They made exceptions to the public smoking ban for tobacconists and, presumably, what is left of commonsense will prevail in relation to displays in tobacconists. Tobacco is not an illegal substance is it - or is it? I can remember when contraceptives were sold sub rosa from under the counter in chemistrs and as 'something for the weekend' in barbers. Nowadays, they are on sale in supermarkets, next to the sweet counter, and tobacco is being pushed out of sight, as something embarassing and awkward. This kind of thing (as I have said before), makes my blood boil: it is the presumptuousness of some f***ing, stuck-up, pervy Tin-Hitlers, getting their only kicks in life out of telling the rest of us what to do. Cameron and the other moron are as weak as piss. The fact that I could never contemplate living in England again does not mean that my heart does not bleed for Her. If I were to live there again, I should organize some hard-line opposition and civil disturbance (like the odd riot) against this sort of buggeration (a respectable construction law term) of society.

What, oh what has happened to the British--at one time such a virile, daring, valiant and martial people--an inspiration to the whole world? Sometimes I get sick of all the goings-on in this direction in the States and the Peoples' Republic of California in particular, but then I hear about things like this--under the Tories, yet--and I thank God that nearly all my ancestors were on the Patriot side in the Revolution. (The Mohawks in my family line backed the British, but that's about it.)

Some of my friends at Oxford suggested I might be happier if I stayed on in Britain. At times in later years I wondered if they might have been right. These days, when I could not own my guns (almost all of them anyway) nor my darling dog (also banned by the Tories) in Britain, I am very glad I made the choice I did.

I think of one version of an old American patriotic song:

"We are a hardy free-born race
who always fight for glory
and never gave our votes to place
as president a Tory!
Kentucky, oh Kentucky,
the Hunters of Kentucky!"

Of course, I suppose most of western Europe is as bad or worse. As one friend of mine sagely remarked, "We seem to have 'de-nazified' the Germans right of the end of the pike!"

Last edited by captainpreppy (2011-03-09 11:55:16)

Subsequent to making my previous post, it occurred to me that Cameron is a veteran of illustrious (or notorious) Bullingdon Society at Oxford. You'd think an old hellraiser like that would be more resistant to the malevolent do-gooderism of the nanny-staters.

Grossgrain, I fear our philosophies of life are so inalterably opposed that discussion would be of little benefit. However, you mention that most crime in the UK involves young people who are off their head on drink, drugs or both. Fair enough, but I have never heard of a bar-room brawl incited by tobacco smoke. I have never heard of a man beating his wife to death in a tobacco-induced stupor or a car-crash involving someone whose driving ability was impaired by tobacco smoke...well, you get it.

After reading this thread earlier, I went out and sat in the warm California sun smoking a friendly briar and reading a few lines of Virgil. What a pleasant, utterly pacific, contemplative pursuit!

Last edited by captainpreppy (2011-03-09 15:02:50)

Guns have not been 'commonly available' in the UK for a very long time before most of them were banned. Breaches in vetting licence applicants resulted in a couple of tragic incidents. As a result of these, all law-abiding people were forced to give up their guns and the pleasure that they found in using them competitively. Shotguns and sporting rifles will be next because the system for licensing them gave a licence to that fellow (Moat?) who, recently went around blasting indiscriminately but he was so mad that he would have found some other mortal weaponry to effect his purpose; the fact of the matter is that regulation of actual criminals has been a lost cause for some time and so, to create an illusion of control, governments and associated whackos seek to over-regulate those who meekly comply.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-03-09 21:48:41)