In January I was attracted to a blog hosted by a Liberal Democrat MP by the name of Stephen Williams. He of course is on the Committee that is pushing discussing the plain pack, packaging of cigarettes.
I just happened to see a link to that post this morning. This MP of course is an expert (Definition: Drip under pressure), who has served for a whole year (2005 – 2006 )(He has a degree in History BTW) as an opposition health committee member. WOW. In his post he states:
This morning I was pleased to help launch Europe’s first major campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of glitzy tobacco packaging to children. The Coalition Government will shortly launch its consultation exercise on whether to follow the example of Australia and introduce the plain packaging of cigarettes.
Glitzy. WTF is that? The biggest piece of “Glitzy” on my fag packet is half of one side taken up with “Smoking Kills”, and the other side taken up with a pic of a bent cigarette with the caption “Smoking may reduce the blood flow and cause impotence.” (I’ve smoked all my life and impotence is no way an issue). You notice that they never say will, it’s always “may”.
It was interesting to review the comments. In a normal post of his, he would attract probably ten comments. In that post he attracted over nine hundred. The few Anti-smokers that appeared were comprehensively shot down with facts and figures, and as usual resorted to playing the man not the ball. Even Mr Williams was not so cocksure towards the end.
However I suspect that being one of our lords and masters he will have decided that us proles are to be treated with contempt, as plain packaging is all for the sake of the Cheeeeldren. (The professional bansturbators love to find someway to use the Children in their cause).
My opinion is that after the plain package introduction and the display ban we will see a rise in smokers. Anything that is tried to be hidden from view will tempt people to try it. It’s human nature.
As always I totally support your right to smoke, after all its not illegal. Whether having blank packets of fags will cut down on smoking I have no idea, I just expect that they will be easier to counterfeit. But I have to ask the question will you be encouraging the new grandchild to smoke in 14 years time or so?
ReplyDeleteDaedalus.
Of course not. My parents never exhorted me to smoke. I just chose to.
ReplyDeleteHave I got this right?
ReplyDeleteThe retailers have just spent millions installing screens to hide the cigarette packets, and now they want to force all the cigarettes to be packaged in identical grey boxes? So what was the...
.. OK. This is a war against shop assistants really?
Monty
Daedalus
ReplyDeleteYou miss the point.
A 'future 14 year old grandchild' should be educated correctly by its parents and grandparents to know enough to make its own decision.
Not have them made for them by an older blinkered taxpayer funded state nanny.
Anon
ReplyDeleteA trip to the local 'big Co-op' yesterday (the small Co-op at the end of the street is a different beast in nanny's mind') had big foreboding grey curtains over the evil 'glitzy packaging' and on the front was massive pair of white on black signs proclaiming 'Tobacco Products' so as you say what is the point?
Personally I do hope the band of brothers called the UK government and opposition follow exactly what their Aussie counterparts are up to. It will hasten their end.
A question to a supermarket employee,
ReplyDelete"How's the display ban going?"
"Nobody wants to work here now. I have 10 seconds to get the correct cigs before closing the door else I could be fined £5000, and the supermarket will be fined a heck of a lot more."
PS definition of an expert is: an ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure.
No soft under-bellies have been hurt during this production.
I think that I was about 16 when I discovered that the best material was to be found stashed away "under the counter" of porn shops. The very fact that it was hidden served to increase its appeal.
ReplyDelete