Never Forgive, Never Forget

The tobacco control industry do like to pretend that the smoking ban is a dead subject, don't they? That everything is sunshine and sweet smelling roses in the world; that the debate is over.

Sadly for them, a majority of rational people - as opposed to the self-centred, intolerant and anti-social - accept that the ban we have is unfair and should have provided for some exemptions (especially now e-cigs are increasingly being included in bans, like in France and Italy).

If you've ever read a comments section anywhere, you will have heard some voice of common sense expressing the view of most by asking "What's the problem with smoking and non-smoking venues? Then everyone would be happy!".

Which is why the issue will never go away. For example, this private members bill is tabled for parliamentary business on Monday.

Smoking (Private Members’ Clubs)

Mr Philip Hollobone

Bill to make provision to allow smoking in a separate ventilated room in a private members’ club if a majority of the members of the club so decide.

It is part of a package of bills presented by Conservatives - see the whole list here at ConHome - who feel government of all political stripes has, ahem, lost its way. A euphemistic way of saying they have forgotten the people they are meant to serve and are guiding the country using a statist SatNav programmed by charlatans, fake charities, tax-sponging vested interests and utter lunatics.

Dubbed 'The Alternative Queen's Speech', the Telegraph quotes one of the MPs behind it thus:

Peter Bone, the MP for Wellingborough and one of the architects of the document, said: “This is serious attempt to deliver policies that the British public really want. There are ideas here that could form the basis of a future Conservative manifesto.”

In truth, Tory policymakers won't embrace policies that their electors actually like until they re-learn that we exist, something they're not looking very much like doing at the moment. We can but hope, though.

But before you get too excited, it's unlikely many of the bills presented will go anywhere - most won't receive a second reading. However, even if Hollobone's bill does fall by the wayside, I guarantee it won't be the last time the subject is brought up.

While crashingly flawed law as the Health Act 2006 still exists unamended, there will always be more realistic and workable proposals raised on a regular basis. Anti-smokers can pretend it's the end of the matter but it never will be, the debate is not over and will run and run for a long time to come.

So keep badgering your MP and keep pointing out how their stupid, petty, pointless nannying experiments over tobacco, alcohol, fast food, fizzy drinks, motoring and e-cigs are entirely unwelcome. One day they will get the message.

Remember, Prohibition in the US hung around for 13 years before the idiots finally saw sense.