Wednesday 30 September 2009

Something Missing


Remember that 'hugely popular' smoking ban? The one which Labour implemented, in contravention of their 2005 general election manifesto commitment to a partial ban, with which everyone would have been quite happy?

The ban which was unprecedented and revolutionary, in fact.

A smokefree England will see the single biggest improvement in public health for a generation

Caroline Flint

The Labour spin doctors' mantra was repeated faithfully elsewhere too.

The smoking ban in England is the "single most important public health legislation for a generation", Health Secretary Alan Johnson has said.

Not only was it so staggeringly welcome, it will also reverse the veritable holocaust of passive smoking's slaughter of the innocents.

The smokefree legislation could prevent 40,000 people dying over the next decade, it added.

Yes, we know that's all bollocks, but it's the line that Labour have been trotting out these past two years or so.

You would think, therefore, would you not, that Gordon Brown would have included it in the list of towering Labour achievements in his speech yesterday, instead of throwing in a few which were a bit dodgy and nothing to do with Labour.

Not even a passive whiff of it, though. Why not?

Could it be anything to do with the fact that Labour are being hammered in their northern heartlands, wiped out in Wales, and rejected by formerly party faithful Londoners?

It is the ground-breaking, genocide-preventing, generational miracle which dare not speak its incontestably-popular name.

And Brown confirmed yesterday that whatever Labour say in public about their destruction of the working class smoker's leisure time, privately they know that vast swathes of their usual core vote despise them for it.

Shhhhhh.




17 comments:

vincent1 said...

Maybe Dick, he thinks if he does not mention it, we will forget it ever happenend.

Anonymous said...

That's an excellent point, Dick.

What do you suppose might happen if Labour announced (around Christmas, say) that they'd listen favourably to the 'amend the ban' side come next year's review? I think it's scheduled for June, so just a month after the general election.

Karen
wv: cwhat

Unknown said...

They would have to scrap the ban completely, and before Christmas, before I'd even think of giving them a second chance Karen. Fishing for votes in the way you say would be seen for the scam it was.

Anonymous said...

I heard him reeling off the great things he had done. I waited and waited for him to mention the smoking ban, but it never came.

Curmudgeon said...

Ah yes, "we have closed more pubs than any government since the First World War". What an achievement! What a guy!

Anonymous said...

Flash Gordon saves the world from the filthy smokers.

Frank Davis said...

Well spotted. I didn't listen to the speech, so wouldn't have known.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Anon@ 21:55:

You're right that it's an option for Labour and I wouldn't rule it out. It would take some balls though and I don't think they have any. Having said that, they might see it as a desperate option to avoid electoral annihilation. We shouldn't fall for it though as they are some of the biggest liars on the planet.

Worth saying again IMO. ;-)

What a guy indeed, Curmudgeon.

Barking Spider said...

I couldn't face watching the whole speech so I missed that fact, DP.
I agree with TBY, but even if they did scrap the ban before Christmas, I doubt that anyone will ever trust them again.

Anonymous said...

GB may think they are list of achievements - I certainly don't. They were just headline grabbers and spin.

I noticed the smoking ban was missing - they now realise that it was the worst piece of legislation ever passed, creating social isolation, ill-health, business failure, splitting communites and inciting hatred causing murder etc - the list of failure from this one piece of legislation could go on and on.

If labour even mentioned an amendment, I wouldn't even believe them. They have lied and lied. I wouldn't trust them ever again, and feel ashamed to have ever truted them before.

Marion

banned said...

Likewise, could not be bothered to watch the speech ( who could ? ) but thanks for pointing that out dick, wonder if the MSM will pick it up ?

BTS said...

The bastard also neglected to mention the fact that under labour we've all got 12 years older..

AlJahom Says OpenID Sucks said...

The more relevant topic now is, "what would the Tories do about the smoking ban?"

"Fuck all" is my personal assessment.

Pat Nurse MA said...

NuLab is getting what it deserves. ... and thanks to The Scum, they now know exactly what it feels like to be stabbed in the back!

bayard said...

"The smokefree legislation could prevent 40,000 people dying over the next decade, it added."
If this goes on, we'll soon be immortal, and all thanks to NuLab!

Junican said...

I watched the speech. I had to fight the wife who wanted to watch Neighbours etc, but that was one contest that I managed to win, for a change.

I too missed the omission of 'the best piece of legislation of all time' from GB's speech.

Oddly enough, that omission gives one hope, doesn't it? It indicates fear, and so it should be.

Do not believe what pollsters may be predicting. Pollsters cannot possibly interview people who are quietly going about their personal business - work, home, bed. They can only interview little old ladies in town centres, who know fuck all.

If the population of this country is 60 million, one can reasonably assume that the voting population is about 40 million, give or take. Of these, 15 million are smokers. Quietly, and without fuss, these 15 million will vote against this nanny/bully government, regardless of what Prof Simpson says.

Unfortunately, we will never know that this has been true because the MSM (Main Stream Media) will edit it out.

Only blogs will tell the truth.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

Bernard Manning's Sputtering Cadaver said...

I had to fight the wife

Fucking piece of piss. My wife fights like a girl. She soon comes round.