Madsen Pirie

The current coalition government has not been better than its predecessor in one respect: it has not acted to allay a general perception among the public that it is under constant attack from bureaucratic busybodies.  The claim is always that things are done for our health and safety, yet the action is invariably to restrict freedom.  The rule that banned smoking in places like pubs has forced thousands to shiver in the streets.  Non-smokers already had a choice of smoke-free pubs, but now no pubs can be friendly to smokers by providing smoking rooms.  Pubs were closing at the rate of seven every day after the ban came in, and the rate of closure is still 18 per week.

So-called ‘plain packaging’ for cigarettes is being urged, despite lack of convincing evidence that packs with logos on encourage people to take up smoking.  In a similar way, minimum alcohol pricing is proposed for supermarkets with no reason to suppose it will actually reduce alcohol abuse and binge drinking.  The attack on fizzy drinks has already started.  When politicians give in to these lobbies and pass one of their restrictive laws, they simply move on to the next target.  Already in Australia there are calls for ‘plain packing’ on alcohol containers.  “Ooh! Look at that pretty label, Mummy.  I must go out and get drunk as quickly as possible.”

Fortunately there are grounds for hope, and UKIP seems to be the cause.  The Daily Mail reports that ‘plain packaging’ and minimum alcohol pricing have been quietly shelved so that government has space to concentrate on the issues that concern the public instead of spending its time on the ones that irritate them.  The rise of UKIP has been the trigger to this change in behaviour.  Next time I meet the Health Secretary I intend to lay it on the line and demand that he calls off the goon squads and fires any of his officials who will not leave us alone.  We’ve been under attack for too long, and it’s time to lay off.

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