Guardian video: Robert Harris on Fatherland: ‘What would have happened if Hitler had won?’
Answer: They would have banned smoking in all public buildings, started monitoring all of our personal correspondence, anaesthetised our brains with vapid television and radio programmes, banned dogs from beaches, and sold us a pack of lies about how we could combat climate change with a few windmills.
But I suppose the trains would at least run on time.
…courtesy of Mr Mark E Smith in today’s Observer:
If I could change one law I would reverse the smoking ban immediately. I was in a pub last Saturday night, just having a quiet pint, and this fella gets his baby out and changes its nappy on the table next to me. That would have never happened before the smoking ban.
He has a point you know, anti-smoking killjoys.
Spotted in Borders while buying Christmas presents the other week:
Not where I'd have put them.
The late Simon Gray would be laughing his head off to see his diaries on sale in the self-help section. If you are thinking of giving up smoking as a new year’s resolution (and you really should), then Simon Gray’s books about utterly failing to do so are almost certainly not for you.
Apparently, a graveyard is waaaay too confined a space to cut smokers a bit of slack.
(My granddad fought the Nazis, you know.)
NewsBiscuit: Smokers banned from naming or pointing at favourite brand
In further moves to discourage smoking, the Department of Health have announced a complete ban on naming your favourite brand of cigarette or pointing at them in the newsagents and tobacconists.
From now on smokers will have to perform an elaborate round of charades to express their desire to purchase a packet of cigarettes’ explained Jane Shillitoe, Under Secretary of State for Health. ‘For example, ’20 Benson and Hedges’ would involve flashing both palms twice, then doing a sounds-like hen move, then indicating a sun, then a little cross to symbolise the word ‘and’, and finally a mime which recreates a pair of garden hedges. We expect to reduce smoking across the population, except possibly among mime artists.’
This time, they want to ban logos on cigarette packets to discourage kids from smoking.
Hoorah! That ought to do it!
The really important thing is to be seen to be doing something, no matter how ineffective and petty it might be. Change is progress. If the government isn’t doing anything, then what do we need a government for?
Yes, banning cigarette logos was top of my list too, Gordon. Glad to see you’re getting your priorities right. Very well done!
BBC: Call to restrict smoking scenes
An anti-smoking group in Liverpool is calling for all movies with smoking scenes to be given an 18 certificate.
The latest modest proposal from the anti-smoking bigots. Doesn’t it seem just a little bit over-the-top to you? Here’s a short list of films that would be given an 18 certificate if they had their way:
Yes, we know smoking isn’t nice, but neither is being a criminal (not quite the same thing yet—although rapidly heading that way in the movies). Tell you what, while we’re at it, let’s slap an 18 certificate on every film with a bad guy in it too, just to make sure they don’t tempt children towards a life in crime.