America - crackpot alley!

As you have probably realised over the months I generally stick to British trials & tribulations concerning all matters prohibition but the two tales highlighted today show you just how far the lunacy has gone. If ever there were cases for the men in white coats then 'these are the babies'!
John Birke (should really have been spelled with a 'u' - and you'll see why) has been expelled from the apartment complex in Woodland Hills a suburb of L.A. California. Set in the San Fernando valley this is obviously a much sort after place to reside so it is even more amazing that Mr Birke has lost the his plot!
Drug user? Nope. Non stop noisome party time neighbour? Nope. Drunk & abusive neighbour? Nope. Keep noisy dogs? Nope.

 

 (The tribe of Burke's)

In fact, Mr Birke and family seem your perfectly normal everyday American citizens - except for one thing. They abhor smoking/smokers! Now none of them will admit to such, but they clearly are of that mindset. It may clarify the picture a little if I inform you that Mr Birke is a lawyer (attorney) so you would think that he knows the law, yet he took it upon himself to march around the communal pool spraying other residents, who were smoking, with water! he also decided that photographing teenagers smoking was a quite normal practice (?). He says that he was only trying to get a 'smoke free area' for his wife and daughter who both suffer from asthma (who doesn't these days it seems?) [five feet away from those smoking would have done!]

A Van Nuys Superior Court jury agreed on Tuesday that John Birke, who has lived with his wife and daughter at the Oakwood Apartments for nearly 20 years, caused a nuisance when he wet smokers with water two years ago using a spray bottle.  

Now here at last we have found a court that accepts that people may wish to smoke, as is their right, and have 'found' accordingly. The man is a complete anti smoking idiot and no doubt did plenty of name dropping in court as he was part of the 1990s mob , S.A.F.E, or Smokefree Air For Everyone, one of the groups that convinced the Los Angeles City Council to vote to ban smoking inside restaurants-and just look where we are at now! Taking this knowledge, how can we possibly believe this legally trained imbecile when he states

"I am not against smokers but says there is much evidence that secondhand smoke is a health threat and a public nuisance."

 I wouldn't hire him as my legal counsel for he obviously 'cannot lie straight in bed' - or is that now a 'must have' ability in this woefully corrupted legal system we have bred?
To me, there are three major points here:
a)... I assume that this cretin could produce solid, factual evidence that SHS, in an outdoor environment, had suddenly become a danger...
b)... That as he considered himself part of the 'righteous brotherhood' he could run around like a headless chicken, meting out his crackpot forms of retribution to those who dared to pollute 'his' air...
c)... Why wasn't this idiot charged with assault and a lawsuit filed for damages? (after all, it is America!)
The best is yet to come for Mr Buirke has now filed  several lawsuits against Oakwood, one on behalf of his daughter, and one for his wife, saying their rights were violated because secondhand smoke is a public nuisance that violates their rights. Both cases are pending.I wonder just how much money this 'burke' will waste on proving something that isn't provable has occurred? Perhaps he ought to talk to Dr Michael Siegel before he starts the court procedures, it may well save him a fortune!
The second case of lunacy comes from Minnesota where anti smoking regulations are rife, so rife in fact that  they don't even want to employ smokers and are slowly getting rid of any that do! The medical receptionist at Park Nicollet Health Services has been sacked because she smokes. Not at work, not during her tea/dinner breaks, not even on the hospital grounds - but because she smokes at home, or anywhere other than the hospital! Now this is blatant discrimination of some magnitude and needs to head straight for Court No1!

Stephanie Cannon smokes 20 menthol cigarettes per day, it is her choice, it is her right to do so if she so chooses, but apparently the hospital think differently. Yet six weeks after she started she says her supervisor told her,

"We don't want you smelling like smoke when you come here."

Stephanie says she did everything she could to get rid of the possible smell of smoke 

"I stopped smoking on my breaks, I wouldn't smoke in my car, I bought new clothes," she claims. "At home, I keep my work clothes in a sealed plastic bag and then spray them with air freshener after I put them on, before work. I was told to 'avoid' my husband in the morning because he also smokes and was also encouraged to shower at the hospital--before work--instead of at home."

Stephanie was also bombarded with 'quit smoking' literature even though she had no intention of quitting something she enjoyed! This is probably what irked the hospital authorities as Stephanie was, in effect, sticking two fingers up at their demands to quit.
If the hospital pursue this line of logic what are they going to do about a female receptionist who dowses herself in strong perfume, or a receptionist who eats very strong curries on a daily basis, or is addicted to TCP (yes, I do actually know someone who is!), or a receptionist that has a bowel/stomach disorder and continuously 'parts with the wind'? What about about someone who has cats or dogs and carries the spores into reception with them causing someone's allergy to kick off-where does this end? Let's say "Melanie" burps rather loudly and pollutes the air for the work colleagues in the immediate vicinity causing "Jilly" to vomit on the spot, splattering all around her-who sues who and for how much? Who loses their job for displaying bad breath, for causing vomiting & mayhem in the foyer? Where does this end?
As Stephanie Cannon searches for a new job, she says she's talking to an attorney. "What I do in my home or outside of work when I'm not punching into that little clock is what my business," she says. "I shouldn't have to be made like I'm a leper."

Stephanie, sweetheart, welcome to the modern age where discrimination is outlawed except in any cases to do with smoking/smokers. Over this side of the world, the EU has clearly defined discrimination but completely ignore their own laws when dealing with anything smoking related!
And don't forget you have to overcome the utter bilge that this fool, Dr Jonathon Winickof will spout (in the hospitals defence) about contamination from so called 3rd/H/S. His 'study' was conducted merely by approximately 1.300 phone calls, simply asking highly loaded questions to people quite unaware of what he was getting at.

  

(Winickof-the junk science maestro!)

This is 'junk science' at its very worst yet 3rd/H/S almost seems to have been accepted-especially by the exceedingly gullible media! You see Stephanie, it suits the cause so it doesn't have to be of any scientific value whatsoever! What won't suit 'the cause' is the fact that a BBQ, a highly popular commodity, DOES have a damage factor. Ask any court why one is discriminated against and the other (with a profound scientific background, isn't?)
Whatever the outcomes of these two weird & wonderful smokerphobic cases it is blatantly clear that while state after state in America, goes bankrupt anything smoking related will be prioritised - it's just like walking down crackpot alley!

Plain nonsense - the proof.

h/t to Dick P:

Would Herr Lansley and all his little 'Eva Brauns' , Milton, Arnott, Bauld, Farren and all the other members of the 'monstrously raving looney banfag party' please take severe note of the following information - information from a most honourable source to boot!

      

"Eva Milton Braun"                

 "Eva Farren Braun"

 Q.1 Please rank the following issues in order of how serious you think they are for young people (under-18s) today?

People asked...2472, Total respondents...2472
Drugs........................ 1056
Smoking.................... 158..... (6%)
Binge drinking..........  683
Bullying....................  575

Q.4 Do you believe both adults and children under 18 have access to illegal or black market cigarettes?

People asked...2472, Total respondents...2472 
Yes............................1848 (75%) 
No...............................123 ( 5%)
Not sures...........................(20%)

Q.6-9 Please say whether you think plain packaging will or will not cause the following to happen?

People asked...2472, Total respondents...2472
Make it easier to produce counterfeit cigarettes because all packs will look the same
Think will happen 2243........... (91%)
Think not happen    229..........  ( 9%)

These figures make pretty sad reading for the anti tobacco loonies - and you can peruse the rest of this very well laid out (unbiased) survey indicated above. Out of 2,472 people asked, a grand total of 158 reliable, general public invitees declared that the dreaded smoking was the most serious of the problem facing our younger generations. Hardly inspires confidence in the anti tobacco lies that abound the planet does it!


On the subject Illegal/black market tobacco products the general public were almost adamant that both adults and children under 18 have access to illegal or black market cigarettes? Amazingly, 5% (and there is always a small percentage of crackpots who don't accept reality) thought that there was no access to illegal tobacco! There must be someone, somewhere who firmly believes that Elvis will return to this mortal hell hole married to Marta Hari! The 5% figure hardly inspires any confidence in the anti tobacco propaganda of border control either!

As for 'Q6-9', well, what can one say? I think 91% says it all. The good citizens of this once fair country have spoken the absolute truth - plain packaging will increase the flow of illegal tobacco products (it's  GOLD plated is that!). There can be no arguing about that for if all packets are green or brown, do this idiotic government seriously think that counterfeiters will worry about a small matter such a 'government stamp/mark' on the packets? Not in the slightest. And when all fags reach a minimum of £6 per pack the illegal traders will rake in even more monies-and bloody good luck to them! Hardly gives one cause to have any faith in the antics of tobacco control fanatics like ASH et al!

In fact, when you actually  sit back and consider the evidence, it simnply points, yet again, to a very few smoker haters creating an awful lot of fuss over something that is declining naturally anyway! Indeed, they have played a very crafty game for they have got Big Pharma & Big Gov't backing them against 25% of a population that believe they have the right of choice-it's no wonder that they come up with so many lies & fabrications to keep justifying their miserable existences!
The question now arises of just how quickly and by which devious methods will ASH, Gilmore, Bauld et al dismiss this most credible survey, which tells it as it is!

'Little Eva's', you'd best do the locomotion on this one :)

She's squawking again!

Plain packaging, dear oh dear me. I wasn't going to mention the ridiculous subject again but the witch from Shoreditch has forced me to the keyboard once more as it now seems that freedom to trade equally is also on her list of 'No-No's', but not smuggling!
As we all know, the plain packaging 'consultation', which is between side 'A' & side 'A' and therefore not even a consultation has been extended to the end of August; probably the result of so many naughty people have dared to voice sincere concerns about the whole stupid idea.

Herr Lansley must be beside himself with fury for as far as he is concerned "we need to reach a stage where tobacco has no part to play in this country!"                    

  

The grim reaper in disguise 

I have absolutely no doubt that Deborah Arnott was orgasmic when she heard those words (probably her greatest orgasm ever!) but she again shown that angry tantrums are easily come by when something does not quite go to plan! Remember a few weeks ago when the Guardian broke the 'story' of how ASH ites & others were 'threatened' with shooting? Remember how the idiot journalists got the story completely wrong and never even referred to the original perpetrators article about shooting smokers on sight-shows how reporting standards have dropped in the past 5 years in this country! The Arnott simply used the reversed article to garner publicity & the sympathy vote. There were no threats, there still are no threats, it was only the witch from Shoreditch feeling that her power was being threatened!

 The orgasmic witch from Shoreditch

Of course the smokerphobic Arnott was climbing out of her tree because the consultation, or should I say the public support for the consultation was not going to plan-THEY (the public) were objecting to this ridiculous proposal. How dare they? Five years of swashbuckling victories have seen 'the orgasmic one' thinking that she is the Bodicea of Tobacco Control, but now the peasants are rising up AGAINST her!

Not only are well respected people voicing against plain packaging (including a cancer charity-yes, that is true!) but there is now a 'super-power' from across the pond chucking their impressive weight behind the campaign AGAINST plain packaging.

The American Legislative Exchange Council are an

American charitable and educational organization composed of conservative thinkers, state legislators of both parties, businesses and foundations that exists for the purpose of drafting research, policy papers and model legislation to assist and influence state legislatures and promote free-market and conservative ideas.

Well that's all of TC out of the window then for Arnott & Co certainly do not promote a "free market". In fact, I don't think they even know what a free market is!
Heavily supported by Charles and David Koch, the billionaire oil baron brothers, 'Alec' has launched a sophisticated global lobbying campaign against the plan. They see plain packaging as a giant infringement of business rights; ie, 
  

"plain packaging regulations could effectively deprive corporations of what is often their most valuable asset, their brand, trademark and/or logo.”

Now it would seem to me that these oil baron libertarians have rather a good handle on the situation unfolding before our very eyes-and I also see that smokers suddenly have a very powerful ally! In turn, this means that the Koch brothers have the 'wherewithall' to take any government on in the courts-no wonder Arnott has started squawking already:

“Alec’s free-market rhetoric may work in the US but it won’t wash here in the UK,”

 said Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash).
Now those are the words of a worried woman-and I think she is entitled to be for a little bird has whispered In Simple Simon's ear that  "violating intellectual property provisions laid down by the World Trade Organisation,  will most definitely lead to legal actions for what governments are proposing is illegal and only corrupt judge/s will/can defend such a violation of trade."

Now isn't that interesting! 

For the latest instalment of the 'dirty tricks' campaign employed by our own government, nip over to read Smokin' Hot's latest revelations!

(Club) Money, money, money ..... !

The saga of the leadership of the CIU has all but come to an end as Mick McGlasham decided, yesterday, that discretion was most definitely the better part of valour!
The ex General Secretary of the CIU had been set to take the Club & Institute Union to a tribunal over breach of contract and failing to pay wages but has now climbed down and accepted an 'undisclosed cash settlement.' (Which Simple Simon is led to believe equals the grand sum of £Zero! However, legal expenses [not an inconsiderable sum] have been covered). Now there's a thing! This writer had heard that such a thing was on the cards some time ago so it is no surprise that there are no winners, only losers in this sad affair.

Mick McGlasham (62) retired

Both  he and his deputy, Maxine Murphy, were dismissed last December after an investigation into the misuse of a CIU credit card although there is no suggestion that either intended to profit from it. Despite an internal investigation finding no evidence against them and although an independent barrister had advised the CIU to reinstate them both following an appeal,  the CIU said they had “breached a fundamental implied term of their contracts” and stood by their decision. 

Yesterday became a full day of bargaining as a joint statement issued, after discussions (behind closed doors); the parties said: 

“There has been a legal dispute between Mr Mc- Glasham and the union. This relates to matters of serious concern. These matters were fully and properly investigated by the union at the time. Mr McGlasham accepts that he made errors of judgement." 

Indeed!

“The union and Mr McGlasham have decided not to continue to argue about this in front of a judge. They have reached this decision on the basis it is in everyone’s best interests (dirty washing is not always best aired in public!)
“Mr McGlasham resigns his position with immediate effect and will not seek re-election as general secretary.”(and it must be added that nor, I imagine, will the CIU ask him to!)

It amazes this writer that at the age of 62 and with few working years left before retirement that anyone in such a position of responsibility & the pleasure of £46,000 per annum could be so lax as to get in such a position where accusations are abound!
With clubs closing because of government legislation driving members away it is time for the new 'bossman' (actual title being Office Manager-not Gen Sec) to evaluate their situation and strive toward an amendment which would not discriminate against 25% of the population and considering that the WMC's were set up for the working classes it is disgraceful that the working classes are the biggest sufferers of this atrocious failure of a smoking ban.
OK, there are one or two 'area spokesmen' who think the smoking ban is "the greatest thing since sliced bread", but they only speak from personal distaste of all products tobacco, they do not speak for all the members. It must be remembered that a vote was finally passed at conference to lobby Government for an amendment to this disgraceful law and whoever now takes over the 'hot seat' at CIU HQ, they must be aware of all parties involved-and the lies & deceits that lay behind the implementation of the law that is killing businesses whilst smokers live merrily on!

More consulting please-until we're happy!

Well, well, well. Things not going to plan for Herr Lansley and Oberleutnant Milton seem to have hit the buffers with this one-the plain packaging idea-as, suddenly the deadline for 'consultation responses' has now been extended to Friday, 10th of August! Somewhat incredible really, for as Lansley had already made his mind up that 'PP' was of the utmost importance and therefore the consultation was merely a formality. The man is turning into an English version of 'Pol Pot' whereby democracy dictatorship is OK just so long as it's my style of democracy dictatorship!

 
Pol Pot - ruthless  
 

                                             Pot ty Lansley - a wannabe ruthless 

Having seen the consultation online, I got a very good friend of mine to complete the online consultation and watched with interest as he battled with his conscience over some of the questions! Interestingly, especially as he is involved with a cancer charity (no, not that lot that boasted income of £433,000,000 last year but still can't cure cancer), he came down on the side of NO plain packaging for he could not see how a few pretty colours forced children to smoke. Believe me when I say that I sat silently for more than half an hour as he ploughed through it all. 

Needless to say, from what I saw, many of the questions were framed to exact the answers required by Herr Lansley & Co so they really did take some reading and considering.

But, at the end of the day, now that the consultation deadline has been extended we know one thing for certain:

"Convert this into plain English and it means that the majority of respondents have dismissed the idea as idiotic. Buying them extra time means that they can galvanise all their little acolytes to fill in the online consultation in the manner needed to justify their demands for plain packaging!"

At long last it is beginning to look as if the British people are sticking the two fingered salute up to the so called Health Lobby, who in reality are simply fronting the anti tobacco lobby's demands.

 

Perhaps, after 5 years of misery for smokers, the people of this land are finally realising that this ban has absolutely nothing to do with health, and the longevity of people that we can't afford anyway, but  in public money and funding from pharmaceutical companies (producing nicotine "replacement" products). Products by the way that have a track record of failure - 98.4% failure rate actually, yet government continues to waste £millions on this pharmaceutical crap. This 'PC' (pharmaceutical crap) includes Chantix, Champix, Varencline (whatever you want to call it) has the marvellous ability of totally quitting smoking-it kills you! The French have withdrawn the drug but we, as only we could, continue to prescribe this drug regardless of the dire side effects. Even my own doctors surgery are still prescribing the drug despite my warnings & evidence!

I actually asked my doctor what difference plain packaging would make and she couldn't answer me-surprise, surprise!

 

How is this "Plain Packaging" ?

 The teeth of  a 'Delrosa addict' and a wonderful picture of rotting flesh (not from smoking however!) [faked] do not equal a plain packet! So, it is clear that it's OK for Lansleys mob to adorn a fag packet with their form of advertising but not so for the manufacturers! Now is THAT legal I ask?

So, even if the "Health Gestapo" do get their way, packs will still  be adorned with silly health warning pictures. Just think, in years to come a full set of these carefully preserved 'cards' might be worth a nice few quid. No matter what the outcome of this so called consultation, it is obvious that there is now a groundswell of opinion NOT concurring with the health loonies! That has got to be good news for democracy at all levels!
Newsflash: Unite (yes, the Union) have at long last woken up and want all members to voice their concerns about the damage this idiotic plain packaging will cause: Download here. 

Walloon in panteloons!

 A hilarious tale of how to deal with a nosey EHO has come in from Belgium where it seems that not all factions of society are as weak kneed as us Brits!
It seems that an Inspector from the Dept of Health randomly chose to monitor smoking compliance in the Cafe de la Poste but got considerably more than he bargained for  as the customers, mostly Hells Angels promptly overwhelmed the EHO and removed his clothing (except for his pants) and transported him deep into a nearby forest where he was dumped. Apparently he found his way to an old cottage where he availed himself of a horse blanket and then made his way to a police station where he reported the crime. I can only assume that assault was one of the crimes and embarrassing a government official without his consent might be the other!
The public prosecutor of Charleroi condemned this  aggression and intimidation of a public official and asks anyone who witnessed the incident to contact the police. Err... that'll be no one then!

Now wouldn't it be marvellous if there were a few more prankish reactions to these mini Hitlers in this country? I can think of a female EHO in the Liverpool area who purposely cost a man his job (& £1,200) because she refused to tell the truth in court and a magistrate who heard the case and basically refused to hear the full story from the accused. Now wouldn't it be a splendid occasion if these two fearless upholders of the law were paraded around the streets of Liverpool in only their undergarments so that people could mock and jeer at the slime-ball way they choose to earn a living-ensuring that others suffer!
I can think of another in Leicester who happily instigates prosecutions but tells blatant 'porkies' in order to add baseless, spurious charges to the list. Another that should be paraded mercilessly until pilloried and used as target practice for rotten, stinking fruit & veg chucking.
Or, what about the total scumbag in Kettering that ensured a 66 year old man was prosecuted for dropping his cigarette end on the floor, whilst sitting in his car waiting for his wife, when he didn't even smoke-and the corrupt magistrate that denied the gentleman the use of local CCTV footage which would have proved his innocence? Now there's a pair for public castigation if ever there was. Or, we could move further south to the place of the lawmakers, London, where EHO in some boroughs rampage the streets to gain convictions yet others virtually ignore minor infractions.
It won't happen in this country for the simple reason that we have now become a nation that revels (for the most part) in the misery of others-especially when it comes to smoking related offences, or non smoking offences as some cases most certainly are. 
It is incredible that some non smokers have informed the authorities that smoking is taking place in their local pub but then moan their narky little socks off when they find the licensee has been slaughtered by the courts and their local pub is shut! 
In this country, should you deem to argue with the authorities, especially in their little 'palaces' (courts) you receive greater penalties than if merely subservient & obedient. Truth & justice have very little room in our legal system anymore for our courts have merely become houses of financial invention, places where you are financially penalised according to your means. They are no longer places where 'they' have to prove your guilt, oh no, you have to prove your innocence !
We now have secret trials and judgements as Roger Hayes found out to his cost the other day. Arrested at 9.30 am he was later sourced in Liverpool gaol under a blanket of secrecy. No public court appearance, no legal representation, no nothing. The magistrate ordered him be imprisoned for 21 days for non payment of Council Tax. These are frightening times for with the advent of secret court hearings, people will simply disappear from our streets only to be found in some prison or other some days later by worried and stressed families. Sounds like Russia not so long ago does this!

 

(Ljubianka Prison)

So when are the people going to stand up and be counted in this country, when are we going to take a leaf out of the Belgian book of prankster justice and publicly humiliate some of these pond life creatures that masquerade as human beings?


http://sixlog.net/tag/smoking-ban/

Plain Packaging is just plain nonsense!

It is unbelievable that such a furore has been caused by such a ridiculous notion-that of plain packaging for cigarettes. Why? They are already behing giant sliding doors in supermarkets so that not even  a one day old baby might see them and think 'ooh, ga ga boogywoogy, I'll try one of them next week!' such an intricate web of lies & deceits that only 50 out of 650 MPs have signed a letter to  Herr Hitler Lansley expressing their "serious concerns" should this lunatic measure go forward. But, ladies & gentlmen, we have a serious problem.
Not too long ago Simple Simon informed those that read this blog that Herr Lansley was the most dangerous man in the country, if this measure is forced through parliament then that forecast will indeed be true. This measure has absolutely nothing to do with 'protecting the chiiildren, it is simply, as Arnott puts it, "the next logical step". The next logical step to what I ask? Herr Lansleys dream of a tobacco free nation-something he hadn't thought of 3 years ago! How much pomp & circumstance has he been promised by the WHO? Exactly what do his '30 pieces of silver' comprise of?
Let's just say that tobacco is banished from this country, courtesy of the fool Lansley. It is a possibility as so many MPs are brown nosing the health lobbyists in the hope of getting a slice of the pie, for it is not only Big Tobacco that doles out trips to flower shows etc, Big Pharma are quite capable of doing exactly the same!
If tobacco is banned then the next logical step is to ban alcohol and although I loved (pubs don't really interest me anymore, since they died) my pint as well as the next person I will join in the anti-alcohol frenzy just to watch the purists send this country 'down the Swanee'!
Just think, as our highly intelligent and respectable Labour councillor told her 'so PC comrades' in Manchester,

“If everyone gives up smoking and alcohol where’s the government going to find the £46bn in tax that they get?”

Indeed, where will Herr Lansley and his tribe of illiberal sidekicks regain their £46bn from? Councillor Ann Holland shocked her fellow Councillors when she told them that she smoked during both her pregnancies and shocked them even more when announcing that both her children had now reached a very healthy, mature status! Rather knocks the propaganda machine to one side does it not?
But back to the point at hand, Plain Packaging, a subject that is completely trivialised by the serious financial state this country is in/heading toward. We sit here day after day, leaking money to the EU like a one hole colander yet we have hundreds of  MPs who have nothing better to do that sit about discussing the colour/non colour of a packet of fags. They say that proof is out there-where? Mars, Pluto, Uranus? Most of ASH's study figures produced come from an anus! Pretty packets have never been unequivocally proven to have forced a child/teenager/adult into a life of pleasurable smoking. Fifty years ago my old man happily puffed his way through 20 'Senior Service' per day

 

Can you see the dramatic rainbow of colours that would draw any person into rushing out to buy them and start smoking? I am truly stunned by the light gold strip between the two narrow bands of navy blue at the top of the packet-that must have been a magnetic strip that drew people into the 'smokers web'-rabbit-headlights'gold strip'smoking springs to mind! What an utter load of hoo-haa!

People smoked because it was highly fashionable, but over the decades it has become less fashionable as education has prevailed and people have made their own choices not to smoke. The saddest thing is that the WHO, having completely failed in their so called fight against illegal drug trafficking have resorted to alleviating countries of hundreds of millions of dollars in order to implement anti smoking measures that will most certainly bankrupts nations one by one! S Ireland is already out of the game, Greece will almost certainly follow. Spain & Italy now need to be bailed out and how close to bankruptcy are other countries in this EU dungheap? Nigel Farage sums the dungheap very nicely!

Despite all of these financial problems, there are approx 600 MPs more worried about signing a letter to Herr Lansley to stop plain packaging than they are the worsening economic plight of this once proud nation! Earlier this year there was an  'Early Day Motion' in support of plain packaging . It attracted the support of only four Conservative MPs - Peter Aldous (Waveney), Bob Blackman (Harrow East), Fiona Bruce (Congleton) and Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire). That monstrous figure (4 whole Tory MPs) just about sums up the worth of this ludicrously expensive exercise. Talk about 'fiddling while Rome burns', dear of dear me.

I have got to an age where I don't care about this tinpot nation anymore, why should I? The nation (the government) don't care about the well being and harmony of its subjects anymore, if they did, they certainly wouldn't keep handing us over to Brussels - and we have a queen that is nothing more than a puppet for she now has no powers whatsoever! The 'do-gooders' got a foot in the door many years ago and this country has been sliding downhill ever since. The health lobby? well, they will just finish the job off for apart from smoking, the scientific world is falling over itself to tell us that virtually everything we eat & drink causes some form of cancer and that we shouldn't eat or drink too much of this or that. But when it comes to smoking, apparently you only have to see a gaily coloured cigarette packet now and you might become infected.....they'll dream something up for you to be infected with by the way!

The reality is this folks. Plain Packaging will diminish tobacco revenues drastically and  our local, friendly 'man wiv van innit' will merrily make his fortune, until he spends a few months in prison for earning lots of money on the QT!

And that is exactly why PP is PN!