Rishi Sunak’s attempt to ban smoking is nuts, says Boris Johnson
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68787914
by topotaul
Rishi Sunak’s attempt to ban smoking is nuts, says Boris Johnson
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68787914
by topotaul
33 comments
Why? You slowly put the age up and get rid of it all
together. Means anyone who does it already is fine but we save the next generation from ever starting
I’m really torn about this legislation.
On the one hand, it seems kind of absurd to suggest there’ll be a time in a few years when a 37 year old can buy cigarettes but a 36 year old can’t.
On the other hand, I’ve seen the damage that smoking does and I’ve lost loved ones to those cunts at Marlbororo and the other tobacco companies. All their words about “freedom of choice” ring hollow when you’re asking a normal person to decide what to do when they’re up against a multibillion Pound industry who is doing everything they can to fool them into handing over money for a product that will leave them sick and dead.
So I’m really interested to watch these Parliamentary debates. Unlike most debates in Parliament, I really want to hear what smart people on both sides of the argument have to say so that I can decide who’s in the right!
But you know who doesn’t have a worthwhile contribution to make? That tossser who used to be our Prime Minister until he was thrown out for his many, many scandals.
> “We are, on the whole, in favour of freedom and it is that single Anglo-Saxon idea of freedom that I think unites conservatives, or should unite conservatives.”
You know what’s “nuts”? Throwing a bunch of parties after you’ve banned me from seeing my loved ones for months on end in the name of a common sacrifice. Once you’ve done that, your opinion on anyone else’s bans are absolutely worthless.
And what’s this white supremacist dog whistling about Anglo-Saxons supposed to mean? What the hell does freedom have to do with ethnicity? Is it supposed to be a coded message that laws coming from our newest Prime Minister are somehow less legitimate because of the colour of his skin?
Say it with me: “the government should not have the right to tell me what to put in my body.”
1. Ban smoking.
2. Generate a deficit of 7.5B a year in your NHS service from loss of tax.
3. Kill more people than you save.
4. Great success. *High fives*
Why does this awful corrupt turd still get airtime? He should be in prison
I’ve met people that support legalising cannabis, and also support banning cigarettes. I can’t really get my head around that.
Is he going to ban overeating too? bad hygiene? anything people do that’s self destructive?
Everyone knows how bad smoking is, him trying to ban it is a bit ridiculous.
Anyone with a brain or an understanding of the concept of personal freedom understands that not only is the plot to ban smoking dumb, but absolutely fucking moronic. Something only the most preening nanny state bell end is going to support.
Lmao.
More and more American states are legalising marijuana, every year. Modern Britain on the other hand is gonna ban cigarettes. Fucking hell.
Curious if anyone knows how much smoking related problems (eg lung cancer) cost the NHS every year compared to how much selling cigarettes brings in for the government?
Why not ban fat people attending A&E for issues relating to their weight and fattyness; would save the NHS millions
sadly that will never work, people would always find a way to continue smoking illegally
Boris desperately searching for a reason to be relevant. No one asked you Boris.
I hate to agree with the scarecrow haired party clown… but I do
**We should ban smoking, only if we ban drinking too.**
*Where’s everyone gone? I thought we were banning things we didn’t like other people doing under the guise it’s unhealthy and bad for society? Why have you all gone quiet?*
It’s an interesting topic isn’t it? Especially when “personal freedom” comes into the equation.
You can be free to take the addicted substance, but once the addiction sets in are you really “free” to take it? or are you having to take it even if you don’t want to given that you are addicted to it?
Then the question becomes “should we let the population take any addictive substance that can harm you?” and it goes on and on.
Maybe it isn’t a good thing to compare something like weed to cigarettes, one being illegal doesn’t mean that the other should be too, both should stand on their own merits, how harmful they are coupled with how addictive they are, and how much they are impairing to the individual and/or others.
When you consider that once the addiction kicks in and a health issue arises it is no longer just the individual’s problem, it becomes everyone’s problem, some are fine with paying for that, others are not. This is not a case of an individual exercising their own personal freedom in a way that doesn’t impact others, it is them doing so in a way that will very likely impact others. So shouldn’t the others have a say in whether that addiction should be available to begin with? but then where does it stop? drink? just cigarettes? gambling?
Although i am conflicted on these things i also believe that it is this generations direct responsibility to award the next generation with a better life, and a life free of harmful addiction is surely a worthy pursuit. Especially for those who have been addicted and had further health issues. Learn from our mistakes by making sure the next generation doesn’t repeat them.
But yeah, certainly interesting.
Fuck sake, I though we were legalising stuff not making thing illegal
I’d rather that they increase taxes on them to fund awareness campaigns in schools and stop smoking interventions. No idea how effective that would be, but I do not like the idea of just outright banning things. Aside from personal freedoms and so on, you have the issue of black markets opening up with dodgy products and already stretched policing resources being drained enforcing such bans.
If your position is that the government should ban smoking to ease pressure on the NHS, then to be logically consistent you must also be in favour of establishing absolute government control over every person’s diet in the UK to prevent obesity. Obesity is a greater killer than smoking so by your own logic it should be suppressed.
Of course, the reality is that most people have absolutely no consistency in their beliefs or positions whatsoever. No one views fat people the way they view smokers because the TV and the internet tell them that fat people are poor little victims with thyroid problems and smokers are evil, stinking troglodytes who want to gas your kids to death with cigarette smoke.
I would vote for Rishi a thousand times over that useless murderous cunt Johnson.
Jesus fucking christ I can’t believe I agree with that idiot on something.
Isn’t this an age-related ban or something? I don’t see the issue personally – it’s a choice people made because it was available as a choice, but the burden on the NHS surely is cause enough to ban them.
I bought my first pack at 16 because I *could* – and then it went from a pack of 10 a week, to every 3 or 4 days, to every 2 days. I stopped and started over the years (I’m now 36) but settled on a pack of 20 every 2 days.
Smoking did nothing for me except waste my cash, cut my life expectancy down and affect me at the gym. I switched to vapes about 6 months back and haven’t bought a pack since, while pocketing an extra £250 a month and generally having clearer lungs now.
If I was banned from buying them at 16 and for life – I doubt I’d have started. I couldn’t be bothered to find some dark web / back market / dodgy geezer to buy them from – why would I? I’m not addicted in the first place.
Getting in an uproar about my *grumpy self-righteous voice* “my civil liberties in our great nation it’s not what we stand for stop being nanny-state and woke” etc. is funny but, kinda sad.
If you asked smokers today – not talking people in their 20s because I didn’t care about my health then – people in their 30s or 40s. I’d bet my house that the majority will say they wish they didn’t start, and if it was banned for them at 16 they wouldn’t have started. So to me – the argument of *grumpy voice* “it’s a free country we should all have our own choice” – well if those who don’t make the choice are fine, and those that do make the choice are not fine, then take away the choice so everyone is fine…
Fine the parents buying them for the kids, they banned menthols to prevent kids wanting to smoke and now we have all kinds of flavours of vape
Rishi doesn’t know what he’s doing
Because making heroin illegal has helped with all of the drug deaths, right?
You know things are fucked up when Boris sounds reasonable
when boris is right you know you’re being a tool. HANDS OFF OUR FAGS
Why not look at the vaping industry and how it seems to be targeting children.
Tobacco is like the only drug that should be banned. It’s had a century plus of the mega rich and bent politicians propping up and promoting the worst recreational drug around.
Boris Johnson tried to ban under 21 year olds from buying alcohol other than in pubs. https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/binge-britain-now-under21s-face-ban-on-buying-alcohol-6912332.html
Is there no adult prepared to step up and lead the U.K. into the future ? The issues are, we are killing the planet but no one is talking about it ? Wealth and earning disparity is the worse for decades. A huge portion of the U.K. cannot afford to have a home to live in and maintain basic requirements such as food and paying basic bills. The corporations involved in providing basic needs have seen profits increase by 200-300 percent while claiming supply side issues. Absolute bullshit and lies. I’m out. Social contract has been broken. The consequences will be devastating you greedy obtuse scum who are pretending to run our country.
What does it matter what Johnson thinks? Why even bother to report on the spoutings of a compulsive liar and worthless ex-PM.
Brought to you as a sponsored comment from tobacco companies
I’m assuming boorish has some bullshit made up role on BAT