Payback time for Labour's broken promise
Monday, April 12, 2010 Looking forward to the publication of Labour's election manifesto today. If you're expecting a work of fiction you won't be disappointed. Iain Dale has listed 27 broken promises from the party's 2005 manifesto and that was without mentioning the one that every reader of this blog knows by heart - the clearly stated commitment to exempt from the smoking ban any pub that doesn't serve food and ALL private members' clubs.
Fortunately Dick Puddlecote has added a comment to Iain's post, quoting the 2005 Labour manifesto as follows:
"The legislation will ensure that all restaurants will be smoke-free; all pubs and bars preparing and serving food will be smoke-free; and other pubs and bars will be free to choose whether to allow smoking or to be smoke-free. In membership clubs the members will be free to choose whether to allow smoking or to be smoke-free."
Post and comments HERE.
Fortunately the forthcoming election means that we have the freedom to choose to remove Labour from office in three weeks' time.
Simon Clark
PoliticsHome reports that David Cameron was campaigning at a brewery in London this morning. "We've got to remove that big black cloud from the economy," he said. I think we can assume that in Cameron's opinion the "big black cloud" hanging over the pub industry does not include the smoking ban.
Coincidentally, the brewery that hosted this morning's event is the same company that kindly allowed us to use one of its pubs as a venue to launch the Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign. At the time, however, they expressly asked us not to identify either the brewery or the pub in any campaign material, especially photographs and videos. If we were asked, they added, we had to make it clear that the brewery did NOT support our campaign to amend the ban.
Surrounded by acolytes and apologists for the smoking ban, Dave would have felt at home this morning.
Reader Comments (9)
Look, there seems to be some confusion about what I actually intend to do when I become PM. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to make just a few points about my true intentions.
First, I shall amend the Smoking Ban to allow the freedom of choice that all Conservatives believe in. I’m no Nanny-Stater !
Second, I shall set up a truly independent inquiry into the controversy surrounding Anthropogenic Climate Change – with a view to repealing the highly costly Cimate Change Act and resiling from all the relevant international treaties, should the fears of their authors prove groundless. Conservatives do not believe in wasting taxpayers’ money on problems that don't exist, or on useless bureaucracy!
Third, I shall order an immediate review of what many regard as the growth of a police state in this country, and take all measures to reverse any such process – beginning with the immediate dismantling of the vast majority of surveillance cameras in our streets, as a symbolic gesture of a Conservative Government’s intention to serve, and not to control. The operation of intelligence agencies, the use of warrantless wire-tapping (etc), the rights of entry of various officials, and a re-examination of the ‘War on Terror’ and its consequences will naturally all be included. Habeas Corpus will be restored in its entirety.
Fourth – and contrary to earlier statements I may have made – I shall grant the British electorate a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, and – depending upon the result – bring about a massive repatriation of powers back from Brussels to the United Kingdom. The latter will be subject to confirmation by a second referendum. A Conservative Government will trust the People !
These are merely a few of the measures that I will undertake in the first months of a Conservative Government to undo the corrosive effects of Socialism over many years and decades. Many more will follow. What else would you expect, after all, from the Leader of a Conservative Party ?
You know that you can trust me.
You know that this United Kingdom will be safe in my hands.
Vote for Change !
I also noticed the absence of the broken promise about smoking bans in Iain Dale's list. It just goes to show how smokers have become invisible. They're simply not part of public discourse. All 15 million of them! The blindness (or indifference) extends outside the political classes into the political scribbling classes as well - although I have an idea that Dale wanted to become a Tory MP, so he's really one of the political class. Smokers don't exist. They're non-persons. Or un-persons. It's quite staggering really.
The omission about Labour reneging on its pledge not to bring in a blanket smoking ban irritated me too. How can Iain Dale not have referred to this? Does he not read other blogs about this subject?
Quite obviously he’s been infected by the same PC virus that’s affected everyone else who couldn’t care less about smokers being socially engineered.
Guys I think you are being a bit hard on Iain. Here are some of his thoughts.
"Ban Smoking or Leave Smokers Alone"
"The real agenda of the people behind these authoritarian proposals is to ban smoking outright. At least that would be an intellectually honest position. As it is, the constant chipping away of the rights of smokers is typical of the authoritarian drift among so-called health professionals."
"How illiberal can you get?"
"The bigger issue here is the Nanny State. We're constantly being told how to live our lives by people whose own lives are often pretty shambolic. I'd rather trust people to make their own informed decisions. Isn't that what a true Liberal should believe?"
I can't find it but last year a couple of friends of Iain got up from the restaurant table to have a smoke outside and he thought they were terribly rude. He also added he would like to see an amendment to the smoking ban.
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2008/05/ban-smoking-or-leave-smokers-alone.html
http://iaindale.blogspot.com/2004_05_01_archive.html
Today; The daily telegraph. Debate 2010..
If a political party were to promise you one thing, what would it be?
Iain Dale made his views very clear in commenting on an F2C blog article in August. Have a look here.
"If a political party were to promise you one thing, what would it be?"
Sanity !
Agreed Martin but will you visit Debate 2010 and comment on one of the suitable posts and vote it up.
Sheila -
I've done as you suggest - and am now awaiting the flak.
At any rate, YOU now have an extra vote !