Matthew Revell

Today, The Stirrer published the first piece for my new column. To be honest, it’s little more than a rant in favour of the smoking ban. I can’t say I’m thrilled at the idea of being called “Wolverhampton’s own Tory Boy” but never mind.

If you’re wondering, The Stirrer is a local news website for Birmingham and the Black Country. It’s run by Adrian Goldberg, the chap who used to present BBC WM’s breakfast show. It seems to get quite a good readership and has particularly active forums, where my words are already being torn to shreds Update: after leaving a bit of a gap, I’m going to re-publish each of my Stirrer pieces here. Here’s the first.

At last, smoking has been banned in enclosed public places in England. This is fantastic news for me: I hate tobacco, I hate breathing other people’s smoke, I hate the smell of smoke on my clothes and in my hair.Now, just as I can reasonably expect not to be stabbed in the throat or robbed at gun point, so I can enjoy a pint, or a coffee or whatever else without breathing the toxic fumes from someone else’s long drawn-out suicide.

“Ah, but what about my rights to smoke without interference from the government? This is the nanny state at its worst!”, a smoker might whine, while another wheezes, “If you don’t like smoke, don’t go to pubs.”

I don’t get this at all. What right does anyone have to pollute an enclosed public space with polonium 210, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide and sulphuric acid?

So long as tobacco duty covers the NHS burden of the diseases that smokers inflict on themselves, then I don’t care if an adult wants to smoke, chew or
rectally insert tobacco. My one caveat is that they shouldn’t take me down with them.

The “health and safety gone made” brigade almost can’t believe their luck. A chorus of pre-planned harrumphs has hit blogs, most of course from those aligned to the Conservatives.

Express and Star columnist, Nigel Hastilow exemplifies how silly some of the anti-ban discourse is:  “I am sorely tempted to take up smoking again, in protest.”

Yeah, and maybe I’ll draw all over my face with felt-tip pen because my Dad told me not to when I was five; y’know, in protest.

We Conservatives dislike the idea of new laws and more control for politicians. Laws have unintended consequences, politicians are often too remote. We shouldn’t, though, oppose for the sake of opposition.

Instead, we should ensure that any potential benefits from a change to the status quo are large enough to outweigh any potential negative fall-out.

I believe I should have the right to remain free of the effects of tobacco smoke. Banning smoking in enclosed public spaces helps protect that freedom from the harmful actions of others.

Smokers are, after all, the people who’ve specifically chosen to use tobacco. The ban doesn’t stop them from smoking: it just means I get to enjoy my chosen way of life too