You are loved, you are cared for

[altariel]

So the smoking ban is one of those things where I'm brought face to face with the limits of my own philosophy of civil liberty. Because I'd defend to the death my right to die in a ditch in complete anonymity, but I see no good reason why some b*gg*r should be smoking at me while I do it.

Someone on the news (possibly our Malory Towers headmistress health secretary) made a comparison with the seatbelt legislation that came in whenever it was. What's interesting about that is that I remember Liberty spokesgnomes being out in force during that debate, and I don't think I've heard a peep from them over the smoking ban. Of course, they're very preoccupied at the moment trying to prevent schemes like stamping barcodes on all new born babies or eradicating tedious bits of red tape like trial by jury.

Just before Life on Mars there's a programme on benefit fraudsters that I keep on missing. Has anyone seen it? Is it all: "Remember! Responsible citizens shop their neighbours to the authorities!" I'd like to see a jolly and informative programme that says: "Remember: Reponsible citizens groove at the political process!" That would surely be a challenge for a documentary maker.

Comments

[mikekellner.livejournal.com]

Just a question, to increase my understanding of the situation....

I assume cigarette prices are quite high in GB. Here they are about $3.50, or £2.00 for a pack of 20. From what I understand, most of that is tax, that the actual cost of a few ounces of dry chopped leaves rolled in paper is quite low. Therefore, with something like 50,000,000 smokers buying a pack a day, the revenues to government are enormous.

We do grow tobacco in the US, and the government has farm subsidies for them like it does for all farmers. Politicians never met a farmer they didn't want to give money to, especially in election years.

Therefore, the US and state governments are in the hypocritical position of trying to stamp out smoking, while making vast sums from smoking, and paying farmers to grow tobacco.

I was just wondering if a similar have it both ways situation exists in Britain?

mk

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I honestly couldn't tell you the price of a packet of cigarettes in the UK. Here are some comparative prices in Euros, dated 2003. E3.7 is about $8, or about £4.50. I don't doubt for a second it's a massive source of revenue for the government. Not sure how much tobacco is grown in the UK (!), but there's certainly a lot of money surrounding tobacco advertising.

[gair.livejournal.com]

A pack of 20 cigarettes costs around £5 here (maybe a bit less for horrible cigarettes: I think Marlboros are around £5.25).

I wish I had Father Ted on DVD so I could screencap & icon the bit where Ted's trying to give up smoking & some guy's cigarette smoke forms the words lovely fags...

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Sadly (and oddly) googling 'father ted screencaps' only delivered me pictures from Return of the King.

I'm tinkering with a picture of Blake so that I can have an icon with "My fandom does not glorify freedom fighting" on it.

[gair.livejournal.com]

See, that's because you rock.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Here is my current effort: