I had a very nice chat yesterday with a Lincolnshire MP, Edward Leigh, who's constituency is in rural West Lindsey, and I asked him about why his colleagues had exempted themselves from the blanket smoking ban in the House of Commons.
Mr Leigh said MPs didn't because they have no say over what happens in a Royal Palace - they could neither ban smoking in the HoC pub nor vote to allow it. Mr Leigh said MPs are not even allowed to die in the building. Apparently, due to some old law, if an MP does drop dead in a Royal Palace, they have to be carried outside before their death can be legally declared. Weird - but eccentrically very British.
"I haven't smoked since I was 16 but I voted against the ban because I believe people should be able to choose how they live their lives," he said.
"I am a Conservative with a small c which is all about freedom and less interference from the state."
I told Mr Leigh that if David Cameron was to come out on the side of freedom of choice, the Tories would win with a landslide because people hated this health freakery and lifestyle control and Mr Leigh agreed. He said voters like polticians to have opinions even if they don't agree with them and Mr Cameron seems to want to keep all of the people happy all of the time which is just not possible.
"It is very sad that pubs are closing at the rate they are. Personally, I miss smoking in pubs. They are not the cozy places they used to be with smokers sitting and chatting in the corner. They now just smell of alcohol and other horrible things which isn't very nice," he said.
I just wish that Cameron would listen to this very experienced MP who does actually know what he's talking about. If he is afraid of coming out on side of smokers, perhaps he should also consider a chat I had yesterday with a rabid anti-smoking friend of mine.
Firstly, she said she hated smoking but she had no idea that the ban would make people so miserbale and she accepted that both sides of this issue could be catered for. Secondly, despite her strong anti-smoking views, she will NEVER vote for NuLab again even though this party made her dreams of a smoke free existence come true.
It apears thast there is so much wrong with this foul govt that the issue of smoking is not one that many anti-smokers will take into account when the general election comes around - except for those people who have either seen their business fail, or have been isolated, denormalised and excluded because of the smoke free law. Those people, like myself, will vote UKIP in the main.
Can Cameron's Tories really afford to take the risk of losing their small c traditional support, instead of being courageous enough to take a stance on this issue and collect lots of new suport from all that NuLab has lost? I think we smokers know the answer to that one!