Reintroducing Liberty

Two surprising pieces of news appeared in my timeline this week. First, the Czech Republic are planning to reverse parts, if not all of the smoking ban. Secondly, Austria are planning to do the exact same thing.

Naturally, this has prompted a lot of screaming from the usual suspects, labelling the proposed reversals as “a public health disaster”.

Well, yes. As with the UK smoking ban, it went too far. Remember, it was only meant to be in certain places – such as those places serving food. Initially, there weren’t any plans to have a wide-scale ban on all ‘indoor public places’. Exemptions were discarded almost as soon as they were proposed. Now, at least two countries have decided that enough is enough.

That seems fair enough to me. Plus, the development of such separate areas for smokers & non-smokers is a fairly trivial cost when compared to the amount of business lost by smokers not bothering to patronise the business. This then allows the business to decide if they want to cater to smokers & non-smokers, or just to non-smokers. This also gives the customers a choice.

Who can argue with that?

Doesn’t the fact that a lot of work was involved in getting the ban passed suggest that perhaps many weren’t really in favour?

Meanwhile, in Austria:

Good for them!

This is exactly what should happen. It allows businesses to decide, rather than having the decision imposed upon them.

What he calls a “public health disaster” I call a victory for liberty. It matters not which industry is behind it, the simple fact is that individuals will be able to choose for themselves, and choice drives various markets. Businesses will thrive under such conditions as they’ll have to compete or be left behind.

Pretty soon it’ll be clear which groups favour which businesses, which is just how it should be.

Missing the point entirely. They don’t want to “allow smoking” they want to grant their people greater freedoms. Nothing is more sacred than the ability to choose. Whether an individual makes a choice you disagree with or not is simply, none of your concern.

Isn’t it about time that governments stood up to the scrotum-faced headbangers in tobacco control and gave back the social freedoms that were wrongly taken from the public they serve?

Vive la liberté!