Angela Harbutt joins the fight against plain packaging on tobacco
In December 2011 the Secretary of State for Health announced that a public consultation on the plain packaging of tobacco would commence Spring 2012.It will probably not come as a surprise to many of you, and a source of great pride for me, that I am announcing today that I am formally joining the FOREST campaign www.handsoffourpacks.com to fight this insane idea.
As it says in in our mission statement “Liberal Vision exists to promote individual liberty, a free economy and limited government.” And I have been writing about personal freedom and the nanny state for as long as I have been involved in it (just a selection)….
Enemies of enterprise seek control of tobacco ; The fightback starts here ; Government confirms time travel has been cracked ; Stephen Williams is not a liberal ; battle lines are drawn this is the mother of all fights ; A fat tax is definitively not the answer ; ASH – Abuse of public money must end ; Save our pubs and clubs – join us in Westminster on june 29th ; The mother of all government apologies is just around the corner ; Alcohol poisoning is not an issue for government ; Latest government plans: trivial or just plain wrong ; Chocolate Orange Dave strikes again ; A very unlikely heroine ; Government signals “illicit tobacco welcome here” ; Raising a glass north of the border ; Time to bin ASH before it destroys another part of the economy ; Smoking ban amendment: where were the Lib Dems? ; A big test for David Cameron’s “Big Society mantra”; Can I have my super casino back now?
But there comes a time when you have to stop writing about it and go try doing something about it.
So that is what I am doing. I will post a little later why I think everyone should oppose plain packaging on tobacco. But for now I just wanted to flag up that I am now formally part of the handsoffourpacks campaign and my future blog posts should be considered in that light.
You can now also follow my thoughts or read more about the issue on plain packaging of tobacco at the HandsOffOurPacks website where there is an online petition which I urge you to sign and ideas about how you can get involved . You can also follow the campaign on twitter and facebook.
More later.
February 6th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Brown paper wrappers will be next so the tobacco falls out with them rattling around loose.
February 7th, 2012 at 8:55 am
It’s OK – my dad had a “baccie (pronounced backy) tin” for his rolling tobacco – with no health warnings on it all – just a semi naked woman as I recall. There will, no doubt be a surge in similar tins – and ones that fit the “standard” 20 cigarettes perfectly. I have quite a collection of special edition ones already so the idea is hardly a new idea – just that people lacked the motivation to get hold of them previously. I dare say they will be available everywhere should this we see the government step down this dangerous route.
February 7th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Angela.
I trust that you noticed the word ‘standardised’ in Faulkner’s article? Williams MP, on his blog, actually spelt it out, more or less. All cigarette packets will be the same size, being a ‘standard’ king size. No more ‘More’, no more slims, no fat fags, no ’19s’ or ’25s’. All exactly the same, and thus can be reduced in size, by order, from time to time in the future.
February 7th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
BUT it won’t be a PUBLIC consultation. They will only consult those who practise the anti-tobacco religion. Smokers,as non-persons, are NOT entitled to have their views heard. Do we now live in a Soviet state? The answer would seem to be in the affirmative.
February 8th, 2012 at 12:37 am
Liberal Vision » Blog Archive » Angela Harbutt joins the fight against plain packaging on tobacco – just great!