A VERY good morning!
Friday, November 24, 2023 at 9:20 A VERY good morning!
Reports from New Zealand suggest the country’s next government will scrap the new law that bans the sale of tobacco to future generations. According to Bloomberg:
Legislation banning tobacco sales to people born after 2008 will be dumped by the new administration, according to coalition agreements released Friday in Wellington. The new government, which comprises the National, ACT and New Zealand First parties, will also stop a plan to reduce in the number of retail outlets allowed to sell cigarettes.
I’m pleasantly surprised but not shocked because I wrote about the possibility only last month when I noted that David Seymour, leader of ACT, had last year tweeted:
Labour’s authoritarian prohibition of tobacco has been signed up to by every party except ACT. Prohibition has never worked and it always has serious unintended consequences.
I added that:
In January [2023] the Sunday Times even reported that Seymour ‘would seek to reverse Labour’s anti-smoking legislation if his party gains office'.
“This has gone beyond a public health initiative to a public control initiative,” he said.
Realistically, I would be surprised if tobacco policy is a hill Seymour will choose to die on.
Nevertheless, if the National party does need ACT's support, the issue should at least be on the table for discussion.
Either way, Sunak would be well advised to watch developments closely.
Well, it seems the issue was indeed up for discussion, despite the fact that Christopher Luxon, leader of the centre right National Party and the incoming prime minister, was on record saying he was "broadly supportive" of the previous government’s plan (as I also wrote here).
Where this leaves Rishi Sunak’s policy (which he stole from a Labour government on the other side of the world) is anyone’s guess, but it ought to give the PM pause for thought because he is now the driver of the most illiberal anti-smoking measure in the world.
In the short period that remains of his premiership, is that what he wants to be remembered for when there are so many other, far more pressing, issues he needs to address?
PS. ASH New Zealand has tweeted:
One of the coalition's first health measures is to essentially grant a pardon to tobacco companies, and allow them to continue selling products that kill almost 5000 New Zealanders every year.
Good to see they’re taking it well.
Update: Chris Snowden has written a short piece for CapX – An about-turn on tobacco – pointing out that:
Sunak stands alone. It is left to the Conservative Party in Britain to carry the torch of the New Zealand Labour Party.
How embarrassing. For the moment, though, the mainstream media in the UK is completely ignoring the story. I wonder why?
Reader Comments (1)
Congratulations to all of us for this victory of democracy in New Zealand and good future luck to all New Zealanders who have their rights in their country restored back to normal!