Cat Let Out of Bag

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The UK government currently is proposing to ban smoking in all pubs. Their latest scheme would allow smoking only if a pub provides a sealed room with "self-closing doors" for nicotine fiends. The Times yesterday reported that a confidant of Patricia Hewitt, the health secretary, said, "The aim is to make them as unpleasant as possible."

That pretty much blows the government's cover story, that its motivation for taking this step is concern for the health of non-smokers. If no significant amount of smoke enters the non-smoking area, no further health benefits possibly could come from making the smokers' ghetto "as unpleasant as possible." No, it's obvious the purpose of the measure is to punish smokers for affronting Blair's Puritans by enjoying tobacco.

Comments

  1. Anonymous8:46 AM

    ...or just trying to save millions of pounds
    a year in health care costs that dying smokers
    use up.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:28 AM

    Nonsense.

    If the motive were saving money, the Government would be doing all it could to encourage smokers - ciggies are a huge net money spinner for the Govt - taxes of £ 8 billion versus NHS health care costs for smokers of £1.5 billion (much of which would have to spent anyway - people have to die of something).

    Gene is quite right. The motivation is puritanism - pure and simple.

    ReplyDelete

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