Monday 10 February 2014

In which I angrily disassociate myself from most Tory MPs

"It's for the children" they cry and reel out carefully pre-packaged statistics showing how millions of kids are killed, maimed, left with brain damage and generally corrupted by their mum or dad having the occasional gasper whilst fighting the traffic on the school run. So-called facts are wheeled out about how smoke inside a car is so very much more damaging than any other sort of smoke resulting in ugly, pasty-faced children who fail all their maths exams.

And MPs clamber onto a bandwagon constructed from these lies - I guess if enough lie tissue is laid down it results in a solid structure ideal for politicians to demonstrate how much they care about "the children". These self-serving MPs then pontificate, nay compete, about how much they care, about how "the time is right" despite knowing the law is virtually unenforceable and utterly pointless. Indeed one such idiot MP - the public health minister no less - even said that it doesn't matter that the law can't be enforced.

This is bonkers. A sort of post-modern demon has captured the minds of our MPs and twisted them to believe that passing unenforceable, divisive and ugly laws is somehow a good thing - "for the children". These bizarre human beings, trapped in the glamour of a local paper headline, argue that banning smoking in cars will somehow change behaviour and that will be all fine and hunky-dory.

What we'll actually see is that nice middle-class mums and dads won't smoke in their cars (mostly because very few of them actually smoke) whereas the same people who use mobiles phones on the move, don't make sure their kids wear seatbelts (or indeed wear on themselves) and have been known to drive along with a five-year old on their lap - these people will carry right on smoking.

The people who voted for this have voted to open a new avenue for health fascism. It will be only a short time before social housing landlords are urged to ban smoking in their homes. And when they don't a law will be passed banning such smoking - housing officers will become like sniffer dogs hounding ordinary folk to the edge of despair for the terrible crime of having a fag while watching the late night movie on a Friday night.

And then we'll get the ban on smoking in houses - any houses - with children. Granting the health fascists right to smash into your privacy - "for the children".

There is no defence, no justification, no sense to this proposal yet nearly 400 of our MPs cheerfully voted for the amendment. And they did so knowing they could brag about how much they care - "for the children" you know, "for the children".

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4 comments:

BrianB said...

Bravo Simon, now go and sit on the naughty step with Philip Davies!

I left the Conservative Party after the 2007 ban on smoking in public places was first voted for - when it was made clear to me that an incoming Tory Government wouldn't repeal (or even modify) it. Now they've become completely indistinguishable from Blair's adulterated Labour Party.

The one bright spot is that the Home Secretary voted against. Given that it is she who has to oversee the would-be enforcers of this infantile piece of legislation gives me a little hope.

Otherwise, outside of her, IDS, Ken Clarke, the giant that is Philip Davies,and 100 odd other worthies, the rest are just pitiful, preening pygmies.

Time to find another party, Simon. There is one that would suit you, you know.

Anonymous said...

Brilliant.

I completely agree.

Dave Copeland said...

As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation.
Adolf Hitler. Mein Kampf 1942.

Jan M said...

When the government pays for my car, my petrol and my road tax, then they can then tell me what to do in my own car.

I don't smoke but as far as I'm concerned the state has no right to tell me what to do with my private property.

Do wish they would remember they are our employees not our ruddy employers.