Sunday 16 February 2014

Via Glasgow, A Window On The Future Denormalisation of E-Cigs

Last week, TFE pointed out a potential add-on to any legislation tabled on smoking in cars vehicles (inc. yachts, caravans, canal boats) with children.
I feel that their slippery slope of bans would come to a halt without a ban on E-cigs. After all how can you tell that a driver passing you with a child onboard is smoking or vaping? 
As we all know this ban is just the start. I personally think that the ban on smoking in cars with children would be impossible to police anyway and would soon be amended to no smoking in cars at any time. Just to get around the vaping issue. That’s why they have to ban vapers from enclosed spaces.
Quite. Because mission creep is just how anti-smokers roll.

As we know from history, Labour's 2005 manifesto exempted pubs from the smoking ban if they didn't sell food. It also exempted members-only clubs but, once the public had exercised their five-yearly pretence of being involved in what happens in Westminster, the exemptions were kicked out and we were left with what we now suffer - the most totalitarian nationwide smoking ban in the EU, if not the world. Completely devoid of democratic mandate.

So it is almost certain that the tobacco control industry will attempt to crowbar e-cigs into the final draft of the smoking in cars vehicles legislation if they possibly can, and today has shown us some of the oleaginous language they will use to justify it.
ELECTRONIC cigarettes are to be banned in and around Commonwealth Games venues in Scotland, it has been revealed. 
Last year, the Glasgow 2014 organisers said smoking would not be allowed in the vicinity of sites hosting sporting events. They have now decided that e-cigarettes will also be banned.
This is quite a development.

You see, do you remember when bans were only considered worthy of trumping freedoms if they protected bystanders from the instant death of, for example, passive smoking in enclosed spaces after deep, rigorous 'research' complete with relative risk ratios from long-term studies and shit? Well, there is not so much as a hint of that in the Glasgow 2014 announcement. This is protecting, err, no-one. From non-existent health threats.

Proudly exhibited today by the new Soviet Republic of Scotland is the already perverted mission creep of a ban on tobacco indoors being imposed on outdoor areas where there is - and never will be - any evidence, however faked, of threat to the health of anyone. But on top of this, we now see e-cigs added to a ban - which has nothing whatsoever to do with health - despite their not being remotely dangerous even to the user, let alone someone standing (or sitting) near them in the windswept open spaces of Scotland's Commonwealth Games venues.

Considering, then, that this is an insult to civil liberties and pointless gesture politics worthy of a banana republic, state-funded ASH Scotland are naturally ecstatic.
The decision was backed by campaign group Action on Smoking and Health Scotland. Chief executive Sheila Duffy said: “The Commonwealth Games will showcase excellence and aim to build a healthy legacy for the next generation. 
“Providing smoke-free environments during events will help deliver on that commitment, and the decision to exclude e-cigarette use should make enforcement more straightforward and also help put the appearance of smoking cigarettes out of fashion.”
It's never been about health, but at least they used to pretend.


13 comments:

westcoast2 said...

Are ASH(Scotland) out of step? I have been told, many times, ASH (and ex ASH) are supporters of e-cigs. It's not about health, it's about fashion!

right_writes said...

I read articles by angry right-wing bloggers all day... I myself am not quite so creative, so I tend to settle for making right-wing comments...


What I don't get about all of the stuff that we get animated about, is it is always from out of the mouths of evil lefties...


I don't understand these people, they spend the whole of their deluded f**king lives attempting to imprison everyone (else mainly), but I think they would probably like to imprison themselves too.


Just what is in it for them?

Dick_Puddlecote said...

ASH are only supporters of e-cigs if they are medically licensed which - as we know - would remove all but a few ineffective players from the market. They're using politics to pretend they're in favour, while working hard to crush them.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

Someone could probably find the relevant quote, but it was once said that it's difficult for anyone to consider liberties when their salary depends on restricting them.

The Filthy Engineer said...

Thanks for the linkie Dick.

Will the persecution ever end? I doubt it. ASH et Al need to stoke it for ever to ensure their cosy sinecure.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

Well deserved, TFE. BTW, there's no obvious email addy on your site, drop me a line?

The Filthy Engineer said...

Niklowe@gmail.com

Ivan_Denisovich said...

Sheila Duffy is an ignorant bigot. The SNP lead government pay for this ideologue to spew her bile. The other parties sit back and do nothing about it. You can reach your own conclusions about the future of Scotland independent or otherwise but I personally find Duffy and Arnott disgusting and am deeply saddened that I live in a society that allows their spite and prejudice to flourish.

Lisabelle said...

Fashion or Facist Police State the stripes don't go with the dots they can't seem to connect!

Ivan_Denisovich said...

Forgive my rant below Dick. I try to be decent and even handed but a weekend featuring Arnott and Duffy together with Nick Triggle has proved too much to bear. I see no value in being nice about such people.

Didymus said...

OK, the vapers are now feeling the lash of the Pharma/ASH/Westminster junta,the question is,what will they do in response,what will they organise,where will they group to defend their rights.?
If 11 million smoking whimps are prepared to stand in gutters like muttering she-goats what chance of action from vaping jessies. None
Like their smoking pals cluttering the gutters and dark corners ,they too will
mutter and stutter ,blog and blither ,then troup into Boots the Chemists and
palm out £20-30 for the priviledge of looking like prats sharing doorways with
the 11 million other worthless stoats.
If you want Liberty,if you want Freedom,if you want Choice,if you want Democracy..................STOP MUTTERING.....START KICKING

harleyrider1778 said...

Green Party Wants Ouster Of Govt Climate Change Sceptics

breitbart.com

Green Party leader Natalie Bennett has called for every senior government adviser to be removed from their posts if they disagree with the Green Party position on climate change

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/02/17/Greens-want-ouster-of-cabinet-climatesceptics

harleyrider1778 said...

The Firing Of Dr. James Enstrom: The Dangers of Bucking Fashionable Science Posted by Katy Grimes at 10:07 pm on Feb 12, 2014 - See more at: http://www.flashreport.org/blog/2014/02/12/the-firing-of-dr-james-enstrom-the-dangers-of-bucking-fashionable-science/#sthash.T2kdB9NA.dpuf