I wrote an article back in December 2010 complaining that, despite the fact that the smoking of cigarettes is not illegal, smokers are increasingly being treated like dirty criminals. I will not cover those points again as you can read the initial article and draw your own conclusions. However, I must draw your attention to what has happened today.
I went into Sainsbury’s this afternoon to buy a snack to shove into the gaping maw of the rapidly expiring Boy the Younger, and I went to the kiosk to pay for it. All the barriers were down covering the shelves of cigarettes and everyone was in disarray. The women serving were repeating the answer to the question “Is the kiosk closed?” over and over again. No, it wasn’t closed. No, they hadn’t sold out. No, there had not been a robbery.
As of today, shops are no longer allowed to display cigarettes in case the sight of rows of boringly packaged gaspers should instantly incite our immaculate and health conscious youth to shove them, ten at a time, into their cherry reds and light up. There is also a move to insist that all packs should be uniformly grey or brown with just the name of the brand printed on them.
Smoking is not illegal.
Cigarettes are a legal product.
The makers of those cigarettes should have the right to display their legal merchandise in packets of their own design.
Putting them effectively ‘under the counter’ will make them more enticing than ever.
This and every government are a bunch of despicable, hypocritical liars when it comes to cigarettes as they are quite happy to take the millions of pounds of revenue from smokers. (Insert angry growling noise of your choice). Makes me want to start smoking again.
Angry growls indeed. This is the reason I gave up smoking. Not because it was bad for me. Not because it was starting to make me cough. Not because the government was telling me to quit. And most definitely not due to all these television advertisements advertising sundry nicotine replacement items which cost more than the price of a pack of cigarettes.
No. The reason I gave up smoking was my absolute disgust at how much money the government was charging in tax. (For “government”, read “both past and present governments”.)
They were campaigning left, right and centre to get people to quit smoking, but in reality, they’re quite happy (and I suspect prefer) to take the money.
Instead, I switched to an electronic cigarette in August last year. Much, much, much cheaper (less than a third of the price of cigarettes). No harmful tars and other nasties. No more coughing. And because it’s not smoking but known as “vaping”, it can even be done in pubs.
Not that I visit pubs much nowadays of course; the price of booze being what it is. I wonder if there’s a tax on alcohol? Oh yes, silly me. Well here’s another one in the eye for the government. Instead of buying booze and paying tax, I make my own.
But that’s another story.
I wouldn’t go so far as to start smoking again, but it does make me cross as well. The government wouldn’t want to ban smoking completely as this would shut a very lucrative revenue source, but until they do so they have to stop treating it as a crime. “They” are trying to stop binge drinking and have pledged to combat cheap drink promotions and end the selling of alcohol at below cost. Therefore, shops should surely have to put all cheap alcoholic drinks out of sight. I’m far more likely to jump at the chance of something cheap to take my mind off the nightmare that is shopping !
Grr, arrg. My earlier comment was shot down before it even lived by Firefox, the Internet Police or Mr Virgin’s ISP company – or possibly some angel guarding against verbosity-of-the-posterior.
I think what smokers and all of the rest of we vice-ridden pox-laden n’er do well peasants oftentimes forget is that we are the sheep and cattle, the corporations are the farmers.
They love tobacco for the profit, they dislike the veterinarian bills that dent that profit. Same with alcohol. They are hopping from one foot to the other like some caricature of Homer Simpson – ooh, shiny profit – ugh horrid vet’s bills – ooh, shiny profit… if we add cigarettes and alcohol to their feed the animals are happier – but some of them need medical treatment and that costs – what to do, what to do?
Cynicism may be found in a plain brown wrapper on the top shelf. Please be prepared to show photo ID if you look younger than fifty.
Guido Fawkes, where are you now, when we need you more than ever?
That happened at my local Tesco a few weeks ago, it looked very odd. There were (I think) roller blinds over the gaspers, I imagine that it will slow down the shopping especially if the staff don’t recall exactly where the required brand is located. I’m just glad I am no longer a slave to nicotine.
Being an addict, I may be biased in agreeing with you, but I don’t think so. If governments can ban the display of a product simply because the very sight of it is ‘not in our best interest’ where will it end?
I know full well the health risks I run by smoking – it is an informed choice. And no, I don’t feel guilty about the cost to the NHS because of the accumulated tobacco tax contributions I’ve made over the years.
I no doubt fall foul of Godwin’s Law by pointing out that Hitler was rabidly anti-smoking,. but this comes at a time when a green paper is also proposing secret trials when the government deems it in their interest.
The tobacco counter is the bridgehead for totalitarianism!
In spite of the fact that I’ve never smoked and don’t particularly like the smell of tobacco (though it does depend, to a certain extent, on the tobacco), I’m with you on this. The ‘hide it behind a screen’ syndrome is another example of the way we’re being infantilized, a process mercilessly described by Michael Bywater in his book Big Babies. And, as you rightly say, it won’t work turn young people off cigarettes – it’ll make the cigs more interesting and attractive.
We have had this law for about five years now. It still looks strange. But if it wasn’t for the odd careless smoker leaving a package on the ground, I don’t think I would remember what they looked like. The real benefit has been the extra time it takes to rob a store as our cabinates must be locked and you cannot keep the keys in the lock.
You’re all absolutely right. As I’ve said before, I rarely smoke – in fact even less than when I wrote my previous article – but my smoking habits are of no consequence. Infanitilisation is exactly what’s happening. I eat too much cake and chocolate and consequently have a fat arse. I therefore demand that cake and chocolate be put into plain brown wrappers so that I can get thin again. I’m so angry I’m going to have a gin and tonic now, the gin having been helpfully placed in an unmarked cut-glass decanter so as to remove temptation.
Nice to hear from you again, Mr Parrot…
Welcome Rob. I have heard of these electronic gadgets but have never seen one in action. I really miss being able to smoke in pubs.
We, at the Wartime Housewife, thoroughly approve of home brewing (or whatever) and applaud you for it.
Some of my friends make beer and cider and it is the stuff of dreams. Another friend used to make oak leaf wine and it was unquestionably one of the best wines I have ever tasted.
After the five years or so in gestation, I do, for once, appear to have got the timing spot on for my next book ‘The Cigarette Papers’, (my eulogy for the fag packet), where these issues are touched on in the introduction. Should be out in three months time, available for pre-ordering in Amazonia. Roll Up! Roll Up! Apologies WH for using your excellent post for a pre-plug.
Peter: By all means plug your book on this site.
Everyone: I have seen this book already and it’s fabulous. You don’t have to be a smoker to appreciate the wonderful designs and artwork on display in this book and it makes one hanker for the days when good design and packaging were an intrinsic part of daily life. Buy it at once.
I detest all things tobacco…but I detest government nannyism more.
Alcoholic Drinks next.
Mark my words.
OSM
Ways to kill yourself that are in direct contravention of government advice:
1. Smoking
2. Drinking
3. Poor diet
Legitimate ways to kill yourself:
1. Fighting on ‘our’ side in an imperialist war
2. Allowing your employer to kill you through overwork, stress and/or (coming soon), a failure to observe health and safety procedures…
I think Old Wood hits the nail on the head – we’re just livestock, farmed for the benefit of others who are richer and more powerful.
Good to hear from you again Rab and Outer Spaceman.
I fear you are both right and it’s extremely hard to know what to do about it. They have us over a barrel as usual, and the ‘antis’ will accuse anyone who gainsays it as child murderers and enemies of the state.
What a happy bunch!
WH – The only reversal of this nannying seems to have been the change from dodgy faceless shops that the bookies once were to the emporiums of fun they now appear as.
But given every other ad on tv is for bingo or online poker maybe we could do with a bit of state repression here – or would it be that they make too much in tax from them with no obvious cost ie healthcare involved ?
Good point yes, it would hurt many government’s tax revenues very badly if everyone all of a sudden stopped smoking, it is hypocritical. Here in the Netherlands smoking on train platforms even is prohibited, it’s ridiculous. And I am saying that as a non-smoker who finds smoke quite annoying.
Laurent: Blimey that’s going it a bit, not even being able to smoke on a train platform. I always think of the Dutch as being more liberal than that. Nice to hear from you again by the way.
WH, I have news for you: smoking is already banned at all UK stations. See:
http://www.rgsonline.co.uk/Other_Organisations/ATOC/ATOC%20Good%20Practice%20Guides/ATOCGPG015%20Iss%201.pdf
Section 3: ATOC’s members have agreed to extend the ban to all platforms and station footbridges within England and Wales, this change either coinciding with or anticipating the coming into
force of the legislation.
Gawain: Good God, I didn’t know that. I rarely travel by train. Where will it end? Good to hear from you again.