I have been struck today by the latest idiot ramblings of a useless, publicly financed quango. Professor Julian Le Grand, Chairman of Health England, has proposed that people should be required to buy an annual licence before they would be able to buy cigarettes. To get the licence you would have to pay £10, provide a photograph, proof of age and get your application endorsed by a doctor who would have to certify that your health would not be at ‘massive risk’ from smoking.
Requiring doctors to play a part in policing the purchase of cigarettes is a misuse of medical professionals and a shocking waste of necessary resources.
Le Grand talks about the money raised going to the NHS although it would be obvious to anybody other than a complete cretin that this scheme would cost far more to administer than it could ever earn from the £10 annual fee. No doubt that would be an excuse for future massive increases in the licence fee once they had conned legislators in to introducing the scheme.
I don’t smoke and never have done, but if I hear any more crap from this nannying government about smoking I might well start.
Le Grand describes his stupid idea as ‘Libertarian Paternalism’. I have never heard of that before, but I can tell you Julian that you are not my father and your theft of the word libertarian in the name of control is grossly offensive. You can stuff your offensive bureaucratic idea. You should also wind up your useless organisation and stop wasting my money. My health is none of your business. Keep your nose out of it.
