Smoking, Driving and Free Choice

Just listened to an interesting interview regarding the BMA wanting smoking in cars to be banned. Regardless of the differing viewpoints I find it most bizarre that the Doctors might think that the Police could stop people smoking when they can't even enforce the ban on driving and using a mobile 'phone (well not if my journey yesterday along the M42 and my various forays to the Crem' and back are anything to go by)!

Logistics aside, I was stunned to hear how one one side the ban was designed to protect children and on the other how this was a further erosion of civil liberties and heralded the next stage towards something that would see smokers emerge as pariahs (thought they were already!) who were not even free to smoke in the privacy of their own homes.

An extension of the Nanny State? Remembering back to the Bliar days when we had calls for sharp knives to be removed from homes in a bid to reduce injuries through domestic violence and more recently the group advocating 'food wardens' who would have the right to examine larders and 'fridges as part of ensuring that the levels of obesity are reduced it beggars the question, where next?

Rationing chocolate by weight of the customer - the higher the BMI the less you can buy?

Limiting the number of times you can buy convenience food - no more hippy meals for you?

Compulsory fitness classes for the overweight and underfit?

Where would you establish a Nanny State limitation or response I wonder?

Pax