A campaign group which is seeking to overturn the Government's proposed smoke ban has been "astounded" by the financial support it has been pledged.
Freedom to Choose say they have already raised sufficient funds to launch a Judicial Review of the ban.
Spokesman Robert Feal-Martinez said: " I am astounded at the immediate response for pledges to fund our review. We are now in a position to move to the next stage. The more we examine the criteria necessary for a successful review the more convinced we are that we can force the Government to re-think a total ban. We are now just awaiting clarification as to the specific time at which we need to seek permission. We have contacted the Department of Constitutional Affairs for this information".
Freedom to Choose believe thew Government's consultation process was flawed and hope this will be grounds for a Judicial Review.
To find out more visit the Freedom To Choose website at http://www.thebigdebate.org/
Your Comments
Ellie via email 06/07/2006I can only commend the big debate in taking on this giant 'David & Goliath' in the fight for all of our freedoms - not just the non-smokers - but everyone.
If you have never heard of 'social marketing', look it up. It is defined as 'the systematic application of marketing concepts and techniques to achieve specific behavioural goals.'
From the National Social Marketing Centre 'effective prevention is a win-win solution for people and the economy'.(working in partnership with DoH)
If people can't see where this is going, it will be too late when they not only remove the smokers, but perhaps the beer & spirits too!! Then the cream cakes....etc... until we have bodily purity as a kind of 'prevention' of disease.
Does this not sound faintly familiar of a by-gone era that most of us would not relish going back to.
Please try to look past the smoker - non-smoker divide and see the much bigger picture folks.
Alastair Elliot via email, 06/07/2006I have to say everyone that Robert Feal Martinez needs a Gold Medal for his determination to fight this ban and there is indeed time to fight all be it down the legal route. Wake up all you Publicans and get right behind Robert in his bid to safeguard the industry from Government interference.
Nearlydone via email 10/07/2006"Freedom to Choose should have a case if, as you say, it is about flawed consultation. I've already looked into this and a claim of bias must have 'legs'. I've also looked into some of the consultation responses which appear to be extremely misleading and selective. Surely an impartial Committee would not have taken so much at face value. The basis of such a social engineering Bill should surely involve all government departments rather than the DoH and their friends alone.
It seems amazing that Government claimed that figures even as high as 71% wanting a total ban should be the basis of 'criminalizing' the 25% of smokers and their friends BUT we now learn from the Office of National Statistics that the figure is only 33% wanting a total ban.
Government lives in its own little dream world, its the public who live the nightmare."