Tuesday 28 August 2012

Nannying Fussbucket of the Week: Oliver Kamm and the world's first 'libertarian ban'

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I find it quite humorous that Mr Kamm lays claim to being a 'libertarian' yet, in the same breath, can support proposals to ban smoking. That's right folks, dear old Oliver proposes the world's first 'libertarian ban.

It seems that our friend Mr Kamm is quite taken with the idea - proposed by some nutty local politician in Tasmania - that we should ban the sale of tobacco to people born after the year 2000, forever.

It seems that Oliver thinks it OK - and 'libertarian' - for one individual grown up to be allowed to buy something while another individual grown up isn't. Now leaving aside the need to require ID for purchases (another great 'libertarian' idea), Oliver seems to believe this is a remotely enforceable policy. Nobody is going to buy cigs legally and hand them across to someone else, there's no chance of anyone smuggling cigarettes into Tasmania in boats and trucks and planes. And the cops have so much spare time they can add another endless (and pointless) battle against the crime of personal choice.

Somehow, I think Oliver Kamm fails on the 'I'm a libertarian' front. He's just another nannying fussbucket.

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3 comments:

ChrisM said...

"I'm a libertarian but" is usually a precursor to some authoritarian proposal.

Tony said...

Very good point about the ID and smuggled cigs, these people just do not think their hair-brained ideas through very well.

Also isn't odd that most of the madness nanny wise seems to come from Aus?

And love the "Nannying Fussbucket" approach, you are very polite!

Leg-iron said...

If tobacco grows perfectly well in Aberdeen, it'll have no trouble at all growing in Tasmania.