First let me say that I am a non-smoker; I have always been a non-smoker; I do not like being in a smoky atmosphere and I would not tolerate smoking in my house or my car.
But that is my house, my car and my choice.
Today's papers carry a story that "leading" doctors and the Chief Medical Officer want a ban on smoking in all cars because of a study showing the connection between passive smoking in children and asthma attacks.
Now I realise that asthma is a dangerous and distressing illness and I have sympathy for the sufferers and their families. But surely any parent of an asthmatic, if they have any common sense, would already be doing their utmost to ensure that the children live and travel in a smoke-free environment. If there are parents who are stupid and selfish enough to ignore the advice and continue to smoke around their asthmatic children, surely that is the problem to be addressed?
More could be done to help those children by targetting and educating the parents who are the problem, rather than penalising the population at large who want to indulge their vice in the privacy of their own car where they are harming noone but themselves. It seems madness to me that someone who is not an asthmatic, has no family members who are and who never gives a lift to anyone who is, should be prevented from smoking in their car and to suggest that this will somehow protect other childrens health.
Frankly I think this latest twist is just another attempt by the health fascists to stamp out a behaviour that they disapprove of. A ban on smoking in cars has been suggested before and not been carried forward. This latest attempt is cynically using the children's health angle because they see that as a more emotive issue that might win support where they failed before.
If this ban went through then I would not be personally affected in any way but it still makes me irritated that there are people who think it is their right to dictate to the rest of us what we should and shouldn't be doing for our own good.
Rant over!