UK MPs Give Health Secretary Power to Ban Smoking in Cars

A moment ago I reported on Twitter that British Members of Parliament had voted through a House of Lords amendment enabling the UK Health Secretary to ban smoking in cars, where children are in the vehicle.

BREAKING: Smoking in cars amendment: AYEs: 376 NOs: 107. Goodbye freedom in the UK.

— Raheem Kassam (@RaheemJKassam) February 10, 2014

To many, this may seem a “sensible” amendment; after all, the children are our future, and we don’t particularly want that future to involve lung cancer — or even, frankly — smelly children.

But there is a more nefarious undertone to this whole thing, and it is one that once again brings to light the role and resourcing of the police in this country.

Today alone, I’ve reported both how government is wasting £1 in every £6 it spends in the UK, and how local police forces are squandering hundreds of thousands of British pounds on iPads and other gadgets. 

Now, it appears in addition to trying to police Twitter, our police may be peering into your car, trying to ascertain whether or not you’re smoking and whether there is a child with you. Seems like a good use of police time, right? No, of course not.

Banning you from smoking in your car is basically saying to you that you not have dominion over your possessions, and you do know not know how to be a responsible parent. The state can do this all for you now. And what’s the next step? No smoking in your home? I’m sure of it. 

This is what big government buys you: costly, scarcely enforceable nannying at the behest of the anti-smoking lobby/anti-business lobby/pro-European Union lobby/climate change lobby/socialist campaigners. Delete as appropriate.

But the reality is you don’t need to delete anything.

Conservatives and libertarians seem to be dwindling in number, at least in positions of power, and the aforementioned groupings in the UK are in brazen alliance with one another to scratch each others’ backs while they all pick our pockets and trounce our liberties.

Freedom died a little more today in Great Britain. I just hope my American friends are watching and taking note.