Greg Mulholland's liberal vision
Friday, February 5, 2010 
Thanks to Angela Harbutt of Liberal Vision (above) for the information that Lib Dem MP Greg Mulholland has put down the following Early Day Motion in response to the suggestion that the smoking ban could be extended to doorways and even beer gardens.
EDM 785: Extension of the smoking ban
”That this House is concerned over the Secretary of State for Health’s review of the current smoking ban legislation and its possible extension to include beer gardens, outside pubs and designated smoking areas; notes that pubs, bars and other similar venues have already had to make considerable alterations to their premises in order to adapt to the smoking ban; further notes that pubs have already suffered serious economic repercussions since the introduction of the smoking ban by way of lost revenue and the costs incurred by building smoking shelters; observes that smoking has serious health implications and supports measures to discourage it; however believes that there needs to be a reasonable balance between protecting the rights of non-smokers and the rights of adults who smoke; deems that this balance would not be maintained if smoking in an open air beer garden or legal smoking shelter were banned; further believes that pubs play a hugely important function in the communities they serve; fears that if pubs are required to place further draconian restrictions on smoking then people will choose to stay at home and pubs will no longer be able to perform an important function at the heart of the community; and is concerned that if people are forced to stay at home and smoke this may have health implications on family members and visitors, including young children, due to the dangers of passive smoking.”
Obviously I don't agree with every single word - the dangers of passive smoking on "family members and visitors" has been greatly exaggerated - but beggers can't be choosers so congratulations to Greg Mulholland for making a stand on this issue.
Let's hope other MPs follow his example and sign the EDM, if only to demonstrate how little support there is for further restrictions.
Note: the reality of the present situation is that while we will continue to lobby for amendments to the current smoking ban, the new battleground is smoking in outdoor areas. Our argument is two-fold: (1) if the evidence of the dangers of passive smoking indoors (especially in a well-ventilated room) is weak, there is no evidence that smoking outside is harmful to non-smokers; (2) if the anti-smoking lobby doesn't like the sight of people smoking in doorways, give pubs, clubs and even offices the option of an indoor smoking room.
H/T Liberal Vision
Above: Angela Harbutt with Mark Littlewood (now director of the Institute of Economic Affairs) and Shane Frith (director, Progressive Vision) at the launch of the Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign last year
Reader Comments (13)
Absolutely correct Simon. The SHS myth is ingrained within the feeble minds of the anti tobacco mob therefore in their tiny minds any wisp of smoke in a beer garden would be akin to releasing sarin gas! Individual smoking rooms are the way forward instead of trying to bully 25% of the population into submission on a daily basis.
All fair minded MPs (from all parties) should follow Gregs lead here and have this rubbish dismissed. it would seem that Arnott & Co are very happy to sit on fat wage packets while they send thousands of people down the road of poverty. Choice, pure and simple!
Has no one, and I mean "anyone" had the foresight to question the Secretary of State for Health, Andy Burnham's judgement, not just on this one issue, but in other areas concerning the health of the Nation?
The Swine Flue "pandemic", according to Mr Burnham, was going to be seeing over 100,000 cases per day by the end of August 2009. Mr Burnham's office set up 24 hour hotlines all over the country, which has cost us ONE BILLION POUNDS.
And now we find out that the whole ghastly incident was yet another Government over-reaction, leading to a cock-up of massive proportions, which cost us, the tax payers, a fortune. This ties in nicely (if you'll pardon the word) with their one way thinking on the so called man made Global Warming issue, which has now been exposed for the giant scam that it is.
And now we are expected to take notice of Mr Burnham yet again when he comes out with more nonsense, based up greatly exaggerated, and highly unproven "facts" regarding second hand smoke?
It is not just Mr Barnham, it is his whole department and his government, who also employ (at our expense) such people as Liam Donaldson, (I do hear he is going soon? I pray this is true). Donaldson also bases his "facts and figures" upon anything he personally likes the sound of; what his pet hate or pet pandemic this week? Whatever it is, one email from a friend who happens to work in a lab somewhere, and Donaldson's off on yet anther tangent, telling us all we are all going to die, etc., etc..
Why hasn't "anyone" asked the Andy Burnhams of this world, why no proof has ever been shown regarding the so called dangers of second hand smoke, and why hasn't the other side of the story, ever been fully discussed, i.e. the scientific evidence to prove otherwise. And finally, why do we have such a large amount of perfectly healthy people, who have inhaled second hand smoke all their lives with no adverse health problems at all? Surely, if second hand smoke were as lethal as Mr Burnham and his cronies would like us to believe, all the families of smokers would be dead and buried?
Does anybody know why Greg Mulholland was absent for all the voting on the smoking ban?
Couldn't he have added something about prejudging the review?
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I cannot understand how they can claim to have had any review when an FOI request revealed reports have just been completed but are yet to be analysed by the DoH.
The public is not allowed to see these four reports until the DoH have edited them, I believe, in line with Govt ideology, although the DoH in response to my FOI about why we cannot see them yet, said it is because they could be misconstrued until they have been peer reviewed and analysed for public consumption. What does this tell us? The Govt's mind was made up before the review and we tax payers have just wasted almost a million pouds on reports that are about as useful as bog roll.
It doesent seem to matter any more what the likes of Andy Burnham, DOH, Ash quangos etc say, or what statements or garbled statistics they spew out to the rest of us.
Because they know at this stage that people are so dumbed down and brainwashed with regulations that they can hardly distinguish any more what new edict the're on about.
These guys are still dining out on their success after pulling off the smoking ban scam and realise that the rest is just fair sailing for them, hense the way they didnt even have to come up with an explanation or apology for the cockup on the swine flu vaccine that cost billions.
They realise now all that's necessary to pull off a new scam is the right sounding buzz words like 'health' and 'for the common good' for a new restriction to be put in place before you could say Gordon Brown, backed up of course with enough sham scientific evidence that the payrole can accomodate, so that no one can ever be held accountable.
I guess things are moving rather slow for them as regards drink and obsity bans so that in the fear of their hero halo slipping, they're reverting back to persecuting smokers again.
And now, not happy with throwing us out in the gutter, they want to chase us out of sight altogether.
Our everyday freedoms need to be defended and new regulations around our personal habits strongly challenged, before we all end up as total fodder slaves for big business.
>>Does anybody know why Greg Mulholland was absent for all the voting on the smoking ban?>>
Out having a smoke in the MP's Special Exclusive Smoking Room?
Taxpayer-funded bird baths, exclusive smoking rooms...these clowns think they're aristocracy.
We need a new Cromwell to save us from our democratically-elected ruling class. What a joke!
@Ano
Greg Mulholland who I have met is a genuine Liberal and a really nice chap. His absence from voting maybe two things. He genuinely was not in Parliament or the Liberal Party voted 5 to 1 for the ban and did not want to embarrass Nick Clegg et al. If you look at Greg's voting record he has voted strongly against state control whether ID cards or terrorism laws for example. I write this as a Tory voter and activist. Also Mark Littlewood's mate Adrian Sanders another Lib Dem (Google both names :) )has signed it too.
Greg set up his own All Party Beer and Pub Group as he thought the exisiting one was too slavish to Pubcos.
Ano to put your mind at rest there is no smoking going on in the bars in Parliament. Even some of the outside areas are non smoking too. Although I have it on very good authority that at least one MP smokes in his office.
Another Lib Dem a Hull councillor Carl Minns has supported Greg and indeed said that on his blog 2 months ago.
UKIP are home and hosed on the ban, wanting an amendment for smoking indoors, can Labour and the Conservatives rise to the occassion?
http://carlminns.blogspot.com/2010/02/mulholland-tables-edm-opposing-smoking.html
http://patnurseblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/mp-misses-cozy-pubs.html
The link above tells you why MPs DIDN'T vote themselves an exmption from the smoking ban and also features an interview with Edward Leigh MP who says he also wishes Cameron would come out on the side of choice which would win him a landslide election.
At last it seems someone is starting to sit up and take notice. This time is it is a Daily Mail investigator. Read the article here
If the drug companies have now been proven to be in cahoots with our government over the swine flu scam, then they MUST be investigated into what they have got up to between them with regard to the second hand smoking scare.
From what I have seen so far as to the general reaction here regarding this, I seem to be the only one, taking any real notice of it, and I for one do not intend to just sit by and let them get away with this one. Maybe I will get no where, but I can assure you I will give it my best shot, and I hope that at least some of you will help.
We're all jaded Peter, our minds are boggled between govt scams in cahoots with big pharma scams, swine flu scam, the smoking scam, global warming scam, climate change scam, the health scams, new technology scams, the smart economy scams, the knowledge economy scams ..........
I dont want to fill the page.
As it all started with the Smoking Ban Scam my brain can only cope with that one as it directly affects my social life.
But thats not to say we're all not aware of the other scams that hit us in the face daily.
And in the hope that a new broom will sweep it all clean at the forthcoming elections.
Jaded Ann? I'd give the buggers jaded if I get me hands on them. They need a good shaking up and the way I see it, it's up to us to show these Johnies that we mean business. Read Churchill, he'll show you the way.
I agree with you Captain!
I aint ever giving up on fighting the smoking ban!