James Crawfurd-Porter gives us his opinion of the smoke ban

Would large-scale disobedience of the smoking ban force a humiliating defeat? ​

Imagine the scenario.

Splinter groups forming across the country to fight an unjust law imposed without public involvement or consent; a legal system facing near meltdown under the sheer weight of infringement cases; and a government facing overwhelming pressure to concede change and accept a humiliating defeat.

It was a nightmare that came true for Thatcher's Tory government in the early 1990s following the introduction of the poll tax. Will Blair and his Cabinet also feel the heat when the smoking ban goes live? There are potential parallels to draw.

No matter how strong the 'official' polls supporting a ban, there are tens of thousands of smokers the length and breadth of England who may stand up and fight when reality hits and they are no longer able to light up in licensed premises. We are, after all, talking about a blanket ban on a product that is perfectly legal for anyone over the age of 16 to enjoy in their own home and in many outdoor public places (for however long that may be). There is only so much draconian meddling in their civil liberties that people will accept before they snap and demand the system reverts back to the one that has stood the test of time.

It appears that large pubcos and industry bodies have accepted the ban as it stands without too much in the way of protest.

Do we really expect all smokers to do the same?

It only takes a tiny minority to object, for problems to start.

If the groundswell grows and more people start lighting up regardless, refusing to pay fines and burying environmental health officers under mountains of fine-related paperwork, surely even the most iron-fisted nanny state will have to admit that enough is enough?

I recently returned from a holiday in Ibiza where the Spanish/Balearic authorities supposedly introduced a smoking ban last year. I say "supposedly" because, given the number of ashtrays adorning bar and restaurant tables where smoking should be prohibited, it appears that the ban has largely been ignored. Customers carry on as they always have while the bar-owners I quizzed were incredibly blasé, shrugging their shoulders because they know the powers-that-be have priorities other than to enforce unnecessary rules, as is often the European way.

I don't think this government should get too carried away before it claims victory. You can't underestimate the passion of normally law-abiding people when they are told to embrace regulations they consider infantile and senseless. How can they be expected to uphold something they don't truly believe in?

Your Comments​Robert Feal-Martinez​ via email 30/06/2006"James Crawford-Porter is indeed right to draw parallels between smoking bans and Poll Tax. The two are more similar than people may think. The concept of the Poll Tax was a good idea, as is a smoking ban. The Poll Tax had it been implemented as it had been conceived there would not have been a rebellion, those whose minds have dimmed on the subject, the individual poll tax was suggested at just £178/person, in full time employment. For a married couple that would have been less than the rates at the time. What however was never envisaged was that Councils, and like it or not mainly Labour councils hiked the individual rate to over double and to make matters worse decided that Husbands were responsible for their wives even though they weren't working. That's were it went wrong. The smoking ban is similar in that, if there was real choice, smoking pubs, no smoking pubs and pubs with smoker free well ventilated areas then with the exception of the anti smoking zealots everyone would be happy. James is also right in saying that there is a growing movement who are prepared to challenge the ban, both legally, through a Judicial Review, and by non compliance. In both Ireland and Scotland many licensee's have simply got 'around' the ban."

Blad Tolstoy​ via email, 1/07/2006James Crawfurd-Porter has undertaken a very good analysis and he is absolutely right about growing protest. Speaking personally I shall do my best to undermine any such ban and to expose the fabrications, hogwash and propaganda that have brought it about!

Oh, "kissing a smoker is like kissing an ashtray" they say. Really, you ever kissed an ashtray?

You have? My, you must be really weird!