Assault on decency

On the Forest website we have a section called 'Writing Worth Reading' with links to what we think is useful reading if you're interested in the smoking debate. Today we have added three articles. In the first, the Independent's Philip Hensher speaks for many of us when he writes:

"There must be some limit to the expansionist ambitions of the [anti-smoking] campaign - I would think that they must concede that it isn't actually reasonable to demand that people be prevented from smoking in the open air, or when they are alone at home. But who knows?"

 In the Guardian, David Hockney (a member of Forest's Supporters' Council) derides the smoking ban and concludes:

"In England people should speak up more, defend themselves, but it's hard against all the forces at work. Two million anti-smoking signs are going up on July 1, including inside Westminster Abbey. The uglification of England is under way by people with no vision. I detest it."

The third article was published yesterday on the online daily magazine First Post. What Hockney calls the "uglification of England" is far more serious than unappealing no-smoking sign. Barry Goodman reports that he has been physically assaulted three times while smoking in perfectly legitimate places - twice at street tables outside cafes, and most recently in a restaurant when there was only one other table occupied.

"I've never in my life experienced such hatred among strangers and I shudder at what it bodes for the future, and not just for smokers."

Remember those words, the next time you hear the anti-smoking lobby whine, "We're not against smokers, just smoking."

Comments

[Rob Simpson]

I'm sorry to say but I believe Mr Hensher is being niave when he says;
"I would think that they must concede that it isn't actually reasonable to demand that people be prevented from smoking in the open air"
Because of course they do find it entirely reasonable to ban smoking in the open air as is demonstrated in several US states. People are so convinced of the dangers of passive smoking that many are now of the opinion that a few whiffs respesents a threat to their health.
Some even object to having to walk past smokers to get to the front door of a pub (the fact that the supporter the law booting them out there in the first place seems to elude them) and so will support further legislation to remove them from there as well.
Expect to see rising complaints about beer gardens being full of smokers during the summer months and how terribly unfair that is on them (again, the fact that INSIDE is an entirely smoke free environment is wasted on them), they want to sit OUTSIDE and are being prevented from doing so from the dirthy, filthy and selfish smokers and the government should do something about that.

It;s not going to end, because demanding people make sacrifices towards the goal of a zero risk society is AWFULLY easy when it's not you that has to make the sacrifice.