No limit on intolerance
Friday, February 29, 2008 
Always happy to have the final word, Brian Monteith (above) has this to say about smoking permits in today's Edinburgh Evening News:
If ever anyone had any doubts that once the control freaks that seek to govern our lives will not rest until they completely dictate what we can do, then the idea floated by Julian Le Grand of Health England that to buy tobacco you should need a permit, must surely settle the argument.
Not content with stopping people from smoking socially together in their local pub or club, not content with telling people that they can’t smoke in their stationery car even if they are alone - if it's used as a part time mini-cab - now they want to hound smokers further.
Let’s face it they want to eat away at smokers’ liberties until they have none. Next it will be the permit to buy alcohol and eventually the permit to buy meat. These people know no limit.
Full article, including Brian's thoughts on DNA profiling, HERE.
Simon Clark
In response to a question from Dr Ashok Kumar, MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, public health minister Dawn Primarolo this week replied, "The introduction of smoking permits is not Government policy". Not yet.
Reader Comments (3)
I sometimes wonder if societies like Forest or The Free Society are really doing anything worthwhile for us?
It sometimes feels like these societies are part of the governments plan to disenfranchise us, by letting us write down our frustrations but not doing anything about them.
What do you all think?
Sharon, I see where you are coming from, but without actual, organised, physical protest, I really think there is precious little we can do and when it comes down to physical protests (peaceful ones, of course), the majority of people posting on these sites (sadly me included) do not make enough effort to turn up! In order to hold a meaningful protestwe nned to get the numbers and people would have to be prepared to travel to London. I don't live locally to London and I absolutely hate the place, I also panic in crowds; but the bottom line is, unless we do all stand up and get counted, we can blame no-one but ourselves and our own apathy!
I would be willing to take part in a mass protest in london right under the noses of these selfish dictative MP's so come on someone organise a protest and advertise in the national newspapers for everyone to see and i will bring along my friensds who hate this government. Perhaps guy fawkes would like to come ( only joking)
On a serious note if this government was serious about wanting people to give up the fags then they first should give up the revenue they recieve on our addiction they are no better then drug barons.