Western governments seem to be engaged in some sort of competition to produce the most draconian anti-smoking legislation ever. It's currently the turn of France, which is threatening a smoking ban in parks and on the country's beaches. Marisol Touraine, the French health minister, has proposed such a move. "Is it normal for mothers, fathers or nannies to smoke in a public park where children play?” she asked.
Such is the strength of the crusade against smokers that even e-cigarettes have recently been targeted by the gormless European Parliament. These smokeless tubes, widely used by smokers wishing to kick the habit, may be taken off the shelves and be re-classified as "medicines."
As a lifelong non-smoker, I must say that I appreciate being able to eat out in a smoke-free atmosphere. I have no desire to go back to the days of booking a table as soon as the restaurant opens and wolfing the meal down in order to get out before anyone sits next to you and lights up. I also think that smoking is a crazy, life-shortening habit, and find it utterly bizarre that anyone wants to indulge in it after all the evidence that it damages your health. My grandfather smoked from the age of 10 until his death 82 years later. it didn't kill him, but listening to his wheezing when I was a small child was enough to put me off smoking well before I had even left primary school.
However, there is a total lack of consistency in this campaign against smoking. In the paragraph above, I have expressed some pretty negative opinions about smoking. If I was to be invited onto BBC's Today programme and say the same thing, I wouldn't expect to receive much flak. The left-wing metropolitan élite are determined to crack down on smoking. However, there is another crazy life-shortening habit about which none our political class will allow any criticism at all.
Look at the government's "Tobacco control plan for England entitled Healthy Lives, Healthy People https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213757/dh_124960.pdf and try substituting "homosexual" for "smoker" or "gay sex" for "tobacco". Here's a few examples:-
"The Government recognises that control of gay sex forms a crucial component of our efforts to improve public health."
"By helping people to quit gay sex for good, we can significantly improve public health.."
"Gay sex causes a range of illnesses, most of which only become apparent after many years of active homosexuality."
Can you imagine such a report being produced by this government or the previous Labour administration? However, if such a report were published, could anyone challenge question such statements on health grounds? They would actually all be true.
The government seems determined to wage war on one group of people involved in one harmful activity while denying anyone the chance to criticise another group of people involved in a different harmful activity - even contemplating placing restrictions on those seeking to help gays who want to quit. Does it want to micro-manage the nation's health or doesn't it? At best, its current approach is inconsistent; at worse, it's downright hypocritical.
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Such is the strength of the crusade against smokers that even e-cigarettes have recently been targeted by the gormless European Parliament. These smokeless tubes, widely used by smokers wishing to kick the habit, may be taken off the shelves and be re-classified as "medicines."
As a lifelong non-smoker, I must say that I appreciate being able to eat out in a smoke-free atmosphere. I have no desire to go back to the days of booking a table as soon as the restaurant opens and wolfing the meal down in order to get out before anyone sits next to you and lights up. I also think that smoking is a crazy, life-shortening habit, and find it utterly bizarre that anyone wants to indulge in it after all the evidence that it damages your health. My grandfather smoked from the age of 10 until his death 82 years later. it didn't kill him, but listening to his wheezing when I was a small child was enough to put me off smoking well before I had even left primary school.
However, there is a total lack of consistency in this campaign against smoking. In the paragraph above, I have expressed some pretty negative opinions about smoking. If I was to be invited onto BBC's Today programme and say the same thing, I wouldn't expect to receive much flak. The left-wing metropolitan élite are determined to crack down on smoking. However, there is another crazy life-shortening habit about which none our political class will allow any criticism at all.
Look at the government's "Tobacco control plan for England entitled Healthy Lives, Healthy People https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213757/dh_124960.pdf and try substituting "homosexual" for "smoker" or "gay sex" for "tobacco". Here's a few examples:-
"The Government recognises that control of gay sex forms a crucial component of our efforts to improve public health."
"By helping people to quit gay sex for good, we can significantly improve public health.."
"Gay sex causes a range of illnesses, most of which only become apparent after many years of active homosexuality."
Can you imagine such a report being produced by this government or the previous Labour administration? However, if such a report were published, could anyone challenge question such statements on health grounds? They would actually all be true.
The government seems determined to wage war on one group of people involved in one harmful activity while denying anyone the chance to criticise another group of people involved in a different harmful activity - even contemplating placing restrictions on those seeking to help gays who want to quit. Does it want to micro-manage the nation's health or doesn't it? At best, its current approach is inconsistent; at worse, it's downright hypocritical.
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