For the first time in 14 years, the United Kingdom is governed by a Labour government.
In-fighting within the Conservative Party along with a resurgent Reform UK under Nigel Farage led to a split vote across the U.K.’s 650 constituencies. The result? A Labour majority not seen since 2001.
Labour are often seen as socialists by those on the right. While perhaps true for the party under “Comrade” Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir Starmer has brought Labour to a more moderate standing with left-wingers comprising a minority.
As with any new government, the honeymoon period fades away sooner or later. More popular governments may enjoy months or even years before current voters turn into ex-supporters.
For Prime Minister Keir Starmer, it’s been a matter of weeks.
His response to the civil unrest across the U.K. at the start of August prompted many critics to call out what they saw as “two-tier policing”, where far-left extremists were seemingly subject to less harsher disciplinary action for their involvement than their right-wing counterparts.
And now he’s really outdone himself.
An annual summer break has, for now, reduced political scrutiny. However, as the kids prepare to return to school – and the MPs to parliament – Sir Keir has announced a new target for his center-left attack: smokers.
The U.K. already has some of the strictest rules against smokers. Taxation has seen a pack of cigarettes rise to as much as $20, while flavored cigs such as menthols have been banned for years. Those now old enough to purchase cigarettes will never have seen smoking inside buildings, while the more swankier pubs now segregate outdoor areas for smokers and non-smokers.
Not content with these strict regulations, Sir Keir is now pledging to restrict where you can light up in public. Beers gardens and nightclubs are among more of the ludicrous bans proposed, with smokers now forced elsewhere. Furthermore, if your sports team is struggling in a must-win fixture, don’t expect to be allowed outside for a stress-relieving cigarette under Starmer’s new rules.
I myself am a former smoker. A switch to IQOS has helped cut down the inhaled toxins when the thought of a Kamala Harris presidency becomes too much to bear. As a Brit who likes a beer or three in the pub garden on a weekend, I am perhaps set to benefit most from the enforced removal of a tempting cigarette on a sunny afternoon.
Yet, I can’t help but feel there are so many ludicrous aspects to the proposed bans. Hospitality received a battering during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the new rules are unlikely to encourage social smokers to take a trip to their local pub.
We also know that the war on drugs simply isn’t working. Where there’s demand, there’s supply, and effectively criminalizing smokers in certain areas will no doubt be yet another step towards an unregulated tobacco industry.
It is, of course, worth remembering that police resources are unable to catch hardened criminals, so there’s also a question of whether this absurd idea will ever actually be enforced. Nevertheless, given that social media posts now lead to jail time in the U.K., it’s likely that the local bobby on the beat will be more than eager to arrest a criminal smoker.
The Prime Minister’s falling approval rating shows many are discontent with his two-month-old premiership thus far. He was elected on a platform as an alternative to a chaotic Conservative Party with many believing he would not invoke left-wing, liberty-crushing policies under his restructured Labour Party.
Yet, in what can only be a warning to the United States, abandoning conservatism has seen little improvement in the country.
Just take one recent example; in California, one town, Carlsbad, California, recently banned smoking and vaping of both cannabis and nicotine products will be banned in private residences, including apartments, condos, and other shared buildings.
Vote wisely, America…
