I was interviewed by Julia Hartley-Brewer on TalkRadio this morning.

I like Julia. I admire her forthright views and I agree with her on many things. On smoking however it's a matter of agreeing to disagree.

She doesn't strike me as a delicate flower yet she hates everything about smoking including the smell. She would happily ban the sale of cigarettes entirely.

She's a good presenter though because she gives people a chance to have their say without excessive interruption.

The result is, I think, fairly entertaining radio because we don't shout over each other, as sometimes happens. We simply make our very different points.

Today we were discussing the decision by Nottinghamshire County Council to ban smoking and vaping during work breaks.

Julia, naturally, was all in favour of extending the smoking ban. So too was my fellow guest, Amanda Sandford of ASH.

Given ASH's deafening silence on the council's decision to ban the use of e-cigarettes during working hours (offenders could even face disciplinary action), I thought I'd ask Amanda a simple question:

"Given that e-cigarettes are used by many smokers to help them quit, will ASH condemn the decision to ban vaping?"

Credit to Amanda, she was quick on her feet. Cleverley avoiding a 'yes' or 'no' answer, she responded by saying (I paraphrase), "If we had been asked we would have advised against a ban on vaping."

Brilliant!

Nottinghamshire County Council announced proposals to ban smoking during work hours in September 2015. At the time it was made clear that the measure would extend to e-cigarettes.

ASH advocates the use of e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking. You would think they would have lobbied the council to exempt vaping.

It seems not. Why? "We weren't asked."

Until today's interview on TalkRadio I've read and head nothing from ASH on the issue.

Why? "We weren't asked."

I think two things are going on here.

One, ASH don't want to criticise a policy that comes under the general heading of 'tobacco control'. Nothing must be allowed to derail the prohibition or denormalisation of smoking. If vaping is caught in the crossfire, so be it.

Two, ASH and their fellow 'pro-vaping' advocates in the public health industry are not really defenders of vaping.

Their current advocacy of e-cigarettes is a means to an end. That end is not a smoke-free society but a world devoid of any form of nicotine addiction.

That's the real endgame.

If anyone thinks ASH et al are anything more than fair weather friends to vapers you haven't been paying attention.

The fact is, whenever the use of e-cigarettes is banned - on a Pembrokeshire beach, on hospital or council grounds - the 'pro-vaping' public health lobby goes missing.

The sound of tumbleweed is in stark contrast to their normal blathering when it's a struggle to shut them up.

On the matter of vaping during work hours you'll struggle to find a single tweet.

Why? "We weren't asked." Doh!

With 'friends' like that who needs enemies?

Vapers, you have been warned. Again.