Bushell on the blog
Monday, July 23, 2007 
Email from Garry Bushell. "Hello Simon. Just FYI, I've been championing the 'right to smoke' as a freedom of choice issue on my talkSPORT radio show as well as my websites and rock podcast. PS," he adds, "Boris isn’t the only pro-freedom candidate for London Mayor. I’m standing for the English Democrats."
Garry and I go back years. He was the Sun's larger-than-life TV critic when I interviewed him for a magazine I was editing. In person I found him to be very different from the brash, outspoken character that appears in print. There was a diffidence about him that was quite endearing. I was delighted when he agreed to contribute the occasional column for a fraction of his usual rate.
His career has taken several twists and turns since then but, say what you like about him, Garry Bushell remains a top-notch journalist with a great turn of phrase. Here's what he had to say about the smoking ban on July 1st:
The smoking ban kicks in today. Is it a blessing for public health, or another infringement of our civil liberties? The fag end of the wedge … I don’t smoke, but I don’t mind the company of smokers – I like to cough. But what concerns me about this ban is that it’s undemocratic, it removes freedom of choice and it’s based on misinformation: it’s all passive smoke and mirrors.
There is no medical proof that secondary smoking causes cancer. None at all. There has been massive research in this area and time after time the same result comes back: there is no scientific evidence. Smoking damages the smoker’s health, full stop. This hasn’t stopped the Nanny State. You’ll get fined £50 for lighting up in a pub, while the landlord could cop a £2,500 for letting you. Cigar smokers can’t even enjoy a nice puff in a private cigar smoking club. This is at a time when ganja is decriminalised. Next we’ll have the fat police confiscating pork pies at the supermarket check-outs.
What would Churchill say? Or Strummer, Lennon, Einstein, Sinatra, Sartre, Orwell, Johnny Cash, Oscar Wilde, Bill Hicks or any of the other famous, brilliant and creative smokers? Yes, pubs and clubs will smell differently. Your clothes won’t reek of smoke the morning after. You won’t have to eat in a restaurant with some inconsiderate git puffing away over your mutton madras. But from today we are less free. We have less choice. We’re more controlled. Baaaa. Baaa. Baaaa.
For more of Bushell on his blog, click HERE.
Reader Comments (2)
I know exactly what churchill would have done if told to put out his cigar
He would have turned his fingers round and shown the two finger sign for disaproval.
Fed up with being pushed around by the no-smoking nannies? Here's a way to hit back. It's legal. It will hit the government where it hurts, it will save you money and it requires only minimum effort.
If you're a 10 a day smoker, cut down to nine a day for 10 days; 20 a day, down to 18 a day; 60 a day, down to 54.
Then on Aug 18 smoke the cigarettes you've saved instead of going to the shop to buy some.
Just think of it: a whole day when the government is deprived of tobacco revenue. It won't affect shopkeepers too much since the profit they make per packet is minimal.
Why Aug 18? Because it gives enough time to email your smoking friends and colleagues. And by choosing one designated day for this action, it will maximise the impact.
So begin saving and start emailing! Good luck