Tuesday 12 April 2011

Goose-Stepping Into Poland

There are many who bristle when one mentions similarities between the current anti-smoking crusade and 1930s Nazi Germany, the modern root of such policies.

Not I, of course. In fact, in many cases it's a perfectly valid comparison.

Even more so now they're invading Poland.

WARWICKSHIRE’s drugs team is helping people in Poland to introduce a smoking ban.

The county’s drug and alcohol strategy team manager has been invited to support Poland in their introduction of smoke-free legislation.

Paul Hooper has been invited by the Polish equivalent of environmental health officers to help them implement the scheme.

He is travelling to Warsaw this week, where he will advise on the challenges faced in the UK since the smoking ban in public was implemented four years ago.

Mr Hooper, recently appointed by NHS Warwickshire and the county council, said: “It’s an honour to be asked to work with our Polish colleagues to contribute to the development of the country’s smoke-free policy."
I don't doubt that he feels it an honour to be regarded as a European grandmaster of prodnosery. Not so sure that Poles will be as enamoured with some dictatorial righteous goose-stepping in to restrict their liberties, though.

Of course, Hooper's salary is funded by us, the British taxpayer, so I really hope we're not having to pay for exporting such malodorous finger-wagging. It's worth asking the question, isn't it? You know, for clarity.

We wouldn't want to be in the position of giving even more of our taxes away to the Polish for free, now would we?


6 comments:

Unknown said...

These bastards are trying to sell the British smoking ban model to the rest of the world.

Why oh why can't we band together internationally to defeat these prohibitionist bastards?

I guess money is the reason, sad but true.

handymanphil said...

TBY, I will die trying to exactly that mate but what can i do if other groups refuse to listen? I met Hooper at Tony Blows joke of a trial, the man is a complete asshole who has one simple agenda-eradicate smokers/smoking! According to Hooperman, Shisha pipe smoke is a bi8gger killer than sarin gas!

Mark Wadsworth said...

TBY, to be fair, if the UK Bansturbulary* doesn't muscle in, then the Australian or Californians will. Bansturbation is one of our successful 'industries' so why shouldn't we make some money from exports.

* That's a cross between "Bansturbators" and "Constabulary". A quick Google search tells me nobody has used that word before, so there.

Paul said...

MW: Try stying 'bansturbulary' after one over the eight!

Anonymous said...

A freedom of information request to WARWICKSHIRE council to find out how much tax payers will have to fork out for this little exercise is needed.

Dick Puddlecote said...

Already in progress, Anon, as linked to above.