[Politics] The Labour Government

[Simster]

Same as when the Tories tried it, I don't get the tightening of smoking laws (Don't smoke/Vape) it will just drive people to the black market/doing it in their own houses, which is worse.

The only change I would make to the existing rules is having an exclusion zone outside health care buildings.

Yes I agree.

Why are the government bothering with this? The Tories have left an absolute mess. Surely they need to be fixing that first?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Yes I agree.

Why are the government bothering with this? The Tories have left an absolute mess. Surely they need to be fixing that first?

Yep, seems a strange one to push now, when there's far more important things to fix.

 

[Simster]

Yep, seems a strange one to push now, when there's far more important things to fix.

And it's divisive and really not clear cut.

Just fix the country before implementing policies where the only guaranteed benefit is upsetting Nigel Farage FFS.

 

[worthingweird]

Yep, seems a strange one to push now, when there's far more important things to fix.

Next five years is gonna be far worse...

 

[Is it PotG?]

Starmer may regret pissing off the pensioners

 

[BLOCK F]

Yep, seems a strange one to push now, when there's far more important things to fix.

They don’t need any encouragement to do strange things, watch out for a ban on drinking in pubs next.

 

[jcdenton08]

We have massive problems, stopping people having a fag outside of a pub is not a pressing issue.

Get your heads down guys and gals, focus on the important stuff, now is not the time for this kind of nonsense.

When they were in opposition, I said I want boring people doing a professional job quietly.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

We have massive problems, stopping people having a fag outside of a pub is not a pressing issue.

Get your heads down guys and gals, focus on the important stuff, now is not the time for this kind of nonsense.

When they were in opposition, I said I want boring people doing a professional job quietly.

Exactly this.

When Sunak wanted to introduce his new smoking laws pre election, I thought, yeah, not a bad idea, but a clear sign that the Tories had run out of ideas....(which they had)

Why 6 weeks into Govt. would SKS prioritise this when I could come up with a HUGE list of more pressing issues.

 

[WATFORD zero]

And it's divisive and really not clear cut.

Just fix the country before implementing policies where the only guaranteed benefit is upsetting Nigel Farage FFS.

Apart from continuing to drive down the billions that smoking still costs the NHS, just like all the other smoking measures that have been successfully introduced and saved 10s of billions over the last couple of decades

 

[Simster]

And possibly to continue to drive down the billions that smoking still costs the NHS

I had always assumed tobacco tax pays far more than it costs the NHS but a quick google suggests it's the other way round. It's still a bit, well, long-term as a plan though. I mean nothing wrong with that while the sun is shining, but it's not - 14 years of incompetence and corruption has seen to that.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Exactly this.

When Sunak wanted to introduce his new smoking laws pre election, I thought, yeah, not a bad idea, but a clear sign that the Tories had run out of ideas....(which they had)

Why 6 weeks into Govt. would SKS prioritise this when I could come up with a HUGE list of more pressing issues.

I Think younger people are turning against smoking anyway, it is naturally going to continue to fall away.

 

[Alwaysblue]

Apart from continuing to drive down the billions that smoking still costs the NHS, just like all the other smoking measures that have been successfully introduced and saved 10s of billions over the last couple of decades

Ban drinking then, cost the NHS millions as well dealing with the effect of drinking

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

I had always assumed tobacco tax pays far more than it costs the NHS but a quick google suggests it's the other way round. It's still a bit, well, long-term as a plan though. I mean nothing wrong with that while the sun is shining, but it's not - 14 years of incompetence and corruption has seen to that.

Drinking/obesity cost an absolute fortune, sports/DIY injuries all self inflicted rack up.

NHS is always going to have costs that are from people doing things that you could ban.

Should be educating people rather than banning it

 

[nicko31]

We have massive problems, stopping people having a fag outside of a pub is not a pressing issue.

Get your heads down guys and gals, focus on the important stuff, now is not the time for this kind of nonsense.

When they were in opposition, I said I want boring people doing a professional job quietly.

Better to focus on dealing with illegal vapes which are full of all kinds of shit. The handful of remaining tobacco consumers aren't a problem

 

[WATFORD zero]

To be fair, none of those took away the Winter Fuel Payments for someone like my 87 YO (Labour member/supporting, Labour leaflet dropping) mother-in-law, pensioner, lives in Whitehawk, just above the 'threshold' which she will now lose.

Sometimes you have to acknowledge when the Govt. has f***ed up - and RR has done so on this one.

I agree that it would have been good if they could have 'staged' payments rather than a straight cut off at the benefit threshold or found a level slightly above the benefit threshold, but don't have any suggestions as to how that would work.

However, my 91 year old Mother, living on her own in a one bedroom council property, on basic state pension is also 'above the benefits threshold' due to being a few quid over the savings limit for benefits.

She has been saying for the last few years that she doesn't need it and it should go to those 'more needy' and doesn't think the Government have f***ed up at all

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Yes I agree.

Why are the government bothering with this? The Tories have left an absolute mess. Surely they need to be fixing that first?

I think they're searching desperately for something that might be popular that doesn't add even more to Starmer's self confessed gloom mongering.

 

[pocketseagull]

I gave up smoking during the pandemic after a fairly heavy 30 year habit, one of the best things I've done health and finance wise. The proposal to ban smoking from pub gardens and outside them is mental. Taking an already stupid Tory plan and making it even worse.

 

[beorhthelm]

the question is why not simply ban smoking altogether? the puritans want to push it away, hide it, then dont have the courage to go for a full ban.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Which reminds me,

It's a fair point. Maybe a means tested state pension like the means tested heating allowance?

it has been floated. rather courageous politically, breaks the whole structure of NI. more obvious and fairer approach will be reducing the considerable tax relief for higher tax rate payers. still be able to save and get a decent pension, just without the full 40-45% bump from the treasury.

When you claimed that means testing the state pension 'had been floated' by the Government a couple of days ago, I asked for your source for this and still haven't had an answer. Maybe you missed it

 

[Weststander]

Better to focus on dealing with illegal vapes which are full of all kinds of shit. The handful of remaining tobacco consumers aren't a problem

6.6m still smoke.

The bill (it’s said) deals with the vapes issue too. It’s the same bill that was in the parliamentary system pre GE, but with this smoking add on.