All dressed up and nowhere to go
Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 0:35
Simon Clark

Further to yesterday's posts the BMA story rumbles on.

I was booked to appear on the Daily Politics with Andrew Neil on BBC Two this morning.

They wanted to discuss the BMA motion to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone born after the year 2000.

I got up at 5.30, put on my best suit and drove to London.

At ten o'clock my phone rang. It was a researcher telling me I'd been dropped from the programme because there were "technical problems" and the BMA couldn't (or wouldn't) put up a spokesman of their own.

He was very nice about it. They would have me on "another time".

It's good the BBC is so concerned with balance. How many times, though, have we had to listen to anti-tobacco campaigners (and politicians) banging on about some anti-smoking initiative without an opponent in sight?

I was also asked to do Channel 5 News this evening but I'll be on The Elizabethan ahead of tonight's Smoke On The Water boat party. I suggested some alternative commentators instead.

Update: The BMA has just voted to lobby for a ban on smoking for anyone born this century.

Good luck with that!

Update: BBC News has the story here - Ban new smokers, call from BMA conference - with a quote from Forest.

Ditto the Guardian - Doctors vote for ban on UK cigarette sales to those born after 2000.

Update: Just done an interview for Channel 5 News. I'll be on BBC Radio Merseyside at 4.50 and something else (?) in the morning.

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