The government's cowardly surrender to the tobacco lobby
It has been a big week for tobacco.
The success of Ukip,
a party keen to repeal the ban on smoking in pubs,
has given cigarette companies an influential ally,
one that has being doing sterling work seeking EU subsidies for tobacco growers.
Then came the momentous decision by our Government to drop plans
that would have forced cigarette companies
to sell their products in plain packs,
something that even the powerful tobacco lobby
must have thought out of its reach a few months ago.
But a relentless lobbying campaign that saw the industry channel money
to spurious front groups to attack the plan has paid dividends.
Stitching together a coalition that included newsagents,
ex-police chiefs, retailers and brand organisations, not to mention....
The UK government has a mandate to improve the health of us citizens.
Last week, it failed them.