A PAPER WITH GUTS

At last!

An actual mainstream newspaper that actually cares about its readership's views and not just moulding a news agenda.

The Daily Express has come out fighting for the right to leave the EU and it gives good and valid reasons for doing so.

Today's edition, for example, highlights the madness of the EU waste of cash.

EURO MADNESS

- £350,000 for a dog fitness and rehabilitation centre that was never built. Plans included developing a hydrotherapy system to “improve dogs’ wellbeing”

- £4.5m for a fleet of limousines for Euro-MPs in Strasbourg. Green Party estimates already show that travelling between and maintaining the European Parliament’s two buildings in Strasbourg and Brussels already costs European taxpayers £170m

- £13,500 to Tyrolean farmers to boost their “emotional connection with the landscape.” They were expected to become “more aware of their emotional reactions to it compared to their prevailing rational economic ones.”

- £4,300 on a “Europe Horse” to promote the EU to German children. A booklet was produced chronicling the cartoon animal’s trip from Germany to Brussels, meeting various EU figures along the way

- £763,000 for a golf course, hotel and spa whose guests include German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The platinum membership fee for the club is 1,100 euros per year

We've always known the EU was barmy but I personally find it offensive that the Eurocrats promote those who disagree with this political project of being mentally ill or plain and simple nutters.

I know which daily paper I'll be buying from now on.

Add to that the paper's stance on the economically damaging and socially dangerous tobacco display ban and it's obvious that The Daily Express is worthy of support because of its comment sense and courageous approach.

CREEPS AND LIARS

I see that biased publication the Guardian is spreading muck again.

We know that tobacco display bans have no effect on youth sales, they drive up black market sales, they ensure that tobacco ends up in the hands of far more children than legally controlled sales but this newspaper is so far up that creepy organsation ASH's arse a good organic fart wouldn't shift it.

Now the Coagulation Govt is actually doing something that makes perfect sense. It is basing it's next move on fact and not the hysterical whinings of self-interest pressure groups such as ASH. It's a shame the Guardian has come out guns-a-blazing on the side of the bigots. I would have expected better from a newspaper that is supposed to be "impartial" although it seems to have forgotten the true meaning of the word.

And this creep has absolutely no idea of what he's talking about :

John McClurey, a Lib Dem councillor in Gateshead who supports the point-of-sale ban, said he was concerned that many shopkeepers were buying the tobacco industry's arguments.

"So far, many small shopkeepers seem to have fallen for the industry spin," McClurey said. "Let's hope for our children's sake that the coalition is not so easily fooled."

He's bought the crap from ASH but then he is a Lib Dem and I find them to be the most naieve and stupid when it comes to swallowing shit spoon fed by prejuidicial fake charities.

When you are told, Mr McClurey, that "shopkeepers have fallen for indusrty spin", I am afraid you are missing the point. They've simply listened to their ordinary consumers. ASH et al will tell you that ordinary consumers ARE the tobacco industry. I say get out a bit more and actualy ask shoppers in these small shops what they think. You would be surprised at the answer.

I hope Jon McClurey gets voted out of office next time around. He is obviously an idiot who is incapable of independent thought and neither we nor Gateshead need such dangerous politicans who let themselves get voted in and then let anyone else but them make decisions about our future.

Check your facts and check the science. You will find neither agree with your prejudice about tobacco display bans.

WHO'S IN CONTROL

A must-watch, common sense video. Beware contains some violence but please share. This is a very important message.



H/T Simon Clarke at Taking Liberties.

The video was made by a tobacco company. I think the industry knows more about it's business and it's threats better than health professionals - like smokers know more about smoking than anti-smoker political lobbyists who claim to be doing it "for their own good."

Clearly they are not. They are kidding themselves.

SMOKES ON A PLANE

My guess is that thanks to the EU, duty free tobacco no longer exists. The price is level across Europe - except in Britain which really does have to push the knife in and twist it in a smoker's back as punishment for daring to enjoy something the righteous tell us we shouldn't - and it's the same price on the boarding side of the airport as it is in Italian shops.

I reckon the best bargain I got was the above packet at three Euros for 30g. This pack of Elixyer tells me that it was made in the EU under the arrangement with the Western Tobacco Corporation, Newark (USA). I had to admit being mildy amused by the warning on the packet which says "strictly for smokers!". Another example of a waste of space. I mean, would anyone who didn't smoke buy this stuff or use it? I guess the manufacturers, or their masters in the EU, think we smokers are so thick we'd consider buying tobacco as a present for those who don't smoke.

I found Pisa airport, frankly, rabidly anti-smoking. There was a tiny tobacco shop, with products mostly hidden in a cupboard and only a random selection of not very popular brands like strong, dark Samson, or Old Holborn. Popular Golden Virgina was priced at five Euros for 40g. Not worth it so I got the light Drum variety and a hope for the best of a limited choice.

Pisa airport also fired off the "This is a Non-smoking airport" every few minutes. Like we didn't know. Duh!

This was pretty much the same as the Ryanair flight but there was a twist. Immediately after announcing that Ryanair operated a no smoking policy on all it's flights - yeah - it's the law Michael O'Leary - it then went on to publicise the new "Smokeless" cigarettes which it was selling on the plane.

"It's a long flight of two hours so why wait for a cigarette when you can enjoy a smokeless cigarette in flight," said the voice over the tannoy as the air hostesses were walking the aisle offering packs of these things.

I was rather insulted and would prefer that the plane took a nose dive than consider buying this tripe. Either smoking is acceptable or it's not. I won't take any part in the promotion of false cigarettes to make some businessman richer on the back of the persecution of smokers. It's why smokers who go rushing for E cigarettes annoy me so much. They really are letting the side down.

I watched to see how many people would take up this offer of being able to smoke trash on a plane. Happily no one did but plenty of people who came off that flight lit a real one outside of the airport.

WHAT NEXT?

I hear the puritans at Holyrood have done what they intended to do all along and banned the display of tobacco in shops.

Simon Clark at Taking Liberties tells on his blog today about the pathetic attempt of the Scottish Parliament to pretend to be looking at this issue fairly when all along they only ever had one idea in mind.

So what is next, I ask myself, for the ban band-wagon. If the tobacco display ban has nothing to do with these people either getting paid by Big Pharma or pampering to their own bigoted prejudices, and it really is for the good of the children - even though we know display bans do nothing to reduce youth smoking - then my guess is that alcohol displays will be next for the chop.

I mean, let's face it, they say the tobacco display ban is necessary to ensure young people don't see and therefore, presumably, don't want it. So alcohol has to be next doesn't it because day after day, week after week, year, after year, as they grow up, children see alcohol displayed in many aisles in supermarkets as they are pushed in their prams, in pushchairs, and as they walk around the store as their parents shop for food.

The nutters at Holyrood don't seem to be taking any notice of that do they? After all, it obviously goes without saying that because children are growing up living with alcohol on a daily basis by seeing it constantly on display, then they are going to want it and we are in for some huge health and social problems.

I just wish this bunch of puritans would get something right and put their priorities in order.

MERRON MEETS RETAILERS ABOUT DISPLAY BAN

I couldn't help thinking when I read this piece http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/news/MP-discusses-display-ban-cigarettes/article-1277441-detail/article.html that public health minister Gillian Merron chose her words carefully and doesn't really give a damn about what retailers think.

I think she cares only for what her Govt masters tell her to think and say.