What next? Sweets? Crisps? Fizzy drinks?
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 Today is the second reading of the government's Health Bill in the House of Lords. You know, the one that includes the ban on the display of tobacco in shops. Hopefully, several peers will raise objections - and not just because of the impact on small retailers.
Last week we wrote to peers reminding them of Forest's position. We pointed out that we support measures to educate children about the health risks associated with smoking, but we vehemently oppose the introduction of unnecessary regulations that will threaten jobs and small businesses, the stigmatisation of smokers, and the erosion of civil liberties by Big Government.
We brought their attention to the manufactured nature of the "public" consultation on future tobacco control, and enclosed a copy of Neil Rafferty's excellent essay 'Say no to denormalisation'.
Some people (including some smokers) don't seem to think a ban on display matters that much. They (you?) couldn't be more wrong. As Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute, put it in a Forest ad that ran in the New Statesman last year:
"I don't smoke and I care much for smoking, but I'm outraged that the UK government plans to ban the display of tobacco products in shops. Which other of our 'unhealthy' pleasures will be driven under the counter next? Sweets? Crisps? Fizzy drinks? When you give political zealots so much power, you never know quite where it will end up."
Reader Comments (9)
I went to Brussels last week and wanted to bring back some tobacco with me. The shops there did not sell my favourite brand (Cutters Choice) and fortuneately the shops displayed their tobacco products, so I was able to look along the line in order to decide which other brand I would purchase. It may be a surprise to some people the different varieties ie dark, light, medium, dry, moist and medium. How would I have got on if I wasn't able to see the display?
Does it matter Chas, after all, you are ONLY, a smoker, and as such, should you really expect to be treated like a human being?
The ban om displays is nothing compared with what is to come, which I hear is being touted as "The final solution".
Eamon Butler is right, if cigarettes are to be banned from display how long will it be before they ban sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks.
As the health stupid 'stunts' equate obesity as unhealthy as smoking I cant see how they would be allowed to distinguish between one product and another on the grounds of equality and human rights. Nor should they be allowed to, after all whats good for the goose is good for the gander so to speak.
So at the next big important showcase meeting between govt and the 'health consultants' it should be brought to their attention that if they ban the display of cigs they will have to follow it up by banning sweets, crisps and fizzy drinks from display if, as they make out, all these products lead to obesity and are bad for their subordinates.
I recently spoke to my local "Londis", mini market owner, who told me that one third of his takings, come from tobacco sales. He is already feeling the pinch, like so many other small businesses, due mainly to our government's handling of the economy over the last 12 years, and, also to the way they are ignorantly digging us in, deeper and deeper now, as the recession starts to bite. Without tobacco sales, he fears he might have to close.
What absolutely inane thinking, could come up with the idea of hiding products which are for sale? Can you imagine a car dealership with no cars in the sale-room window, and just a large sign, saying "cars for sale".
Gordon Brown, brought back Peter (Minder) Mandleson, to try and get the economy moving again. I don't know what he expected from this man, a dodgy mortgage on the Bank of England, perhaps?
But all Mandleson's succeeded in doing, is putting the British workforce's back up, by telling them to go abroad if they want a job, and to not stand up from our small businesses, leaving them floundering, and trying to sell "invisible goods".
There is one thing that should be banned from display, and that is the grinning, inane face of Labour ministers, such as Brown and Mandleson..
Peter, do you have more details of this planned 'final solution'?
I posted a comment last week that linked to an article in which it was suggested that an number of countries had signed up to an agreement that would, in effect, eradicate smoking by the back door (I don't know why but Simon removed the comment so, out of courtesy, I won't publish the link again).
Sorry Joyce, I used that term, maybe wrongly, and I apologise if it offended anyone.
The term Final Solution was originally penned by the Nazis in 1942, with reference to their "solution" for killing the Jews. You can read details here Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution
I, for one, didn't take offence, Peter, at your use of the term it was just that I thought that you had some info about some dastardly masterplan that would allow the Antis to stop pussyfooting around!
This Bill is at its second reason and I have heard no more about the Tobacco Retailers Alliance and the fact that 25,000 voices went unheard. Where is the investigation? What is the TMA doing about this?
Here is something from youtube called "The Final Solution". It is a year old. I am not sure whether the closing sentences were not a little optimistic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1j3DMjnVv8&feature=channel_page