Picking apart the devolved parties' policies on smoking and public health
Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 13:00 Ukip Wales has repeated its support for smoking rooms in pubs.
Speaking ahead of the Welsh Parliament (Senedd) election on Thursday, party spokesman Neil Hamilton – a former Conservative minister and interim leader of Ukip nationally – told the BBC's Politics Wales programme:
"What we want to do is provide freedom of choice.
"If people want to smoke in a controlled environment and nobody's compelled to share the air that they're exhaling, I don't see why in a free society you shouldn't be able to do that."
"I'm not a smoker myself and I don't want to sit drinking in a smoke-filled room, but if there are people and there are quite a number of them who would like to do that then in a free country I think they should be allowed to."
It follows a commitment in the party's manifesto to:
Lift the blanket smoking ban in Welsh pubs, giving landlords the freedom to provide contained and ventilated smoking rooms if they wish.
As I've mentioned before, Neil Hamilton was a close friend of the late Lord Harris of High Cross, chairman of Forest from 1987 until his death in 2006.
I applaud him for continuing to stand up for freedom of choice, especially when most free marketeers and conservative-leaning politicians have abandoned smokers to their fate.
The truth though is that Ukip's support for smoking rooms is and always has been a double-edged sword given the nature of the party. I've noticed too that it tends to be driven not by the membership but by whoever is leading the party at any particular moment.
In Wales, where Ukip once had seven representatives in the Senedd, the party has been reduced to just one (Hamilton himself) so their influence is minimal and post Brexit the party would appear to have little purpose, or future.
The galling thing is that freedom of choice and personal responsibility ought to be high on the Conservatives' agenda but I can find very little evidence of it.
This for example is the Welsh Conservatives' response when Wales' first minister, Labour's Mark Drakeford, proposed introducing a ban on smoking in town and city centres and outside restaurants and cafes in the next parliament:
The health of our nation – and the corresponding strain that ill health puts on NHS Wales – is of course a massive concern for everyone.
This proposal will be perceived by many as Draconian (sic) and before acceptance we would need to see what additional measures [my emphasis] the Health Minister would offer for people who want to quit, and what increase in smoking cessation services will be provided.
For such a measure to be successful, more resources [my emphasis] to encourage people away from smoking must be done, and we would disagree with any ban on the use of vaping products, which have turned so many people way from cigarettes.
See Smoking in public: Shadow Health Minister reacts to today’s announcement (July 2020).
Gifted a golden opportunity to denounce Drakeford's proposal to extend the smoking ban to more outdoor spaces, the Welsh Tories' sat on the fence and flunked it.
As for their 2021 manifesto, they've obviously decided to ignore Drakeford's controversial plan and pretend it doesn't exist, perhaps because they think there are no votes in it.
To be fair, the Welsh Labour manifesto doesn't mention their leader's proposal either. The omission is interesting because it suggests the party - if returned to government in Wales - will do one of two things.
Either it will quietly forget about it (unlikely) or it will railroad the policy through - with no electoral mandate - much like Labour did in England when the party abandoned its 2005 manifesto pledge to exempt pubs that didn’t serve food from the smoking ban.
The absence of detailed proposals is common to most manifestos. Instead there is endless talk of ‘preventative’ measures to combat ‘unhealthy’ lifestyles which could mean just about anything.
According to the Welsh Liberal Democratic manifesto:
Supporting healthy lives will drive wider priorities and developments, from the homes we build, to the environment we build and maintain, and changing behaviours so we all lead healthier lives.
Their counterparts in Scotland are equally vague, if more garrulous:
The NHS serves us astonishingly well in our times of need. It has shown its strength during the pandemic. As we rebuild the NHS to deal with the backlog of treatments and diagnosis we will redouble our efforts to promote wellbeing and preventative health measures.
We need to get ahead on prevention, support and research. We will renew the strength of science that is researching new treatments for conditions that blight the lives of too many people. We will give a voice to representative groups, charities and the third sector who are working hard to make lives better. We will ask the Scottish Parliament to initiate a major programme, supported by the Scottish Government, to listen and act on their expertise and lived experience to improve wellbeing and tackle ill health.
We will reinvigorate anticipative care, where the NHS steps in early to help people at risk of developing serious conditions, improving the quality of their life. Noting the recent poor life expectancy statistics, we know this is not a new issue and understand the sorrow of lives that are cut short.
The Scottish Greens are also also big on pursuing an ‘ambitious preventative agenda’ but at least it is clear what the electorate is voting for. Under 'Cancer and Heart Disease' they declare that they aim to:
Achieve a smoke free generation by 2034 through increasing investment in targeted smoking cessation programmes, communication campaigns, and a ban on smoking around schools, playgrounds and other locations used by children.
Under 'Public Health and Preventative Agenda' they further declare:
The Scottish Greens believe that people should be supported to live the healthiest lives possible and that prevention and early intervention is key to achieving this. We will tackle the root causes of poor health, such as poverty, smoking, drug and alcohol misuse and air pollution.
As it happens their top target appears to be alcohol but again they're clear about how they intend to tackle the issue:
The Scottish Greens believe that individuals have a right to be fully informed about the risks posed to their health by alcohol.
We will:
Introduce mandatory unit, calorie and ingredient labelling and prominent health warnings on all alcohol products.
Work to make the licensing system more transparent and accessible to local communities.
Introduce a social responsibility levy on alcohol retailers.
Ban outdoor alcohol advertising and advertising in public spaces and end alcohol sponsorship of sports events.
The Scottish Conservatives' manifesto also suggests a party desperate to create a culture of state-driven paternalism but unlike the Greens there are very few specifics:
Public health must now be prioritised to reduce health inequalities and rising pressures on the NHS ...
We would ensure that ongoing support for the hospitality sector includes a focus on promoting local healthy food, and invest in weight management services and other positive initiatives to help people maintain a healthy weight.
We would ensure local councils have the guidance and powers they need to utilise planning and licensing policy to create healthy environments which promote healthier food options and physical activity ...
Employers also have a vital role to play in encouraging physical activity, so we would pilot public sector employers offering dedicated breaks and opportunities to be active.
In a section dedicated to 'Reducing rates of smoking, drug use and problematic drinking' it's again rather vague, even on smoking:
Beyond diet and exercise, we must also tackle Scotland’s stubbornly high smoking rates, which are underpinned by economic inequalities – one in three people smoke in Scotland’s most deprived communities compared to 1 in 10 in the least deprived.
Greater action is needed to achieve the 2034 target to reduce smoking rates to 5 per cent, including an ambitious new strategy and increased enforcement of existing regulations.
We would maintain funding for smoking prevention and cessation services, while ensuring tackling inequalities is at the heart of all interventions.
Bizarrely the Scottish Conservatives' also want to intervene on e-cigarettes, potentially deterring even those smokers who might want to switch voluntarily to reduced risk products:
The use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products must be monitored closely and regulated in the same way as cigarettes.
Whoever wrote that is clearly an imbecile.
As for Scottish Labour (the party that introduced the smoking ban in Scotland), what does their manifesto say?
Further action is needed on reducing smoking. We will ensure better data collection of smoking habits to develop improved coordination of smoking services with a person-centred approach. We will look at the retail density of tobacco outlets in disadvantaged areas, make the tobacco register conditional, increase tobacco-free spaces, support staff training and discourage sponsorship by health-harming commodities.
Which just leaves the Scottish National Party which is certain to be returned to government in Holyrood with either a small majority or in coalition with another party - the Greens, probably.
Under 'Public Health' the SNP manifesto declares:
While much focus has been given to the direct health impacts of Covid‐19, we must also work together to shift our focus towards reducing inequalities and preventing ill health.
We will look to introduce restrictions on alcohol advertising in locations where children would be readily exposed to it.
We reaffirm our commitment to the 2034 smoke free Scotland ambition and will publish a new tobacco strategy.
Improving diet and levels of healthy weight is a public health priority and we will aim to halve childhood obesity by 2030, significantly reducing diet-related health inequalities.
We will make Active Schools programmes free for all children by the end of the parliament and continue to improve nutritional standards for food and drink in schools.
We will bring forward legislation to restrict the use of promotions on food and drink high in fat, sugar and salt over the next parliament.
No mention, you'll note, of extending the smoking ban to more outdoor areas (as in Wales) or raising the age of sale to 21, or reducing the prevalence of shops that sell tobacco, measures that are on the tobacco control wish list in England.
But don’t be fooled. Lack of detail in an election manifesto is no barrier to new and often controversial measures being introduced at a later date by the party in government, especially when the ‘opposition’ is so supine or broadly in agreement.
And that is what is so depressing. Increasingly there is no debate inside or even outside parliament. When it comes to smoking in particular governments are given a green light to regulate with impunity because opposition parties – even those that once stood up for more liberal values – are happy to go along with whatever regulations are put forward. As a result the electorate is denied any sort of choice.
If it's not infectious, like Covid-19, then government has no business interfering excessively in people's lifestyle. If it's legal and they're not harming anyone else people have a right to smoke (or get fat or drink to 'excess') without being forced to cut down or quit.
Unfortunately these manifestos – while relegating smoking to a relatively minor issue – nevertheless leave the door wide open for further regulation and discrimination.
Sadly the only party prepared to stand up for freedom of choice would appear to be Neil Hamilton's Ukip and even I wouldn't vote for them.
PS. Nathan Gill, leader of Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party) in Wales, declares:
We believe that all people should be free to live their life however they choose as long as those choices don’t harm others or restrict the freedom of others to do the same. Basically, live and let live.
Now there's a philosophy I could sign up to but now that Brexit is done I'm not sure I could vote for them either.
In the meantime what does it say about Britain in 2021 that no mainstream party is willing to make a similar declaration?
Reader Comments (2)
Tories are not Conservative anymore.
I will never vote again because as a smoker no party wants my vote so no party will get it. I will not vote to support more hate incitement of legitimate adult consumers by lobbyists using charity status as a front and politicians with a personal hatred of a lifestyle being given the freedom to abuse and punish those they despise..
All people in this country should be heard and that includes people who enjoy smoking - y'know, the only ones pouring masses of cash into the treasury during lockdown to keep everyone else afloat.
When the bullying ends and one party decides enough is enough and hate campaigning against lifestyle minorities is wrong, then maybe I'll see someone worth voting for again.
As for UKIP - once bitten twice shy. Smokers were used to get the EU vote the party wanted and then it turned its back and did absolutely nothing for us - like speak up for us against all those currently attacking us and our product of choice like, y'know, the vaping advocates who claim they care about free choice while stabbing us in the back to call for more restrictions on smoking and less on vaping by highlighting the very junk science they say is junk only when targeted at vaping.
Btw, Simon, could you tag this for Laurence Fox to see what his new up and coming party Reclaim has to say about reclaiming fairness for smokers?