National is planning on banning...the images and messages on cigarette packets.
How astonishing!
For so long, National Party MPs and their fervent supporters have cried 'Nanny State' whenever the previous Government sought to restrict choice in anything at all, no matter what the consequences; think pies in school canteens or shower-head bores, but here they are, the Defenders of Personal Freedoms, banning advertising.
It's quite astonishing really. But the Right-wing bloggers and commentators seem to be swallowing it whole, without a grimace.
What does that tell you?
6 comments:
Sorry, don't agree Robert. Nanny state has a maternalistic element, most of what National does is to gratify the needs of their rich mates. "Big Daddy Sate" is a more appropriate title with the obvious sinister overtones.
I sent this text to morning report today,
"Perhaps John Key will suggest doing a deal with the tobacco companies, he might offer to let them keep their branding in exchange for funding hospitals or schools?"
I reckon the goverment may be doing this to distract attention from other stuff and/or get a bit of positive PR(probably both) Most people are no longer taken in by the merchants of doubt when it comes to tobacco , so being seen to be standing up to the tobacco companies will paint the government in a good light and they'll want that right now.
So Big Daddy says 'no smoking, but gambling is ok'. The damage that smoking causes shows up clearly in health statistics, while the damage to peoples lives from problem gambling is lost amongst all the other awful statistics on poverty etc.
At last! A rupture in the green cloth!
I suspect the Tories don't like it at all. Tariana Turia has denmanded this and National has to make noises as if they too desire plain packages. key will pull them back from it though, as soon as the threats from the tobacco companies come in. I do think though, that all this is already done and we are just watching the time-lapse version that's allowed to play to keep us believing that there's still democracy at play - or, it could be that I shouldn't comment on even my own blog after a couple of glasses of wine :-)
I think National could offer to ban all fracking, fully fund all schols and make the working week three days and still you would find something to whinge about!
Why, oh why would you not support any measure to cut that most horrible habit, that blight on the world, the sucker of health funds and wrecker of so many lives. Here is a party slowly shutting down the smoking industry and yet, RG sides with the B&H.
Shame dude, shame
This is nothing more than a grab for the votes that might go to the Greens.
Expect to see National taking on more Green style politics to try and stem the flow of support for the Greens in the polls.
Froga secunda.
Viv - ""Perhaps John Key will suggest doing a deal with the tobacco companies"
Who knows. The issue here is, of course, the trade deals that give overseas corporations the power to force Governments of countries likwe New Zealand to do their bidding, by using the threat of international court action - something they couldn't do before the deals were signed.
Animal - friend of the tobacco industry - very good!
Anonymous - they'll only curry favour with liberals if they succeed in bringing in the plain package 'package' and they won't, but there will be a 'compromise that will satisfy all parties', or at least a decision that will be sold as universally satisfying, imho.
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