance towards others with different habits, and a large dose of common sense.
Curmudgeon,
ReplyDeleteI'm 100% against the smoking ban and always have been, even though I'm not a smoker. I'm far more concerned in car exhaust pollution to cigarette smoke. And of course the thousands of jobs lost in the industry and the closure of many pubs.
But......
You will certainly know that many people, including myself think we should all just go into pubs and light up. I remember the publican who did just that and the public bailed him out when he was arrested and fined. The only problem that then happens is the councils make the choice on who gets their pub license when it comes up for licensing renewal every year. They have the power to simply say no.
So in effect we also have to smash the local councils as well. It's a hideous law that leads to far greater implications to our liberty and removal of them, but as long as councils have the power to refuse licenses to perfectly good publicans with their best interests at heart, we're not going to beat it. After all, why do you think most publicans haven't flouted the smoking ban? They know just what I've said in that their license would most certainly not be allowed next June licensing court.