Jackboots of New Labour
From Philip Freeman
Sir: I expected a more robust defence of our liberty from the Spectator (Leading article, 18 February). Just because a majority of the snivelling puritans who populate Parliament today voted for the smoking ban does not mean we should shrug our shoulders and accept it meekly. Individual freedom and liberty are more important than democracry, which is more like mob rule in this country.
I am a committed non-smoker, but I have a quaint belief in ‘live-and-let-live’. What’s it got to do with me if somebody smokes in a pub? I’ll go elsewhere if necessary. Are we really going to tell a war veteran that he may no longer smoke in his British Legion club?
I seem to be part of a dwindling band who still believe in the right of individuals to make their own choices without wholesale interference from the state. This Act is just the latest in a long line of demoralising, authoritarian measures by this government.
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