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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Even UKIP voters back the plan that cigarettes be sold in plain packaging
It’s being said that one of the reasons why the government has deferred the decision on cigarettes being sold in plain packaging is because of UKIP. CON ministers in particular didn’t want to provide ammunition for the most well-known of political smokers, Nigel Farage.
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Rather than faffing about with plain packaging etc isn't the obvious answer for those who care about smoking-related deaths/illnesses to ban smoking and the sale of cigarettes?
If smoking is legal then it is illogical to place excessive limits on how it is sold/marketed.
Just to be clear I don't smoke and don't much care one way or the other about this issue. But if harm to health is the deciding factor then it makes no sense to allow any smoking at all. The same could, of course, be said of alcohol etc.
Our approach to legislation on these "lifestyle" issues does appear a bit muddled.
Darned thing democracy - politicians having to win elections.....
http://news.yahoo.com/cigarette-pack-warnings-not-plain-wrappers-eu-committee-215357782.html
I haven't seen references to this in the context of the UK government decision.
I hate the way that people talk of rising house prices as a good thing. Inflation is never a good thing. The only reason why a house should go up in value is if it has been genuinely improved e.g. an extra bedroom or whatever not because of a bubble and insufficient supply.
We will have a sensible economy when house prices are stable, people buy houses to live in them, there is a supply of good quality property for rent on medium/long-term leases and newspapers are not full of articles about how houses are going up in value by 2% a month or whatever.
Like asking people who want to buy ciggies to recite their 8x tables first. In French.
And mike, 46% of 12% isn't going to change the world anytime soon although I like the fact that UKIP voters are now seen as the bellwether of government policy.
Do you expect Ed or Nick to gain lots of votes by making this a defining issue of the 2015 GE?
http://order-order.com/2013/04/30/soubrys-5-billion-plain-packaging-costs-silence/
and hemp ones.
You want them to fight this battle (which is worth fighting) now so they lose the war (which is not).
If its such a brilliant idea I look forward to all 3 parties campaigning on it- in the meantime your motives are engagingly transparent!
Is Labour going to change it ? No, they're just going to make themselves look stupid by getting their base riled up only to have to deflate them. Pointless Ed in action.
The Construction data released this morning may not be "good" in absolute terms but relative to the previous quarter they were flat which represents a big improvement on recent trends.
This bodes well for Q2 GDP as can be seen from the following ONS table: The "Q 2013 on previous Q 2013" is the key column.
The problem with construction is the massive fall in output which followed the financial crisis and which was much larger than the general fall in GDP. On the year on year figures, further note should be taken of the distortions caused by May 2013 having one more bank holiday than May 2012.
This is shown in the ONS introduction to the above table:
The most recent estimate of gross domestic product (GDP) confirmed the UK economy grew by 0.3% in the first quarter of 2013 following a contraction of 0.2% in Q4 2012. Construction output has contrasted these recent movements, falling by 2.4% in Q1 2013 after a short-lived return to growth (0.8%) in the previous quarter.
Looking at the longer term trend, GDP has fallen by 3.9% in the five years since the first quarter of 2008, whereas construction output has fallen by 18.9% over the same time period.
Construction estimates are highly responsive to the economic cycle and have provided some of the largest downward contributions to GDP. In terms of volume, construction output fell to £23,669 million in Q1 2013. This is the lowest level since Q1 1999 and £309 million below the previous trough in Q3 2009.
Given the cold weather depressed Q1 resulted in a contraction of -2.4%, flat monthly and quarterly figures for May (and to May) are, in context, good outcomes and bode well for Q2 2013 GDP growth being solid.
The good news just won't stop coming, tim, even in areas of great diffculty for the economy.
And before you bang on about house prices, GDP growth is driven by volume not value.
I thought that disabled people were being made exempt from the rules on spare bedrooms. Or did I dream that?
If not, it is unkind to force carers into this position. Those caring for the disabled are exactly the sort of people who should be helped by a properly designed welfare system. It is those who are unreasonably occupying a house too large for their needs at taxpayers' expense who should be affected not those who genuinely need the space.
Take drink-driving. It is rightly seen socially as a no-no - you should not drink-drive. Yet people still do it despite the laws, punishments and social tut-tutting.
I honestly don't know what the answer is to this one. But I was well aware of the harm cigarettes could cause when I was a kid in the eighties, and I doubt anyone is unaware now.
But people still smoke. Perhaps we should just educate them of the dangers, and let them get on with it? The same could be said for other minor addictive drugs as well, which is why I continually flip-flop on legalisation of cannabis ...
Also it seemed like the construction figures had a positive component for house building, even if repair and maintenance was dragging them down.
Anyway, we must be approaching a break-even point where the monies raised by cigarette duties covers the extra burden bought onto the NHS by smokers. I wonder if there have been any recent studies by the treasury on this.
Probably so. Doesn't make it any less sh*tty and repugnant a policy though.
It absolutely is getting their base riled up and some of the lib dem base too which will help them until the truth dawns on their activists.
Not really sure how much tobacco farming goes on in the EU to be honest.
When will Governments realise that the big companies have far too much power(due to pathetically weak competition law) and it their job to protect the public from abuse of industry power and its ill effects, not climb into bed with the perpetrators.
https://www.predictious.com/politics
Hardly any liquidity there yet, but they've just opened so hopefully they'll get better. Their politics stuff is all a bit long-term right now (next presidential election, not even anything on the primaries), and you probably wouldn't want to lock your money up with them for that long until they at least build up a bit of a track record. But they say they can add more markets if you suggest them.
Caveat puntor, obviously, but let us know if you try it.
http://thelincolnite.co.uk/2013/07/lincolnshire-councillors-vote-against-allowance-rise/
It absolutely is getting their base riled up and some of the lib dem base too which will help them until the truth dawns on their activists.
crocodile tears and posturing from Chuka what's the alternative he proposes. Nothing, zilch, nada, niente, nichts. 21 months from a GE and the best the opposition can come up with is silence.
It absolutely is getting their base riled up and some of the lib dem base too which will help them until the truth dawns on their activists.
Are Labour prepared to make a manifesto commitment to increasing taxes on ordinary working folk so that those people who receive housing benefit can have an additional bedroom?
http://www.scribd.com/doc/138658287/Spielman-Submission-2008
It looks plausible, but it's hard to tell how great the risk is.
Quite. If there are disabled people suffering then I'm sure the policy can be amended. It doesn't necessarily mean it should be scrapped.
crocodile tears and posturing from Chuka what's the alternative he proposes. Nothing, zilch, nada, niente, nichts. 21 months from a GE and the best the opposition can come up with is silence.
All hot air and smoke from Chuka as we approach the butt end of this parliament.
You were merely gullible enough to fall for the tory spin. No huge crime, gullible tory eurosceptics have been falling for Cast Iron Cammie's spin on Europe for years yet they still keep coming back for more to be made a fool of.
Curiously, this family looking after a disabled child doesn't seem to be too grateful for this generous tory ideological 'help'. Maybe you should just tell them they've never had it so good?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMzzkYhp0Q8
I remember as a 12 year old standing in the newsagents and excitedly pointing at the gold packet of B&H in the newsagents rack and saying,
"But there for my mum, honest!'
IMO this is from the department of 'being seen to do something' rather than trying to actually do something.
In the interests of full disclosure, it is much more worthwhile for me to book a short break in Ljubljana and load up with fags at €36 a carton. I haven't bought packet of fags in this country for over a year.
BTW the 2nd and 3rd sentences are for comedic effect as my mother used to smoke Players No6
Are Labour prepared to make a manifesto commitment to increasing taxes on ordinary working folk so that those people who receive housing benefit can have an additional bedroom?
Labour will be promoting a smoking room subsidy. Smoking jackets de rigeur but walls to be painted in plain magnolia.
The idea that it might cost jobs, suggests they think it would work.
You're assuming it's going to save money.
At what point to rent arrears start to null it's effect.
Let alone the impact on carers who are saving the state a huge amount and now find themselves targeted.
And Cameron is going to find cash for married couples this autumn.
so far Labour have carped at the sidelines and proposed precisely nothing.
Labour what's the point ?
Stand aside and give the LDs a go, at least they get results.
It was costing me about £16 for 200 in Qatar, £15 if I bought them a duty free. You could smoke in most public places as well - even offices which was quite strange given I'm too young to remeber that being allowed in UK offices. Getting stung for £4.20 for a packet of 10 Marlboro today is making me contemplate quitting though!
I think there are around 6 million carers, and I guess the number affected in any way by the bedroom tax will be....????? 100,000???
But I agree, disabled people are suffering, no matter how small a minority, then the law should be amended.
As Milton Friedman said, "living is dangerous to your health".
Glenn McGrath just mentioned on Test Match Special that his wife's art gallery has been named as one of the best 15 museums or art galleries in the world:
http://mclemoi.com/about-me/
The Grand Old Duke of Ed off on manoeuvres once again.
Meet you at the bottom of the hill.
"There is no mistake. Those are the correct lyrics. The full verse goes:
"Sweet Dreams are made of cheese; Who am I to diss a brie; I travel the world and the Cheddar Cheese; Everybody's looking for Stilton."
Anyone who says otherwise is a pop history revisionist."
An enjoyable if expensive habit is probably the most optimistic reason.
Anyway you should thank us for smoking as we die younger and therefore receive less in pension payments.
Emoting on the issue just makes bad policy. I have no issue in driving smoking down, but oversimplication based on slogans isn't the way to do it.
c €1300 and nearly £2k left for flghts and lovely Union beer at €2.20 a bottle
Unlike food, drink and travel, branding on fags offers no benefit whatsoever. There is no cost from removing them.
The report also points out that teenagers get their first smokes from friends or family. So perhaps packaging will have little effect.
In my defence I do go to the gym 5-6 times a week and I'm in reasonable shape. I see loads and loads of overweight people but it always seems to be smokers who get a hard time of it. Time to start taxing pasties and sausage rolls – surely no one could object to that.
Drugs are with us and people are going to use them. Always have and always will. The only question is whether we want accountable companies, medical services and governments to control and monitor supply - or gangsters.
I prefer the former. In all cases.
ridiculous. What benefits does alcohol offer ? Why shouldn't whisky or vodka just come in a uni-bottle with identical labels ?
When I was a teenager and used to smoke most of the time I ponced them off other people at school, I looked far too young to get served, so the packaging was nothing to do with it. Cant see how it would make any difference.
I like the idea that they are not shown in Supermarkets now, locked away behind metal screen.
Secondly UKIP don't want to repeal the smoking ban in all public places, they want owners of pubs to be able to have a room where people can smoke if they like. Personally I would not go in a room with lots of people smoking and think the ban has been a good idea, but maybe that's because I don't smoke anymore.
Standard & Poor's today uprated Ireland's sovereign risk to BBB+ stable from a previous negative outlook.
S&P stated that there was a one in three chance of Ireland's rating being uprated again in the next two years.
“Ireland could over-achieve its fiscal targets and reduce its government debt faster than we currently expect,” S&P said. “Ireland’s economic recovery is under way.”
Just where is BenM when you need him to comment?
Possibly on holiday in Italy whose rating was cut today from BBB+ to BBB with a negative outlook due to its economy continuing in recession.
No prizes too for Boy George: he keeps his top AAA rating as does Germany.
I will wear a dress to the next Dirty Dicks do if you wear a shell suit.
Deal?
And some people still think they have political weight.
Having seen the damage both fags and booze can do am glad advertising is regulated. The case against fags is so clear, very strong measures are justified IMO. I don't think the case against booze is quite so one sided, but it is rightly controlled.
http://mobilizer.instapaper.com/m?u=http://bloom.bg/1aRS8aR