Caroline Lucas, friend or foe?

Between now and the General Election on May 7 I'm highlighting a series of 'target seats', those where the candidate standing for re-election has supported anti-tobacco policies, and those where a leading candidate is an opponent of excessive lifestyle regulations and policies that infantilise us all. With a few exceptions I'm focussing on marginal or semi-marginal seats.

#18 - Brighton Pavilion
For all their hippy dippy chic the Greens are no friend of the smoker. Quite the reverse. If Britain was to be governed for any length of time by a coalition of "progressive" parties comprising any combination of Labour, the SNP, the Greens and Plaid Cymru smokers would have a simple choice – quit or leave the country. In 2010 the Greens sole MP Caroline Lucas voted against a relaxation of the smoking ban. In 2014 she voted to ban smoking in private vehicles with children present. She's also been an outspoken supporter of plain packaging which she argued will "save lives". Meanwhile the 2015 Green manifesto has called for sharp increases in tax on alcohol and tobacco to help fund the NHS. Brighton Pavilion is a three-way battle so it should be close.

2010 majority: 1,252 (2.4%)
Estimated number of smokers in Brighton Pavilion: 14,810*
Principal opponents: Labour & Conservative
Friend or foe: Foe
Target rating: Vulnerable

*Based on 20% of the registered electorate in 2010

Note: marginal seats have been defined as those with majorities of 10% or less that require a swing of 5% for the incumbent party to lose.

Comments

[Peter Thurgood]

So Caroline Lucas is an outspoken supporter of plain packaging which she argues will "save lives"

What utter bulls**t - One could come up with blanket statements like that about almost every and any product on the market. Booze sold in plain bottles - sweets and cakes sold in plain packaging - petrol sold from plain pumps - airlines with no insignia - knives and forks banned - mountaineering, potholing, horse riding, boxing, car racing, you name it and by banning it you could save lives - but is that what we want, to live in a sterile world where "risk" of any type is forbidden and punishable in the courts?

Help point children along the right path by all means, by educating them to develop their own minds and to ask questions and not believe everything that is written down before them - but for Christ sake leave adults alone to make up their own minds whether they want to drink alcohol or smoke tobacco - it is (or should be) an informed choice.

Caroline Lucas need only look around and ask herself why she is a one person party - the answer is staring her in the face. People do not want to be bullied and intimidated into living her type of lifestyle - if she want to live like that then good for her, but for Christ sake Caroline, leave the rest of us alone.

[Gary Rogers]

After may 7th Caroline Lucas will be a former Mp, I cannot see her holding this seat, and also on May 8th many of her Green party Councillors who have messed up Brighton & Hove will be Ex Councillors. Good Bloody Riddance.