Friday 4 April 2014

A Seedy End To A Seedy Campaign

I suppose the campaign for plain packaging - riddled throughout as it was with cronyism, corruption and lies - could only possibly end with the same tawdry values being exhibited in the House of Commons itself.

Yesterday's post-statement debate has been well reported and can be read in full here, but a couple of contributions stand out for their jaw-dropping gall. Firstly, Jane Ellison in reply to our Phil.
No one is bringing forward measures to ban smoking; rather, we are all now able to show our support for measures that might have the potential to stop children taking up smoking. I cannot believe that he cannot agree with that. The vast majority of the public are with us, and I fear that in this case he is in danger, very rarely, of being an unpopular populist.
This is, of course, a lie. The government's own consultation document says so [page 31].


And one for the vapers from decrepit Newport anti-smoking/pro-drugs loon Paul Flynn (on Twitter here).
Of course, this is not a Conservative statement, because it is evidence-based, prejudice-free and intelligent. Will the Minister add further lustre to her reputation by starting an investigation into the potential danger of electronic cigarettes normalising smoking?
I think he means that it's not a Conservative statement precisely because the piss poor evidence behind it is policy-based, motivated purely by prejudice, and the statement itself strikingly unConservative and stupid beyond belief (unless the goal was to increase the Ukip vote). But Paul's old, bless 'im, perhaps he just got confused.

Still, on e-cigs he's sharp as a tack, already jumping at the chance to commission more policy-based evidence for the next illiberal and entirely unnecessary assault on the public he is supposed to be serving.

See, this is the main problem with politicians. They're venal and repulsive liars but we're not allowed to shoot them.


8 comments:

Ed of Ballsworth said...

Fear not. There is a growing wave of dissent and ANGER in America over the Totalitarianism of the Public Health racket. I suspect things will come to a head in due time. When it does boil over, God help those who brought it about......

nisakiman said...

See, this is the main problem with politicians. They're venal and repulsive liars but we're not allowed to shoot them.

I'm actually against shooting things if you're not going to eat them , but I make an exception where vermin are concerned.

Ivan_Denisovich said...

Further proof that Ellison and Cameron's cowardly excuse for a government are lying can be found by reading just about any comments section on this subject just about anywhere in the media including the Guardian. The British public have a habit of opposing authoritarianism and I don't personally know anyone who supports this form of extreme government intervention irrespective of personal politics. Even friends who I have previously referred to as "unreformed Stalinists" based on an admittedly extreme analysis of their personal politics do not support government sponsored healthists deciding how products should be packaged.

Ex Blue said...

Totally useless chatting and blabbering with tormented tarts like Ellison,she is
a fame seeker pandering to any well funded Fabian cause.We all know she did not get her seat on merit,just another one of Cameron's paratrooperettes to
satisfy the Westminster Inner Soviet. She is not ,and never was a true Tory
just a fellow traveller on the feelgood cross benches.
As a long standing (53 years) Tory ,I now will do whatever is necessay ,in
lancashire,West Yokshire,Derbyshire and Cheshire to ensure Tories pay their price for their lies and treachery
Worry not ,no chance of me voting for the other Westminster Village Idiots,
Lab/Lib/Dem As for anyone still considering voting Tory,may I suggest you
shut up and go away,you are the greater part of the problem.

truckerlyn said...

Am definitely with you on that Ex Blue. Will never vote for any of the main 3 again.


You are also perfectly correct when you suggest that anyone still considering voting Tory should shut up and go away, as they are the greater part of the problem. I would also add, that those considering voting Liberal or Labour come under the same category.

smiffy01 said...

Ties in quite nicely with this DP! http://handymanphil.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/qualifications-needed-to-be-mp.html

Ian B said...

I've been watching this American TV show called "Once Upon A Time". It's about a town where everyone is a fairytale character unaware that they're cursed, ruled by an evil queen. I'm beginning to think something similar must have happened to Britain, to end up governed the way it is. It's like living in a madhouse (to switch metaphors in midstream).

I'm beginning to think we're watching, or living through, a historic period we might call something like "the decadence of late democracy" or the like, where the governance system has run out of road, like the decadence of the absolute monarchies of Europe who outstayed their welcome after their era had passed. We had a civil war to sort that one out. The puritans won it. Maybe not a good model then.

Ian B said...

The problem is, this whole thing has been running in both the US and UK since the Progressive Era. It's going to take a lot to run this bandwagon off the road.