Oppositie Engelse rookverbod steeds krachtiger
Met de oprichting van een nieuwe website bundelen rokers en bareigenaren in Groot Brittanië sinds deze week hun krachten bij het bestrijden van het rookverbod dat de regering in de zomer van 2007 in Engeland wil invoeren. Ook de bestaande rookverboden in Wales, Schotland en Ierland staan vanaf de site onder schot.
De site heet ‘Freedom to Choose‘ en biedt bezoekers onder andere de mogelijkheid om online petities te tekenen tegen de rookverboden en met elkaar via forums in discussie te gaan.
Freedom To Choose is an unfunded volunteer group of licensees and members of the public who feel that the Government has lied to them on the smoking ban issue by not carrying though the promises made in its manifesto. Even more concern is surfacing since the Health Minister, Lord Warner, declared that there is a possibility of the ban extending to outside areas.
The argument that secondary smoke is dangerous was certainly not debated or held up for scrutiny and media debate has greatly over-represented the views of the NHS and ASH, whose scare-mongering tactics are all that most of the public saw and heard. What about the publicans, club secretaries, restaurant and cafe outlets and their patrons? Who consulted them?
Feelings are so intense that many of our members have given up their own free time to take a firm stance against this ban and are working toward making the Government listen to the people of this nation, who feel cheated and disillusioned.