The Voices of Freedom events begin tomorrow but I won't be going because I really couldn't bear to hear this pompous prick spouting his vile prejudices.
Just who the hell does Peter Hitchens think he is and what right has he to believe that I'd want a selfish prat like that saving me anyway? If that's a voice of "freedom" frankly, it undermines the whole debate from the outset.
I'd really rather hear true of voices of freedom and not those calling for oppression of one minority group because of some sanctimonious belief that they know better. Hitchens is right not to use the phrase Nanny State though. We now live in the Bully State but he wouldn't recognise it as a bully himself.
Hitchens says that tobacco use has only been in the civilised world for two world wars. How can such an ignorant columinist be allowed to write such a blatant falsehood? Tobacco use is at least 500 years old and has been used across Europe in civilised society for that long and in the Native Americas for much longer as it was used as a medicinal herb. It still is, actually, and can be found as an ingredient in many Big Pharma over the counter products like travel sickness pills and facepacks.
It has only become something else in the FOUR years since the blanket smoking ban legalised the hate and harassment against one lifestyle group. No amount of idiots like Hitchens can change history as much as they would like to fit their own ideological aims.
I had looked forward to the so called Freedom events and I did consider going to the next in the series but it isn't an event I can take seriously because of Hitchens in the same way I couldn't take last year's event seriously after the illiberal Demotwat Mark Pack was invited soon after telling me his irrelevant Party had no plans to give freedoms back to smokers in it's much lauded ... erm ... Freedom Bill that isn't worth the bog paper it's written on.
I see that Dick Puddlecote's going and that is a good thing. At least there will be one true voice of freedom and I hope he is given voice to put that prat Hitchens in his place.
If I went, it would only be the piss up afterwards that interested me - especially if it's at Boidales which really knows how to go that extra mile to make its smoker customers comfortable.
Meanwhile, I'll be saving my limited funds for an event in London that I see as far more worthy and far more likely to have an effect. I hope my MP Karl McCartney will attend the Save Our Pubs And Clubs amendthesmokingban.com reception for MPs where I hope my voice will be heard about how this spiteful ban has affected me and other lifelong smokers.
