JOIN THE RESISTANCE

The Ash Hotel in Manchester has been murdered by the smoking ban and had one last act of defiance on it's last night of opening.

It's a real shame that pubs were manipulated to believe the lies from the anti-smoker industry and terrified into submission by bullying Govt threats of prosecution after the Nationalisation of pubs in July 2007.

It's also tragic that an alleged "free market" party like the Conservatives have continued state ownership of private property after the Communist NuLabour Party was booted out because people didn't like it's sanctimonious stance on health and it's horrendous waste of NHS cash on misleading advertising designed to incite hatred against smokers.

The champagne socialists used the patronising excuse that it was "for The Poor" when the "The Poor" frankly want to be left alone.

Life in poverty is difficult enough without the rich telling you what you can spend that limited amount on. They want "The Poor" to be sat at home, as miserable as sin, spending their pittance income - sometimes as little as £50 a week - on food when it doesn't even cover that. The poor are not even allowed to watch TV for fear of prison for not having a licence to fund misinformation and Govt propaganda on the BBC

NuLabour made "The Poor" the enemy with more than 3000 new laws designed to keep them in their place, stopped them from doing whatever they could to make money, bureaucratised them out of job opportunities, stopped them from having any fun possible, while they excluded them from pubs - the one release from the hell that is having nothing - through a blanket smoking ban that no one wanted and just to be sure that the "The Poor" would be excluded, they hiked up tax on beer to ensure that only the rich could enjoy them.

A comment from Xopher on the post about how the bigots are pushing for smokers to be banned from employment explains better than I could about how smoking bans and other lifestyle restrictions are prohibition of "The Poor".

... Dave says he wants us to get together save our local pubs BUT with Government demanding so much tax from drink sales, how can we support a venture that are denied the opportunity to cater for the whole community and only the wealthy can afford. Pubs were an essential for the whole community but now appear to be exclusively for the rich who can afford Government's imposed inflated taxes/prices.

There is something, just a little thing, but something we can do. We can all join the Resistance. Go over to the Nothing2Declare blog and see about getting some stickers or posters and put them out and around where you live next to No Smoking signs - the ones that are as ugly as a Nazi swastika - or on smoking bins, noticeboards, where ever you can reach those who are feeling isolated and alone, maybe because they are too poor to even afford a computer to go online and link up with other like-minded people fighting UK state oppression.

It is time there was some balance in this debate and maybe when enough of these stickers begin to appear, even the main stream media will no longer be able to ignore us, commercial enterprises will see they are backing the wrong cause, and local councils will learn that we will not take any more restrictions.

If you've had enough of this nonsense, then show it. Join The Resistance!

SAVE TAX - SEE THE WORLD

Since becoming part of the Resistance Movement I've travelled to more countries than I ever would have done and part of the joy of planning my next personal allowance baccy trip is deciding where I'd like to visit next.

After one trip a couple of years ago to Budapest, I thought I'd try Eastern Europe again because I loved the free loving attitude of those who recognise oppression when they see it after decades of living under Soviet Rule.

I began toying with the idea of Poland and Gdansk seemed a good bet until someone pointed out that it's bloody freezing at this time of year. A Polish friend my other half has made in the town where I'm currently working, told of how he once had to jump out of a five storey building window to help dig the lower floors out of the snow.

I think I'd still like to visit Poland but I'll wait until my next trip abroad in Spring when I'll need to stock up again.

Meanwhile, inspired by Dick Puddlecote's trip to Prague I've decided to make that my destination. I go next week and return five days later.

I'm slightly disturbed that Dick didn't find any baccy on sale even though there were plenty of cigarettes and very cheap ones too. An internet search tells me that as long as I don't buy my rolling tobacco from the airport then I should be able to get it for five Euros a pack. I'll report back after next week on how the search went.

I don't mind buying fags if I have to. After all, they can be more economical. When I was a young skint mum, I used to smoke just 70 fags a week because I'd break them up and roll about four fags from each tipped cigarette thereby making my smoking experience affordable.

I'm also taking on board ASH's own advice. They crow about how saving the money from quitting smoking can lead to a nice little holiday at the end of the year. By being part of the Resistance, I've found that the tax I save does indeed amount to a nice little holiday - but more than one each year.

My trip with cheap flight and accommodation for two people is just over £300 all in. I will be spending about £300 on my personal 3k allowance. The money I'll spend in Prague would have been spent here during a week off but then there is no point in smokers holidaying in the UK anymore. The NuGovt doesn't want my £300 tax every four months or so. Prague is welcome to it. Anyone would think the UK wasn't skint because of the way it can afford to lose smokers' tax.

Spain is still on my list of countries to visit and I'll get there eventually - perhaps after Poland in Spring - maybe even next winter because I hear the climate at this time of year is great.

I would bet that the Govt is losing about £1200 a year in tax from me and I am not the only one in the Resistance who will not keep paying tax for the Govt to fund anti-smoker hysteria and Denormalisation.

FREEZING IN THE WIND

Over at the F2C BLOG someone called Citizen E has re-written the words to a Bob Dylan song and called it A Battle Anthem For Smokers. See comment three.

Join the Resistance!

A BATTLE ANTHEM FOR SMOKERS.

How many ships took those men far away
To fight and suffer death and pain
How many men in both world wars
Never saw the light of day again
How many men were broken and returned
To be treated as heroes every one
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

How many years have passed since that time
Are veterans treated just the same
How many stand in the wind and the rain
Still proud but questioning in pain
How many feel that they’ve been betrayed
By a country to which they gave their all
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before they call him a man
How many times must he prove himself
Like a soldier in Afghanistan
How many times when he comes home
Is he treated like an outcast not a man
The answer, my friend, is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

How many times must the questions be asked
And dogma given in reply
How many heroes in the twilight of their years
Are denied compassion till they die
How many zealots should hang their heads in shame
For a law that is pie in the sky
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

How many persecutors of the old and infirm
Whose war cry is de-normalise them all
Have forced upon society a vicious smoking ban
That contains no compromise at all
How have the population of a country once so great
Stood by and never heard the call
The answer my friend is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind

When will the people say undo what you have done
And return the voice of reason to the land
When will the politicians listen to the call
Of society divided by a ban
When will 15 Million smokers rally to the call
And defend the right of dignity for all
The answer “Now my friend” is blowing in the wind
The answer is blowing in the wind.

JOIN THE RESISTANCE

It's useful to see this weird little street sign has appeared in the centre of my city directly outside of the NHS Stop Smoking services in a building that also invites people with sexually transmitted infections to seek the services of the NHS. Charming!

I always make a point of standing oustide of this building at lunchtime as I enjoy my Lincolnshire sausage bap, cup of tea, and at least two smokes outside of its front door.

I've never seen many people in there and personally one doesn't know whether the customer is there to quit or to seek help and advice for the pox.

But as I'm getting a tad rebellious in my older age, and this new Speaker's Corner facility, is right outside of the place that deserves some protest, I'm aiming to spread the word about our Resistance Movement which aims to starve such organisations of our tax which we will no longer pay because of our refusal to buy tobacco in the UK.

Oh, yes. I want a Join the Resistance Pirate Poster on a wooden placard and lots of leaflets explaining the campaign to the many smokers I see passing by this building most days.

And as my local council has seen fit to provide a place where, allegedly, freedom of speech can take place, then I plan to stand outside shouting "Stop funding the anti-smoking industry. Join the Resistance!"

So can someone tell me where I can get my hands on as many leaflets that I'll need and that big poster? Oh my, this is going to be such fun :)