Common Sense Takes Centre Stage In New Zealand

I've mentioned before that the tobacco control industry are mounting an almost identical plain packs campaign in New Zealand as that seen here, complete with strangely familiar website and sound bites. No doubt their advocates have been busily spending NZ government cash (again, identical to UK troughers) jetting for meetings in London to pick up tips in the past few months.

It seems there is resistance brewing though. New Zealand's largest newspaper has delivered stinging criticism of the plan in their editorial yesterday.

There comes a point in the pursuit of public health that puritanism becomes oppressive. Plain packs would not be the first reduction of tobacco companies' commercial rights; they may indeed be the last. If brands can no longer be distinguished even on the packet, they might be destroyed.

Property rights are important, even for industries for whom we have distaste. Governments should not remove them unless it is necessary. Plain-pack legislation would be plain theft.

Quite.

Additionally, a hugely popular blogger once described as New Zealand's "most notorious" has come out in forthright opposition.

The other side, as usual, is the same tired collection of emotional blackmailers and selfish, state-paid quangoistas.

Good to see that some common sense is intruding on the global carnival of self-congratulatory, evidence-free bollocks, isn't it? If our antipodean allies need anything further, they could do worse than take on board some of the testimony from these respected people telling it like it is in real life, rather than cloud cuckoo land.

I'm sure we'll be returning for regular updates on New Zealand in the future. Let's hope they can deliver the same comprehensive V-sign that we in the UK did.