Government strategy to reduce smoking

The following question received a written answer in the House of Commons on Tuesday (October 30).

David Anderson (Labour MP for Blaydon): To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of using litigation against tobacco companies in relation to damage caused by their products to the health of British citizens.

Dawn Primarolo: Smoking is the biggest cause of premature death and one of the most significant causes of health inequality in the United Kingdom. The Department’s approach to tobacco control is based on a six-strand strategy to reduce smoking prevalence through the following action:

• Reducing tobacco advertising and promotion
• Supporting smokers to quit through the national health service
• Running effective smoking communications and education campaigns
• Regulating tobacco products
• Reducing availability and supply of tobacco
• Reducing exposure to second-hand smoke

While the Department has no intention at this point in time to use litigation against tobacco companies in relation to the damage their products cause to health, individuals may take such action.

The risk factor

Following the story that laissez-faire politician Boris Johnson is to stand as a Conservative candidate for mayor of London, more good news. The Daily Telegraph reports that Ed Balls, the new Schools Secretary, "is to tackle the compensation culture which has led to bans on playground games such as marbles and tag".

Children should not be "wrapped in cotton wool" but allowed to have snowball fights in winter and play conkers in autumn, he said as he urged parents to take a more balanced approach to risk.

"The idea you decide as a society that people aren't going to make snowballs because of a compensation culture is not the kind of society I want to live in," he said at the launch of a consultation on how to keep children safe while allowing them the freedom to explore.

At last, another politician talking sense. There are, of course, two issues involved here - the nanny state and the litigious society. Yes, there are lots of interfering, paternalistic do-gooders out there, but there is also a genuine fear of being taken to court. The two go hand-in-hand. In order to roll back the frontiers of the nanny state we first have to remove the threat from m'learned friends.

I still think things will get worse before they get better, but it's encouraging to hear a government minister speak in these terms. Hopefully, Ed Balls and others will realise that this is not just about children (who, I accept, need some protection), it's also about adults being allowed to take risks too, as long as their behaviour doesn't pose a serious threat to other people.

The headline of the Telegraph story is, 'Playtime needs risk if it's to be fun, says minister'. Perhaps The Free Society's motto should read: 'Life needs risk if it's to be fun'. Other suggestions welcome. Full report HERE.

Measured response to personal tragedy

How heart-warming it was to read, in today's Telegraph, that the parents of a 24-year-old man "unlawfully killed" by carbon monoxide poisoning have no plans to sue the hotel where he was staying or take further action over their son's death. According to Howard Tomlinson, father of Edward who died while on a gap year in Lebanon, "Clearly we are extremely saddened by Ed's death. But we are not angry and we have no personal vendettas. We hope that as a result of this verdict there will be a tightening of safety practices in hotels to stop this terrible tragedy happening again. We also hope that all travellers will be better warned, both by travel agents and hotel owners, about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning."

I have no idea how I would react if my own son died in such circumstances, but in an era when people are actively encouraged to seek retribution (financial or otherwise), I admire Mr Tomlinson's measured response to such a personal tragedy. I am not defending those who are guilty of "gross neglect" or wilful criminal behaviour, but accidents happen and sometimes we have to accept what has occurred, learn from it and move on without playing the blame game and putting even more money into the hands of m'learned friends.