Author Archives: admin

It was bound to happen sooner or later; the anti-smoking brigade were never really going to be content with blanket smoking bans in all pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, train stations, airports, hospitals, areas where children are or may possibly be at any time – in short, anywhere bar your understairs cupboard between the hours of 2-3am. And so it has come to pass that one of its number, the charity Tenovus, has called for a total smoking ban in Wales. No matter that fully one quarter of the population would be faced with the prospect of quitting what for some … Continue reading →

Progressive Vision is backing a campaign against plain packaging of tobacco products. Following an announcement by the government that they will be consulting on plain packaging in the spring, and in response to a campaign in support of plain packaging, the Hands Off Our Packs! campaign aims to collect signatures to a petition calling on government to dismiss any plans for plain packaging. Plain packaging – the idea that by removing all branding from cigarette packs, leaving only the health warnings on the packet – is wrong on many levels. Cigarettes and other tobacco products are legal – tobacco companies … Continue reading →

Miles Bullough, Head of TV for the Bristol-based animation company Aardman, who make Wallace and Gromit, has said that the company is thinking of heading off-shore due to rising costs. According to a BBC report, “The main problem, he said, was that while films made in the UK can receive government help in the shape of a 15-20% tax credit, UK TV animation receives nothing.” Funny, I thought the main problem was rising costs. After all, if the costs weren’t rising, funding wouldn’t be so much of an issue. According to the article, “Companies in Canada, Ireland and France also … Continue reading →

If there’s any doubt that the Coalition Government could be reducing government spending much more drastically, the dogged regularity of news stories on studies proving that lives could be saved if only we taxed X, Y or Z more must surely dispel it. Not content with smoking bans and alcohol pricing fixes, ‘fast’ or ‘junk’ food seems to now be firmly in the sights of various authoritarian health campaigners and once again draconian measures are being called for. So today on the BBC we have a report that a study by Oxford University shows that if the Scots, Welsh and … Continue reading →

Pointing to the costs to the public purse of alcohol misuse in Scotland (£900 per person per year, apparently), members of the Scottish National Party last year attempted to introduce measures to set minimum prices for alcoholic drinks at 45p per unit. That attempt was thwarted, but now, armed with a clear majority in the Scottish Parliament following last May’s elections, they’re coming round for a second attempt. That they are willing to do so shows a severe lack of imagination in policy making by Scotland’s ministers. Yes, alcohol misuse is a problem and yes, it costs the public purse. … Continue reading →

The UN population fund has revealed that by the end of the week, the world’s population will tip the 7billion mark. Whatever your views, the rapid rate of increase is remarkable. When I was born 30 years ago the world population was ‘just’ 4.5billion. But the overwhelming response by the media, as we welcome the 7billionth inhabitant into the world, has been that of doom and gloom. Brendan O’Neill yesterday noted the racist subtext to the stories, all of which are illustrated with pictures of Chinese, Indians and Africans undertaking earth-annihalating activities such as getting on a train, stopping at … Continue reading →

The day of the EU Referendum vote has dawned. This afternoon, around 90 MPs are expected to rebel against their whips and vote in favour of a referendum on our membership of the EU. The media is presenting this as a ‘Tory splits’ story and much of the discussion has been on whether we should be in the EU or not, but to have that discussion at this stage is meaningless. The question before Parliament today is: is it right that the public have a say on our future relationship with the EU? This motion came to Parliament as the … Continue reading →