Those of you who live in Birmingham, and who have forgotten that on 1st July 2007 Nanny's anti smoking rule comes into force, need not fear.
The much "respected" and "service minded" local council has an excellent plan to help you to remember not to smoke in public.
They will be unleashing 100 "enforcement officers" onto the streets of Birmingham.
Neil Eustace, chairman of the city council public protection committee (an Orwellian concept if ever I heard one), is quoted as saying:
"On July 1, our officers will be out in force.
We are very confident that the ban will be self enforcing,
but there will be a level of force from the start."
Am I imagining it, or is this "servant of the people" threatening the people?
It strikes me that he and Nanny's lackeys in this most unloved of councils have got ideas above their station in life.
Eustace's profile says that he is a Liberal Democrat, isn't it funny how that party always produces the sort of people who tend to act like mini Gestapo officers?
By the way, try clicking the link on Eustace's page to find out about the Public Protection Committee...funny that, nothing there?
Why is that then???
Here is what Birmingham City Council's website website says that they will do:
"After 1st July high profile enforcement activity will commence immediately and our Enforcement Officers will target any premises subject to complaint. There will be a national and local hotline (numbers to be announced – watch this space) as well as e-mail and text systems available for reporting non-compliance."
Nice to see that they will encourage people to spy and report on each other!
The state should fear the people, not the people fear the state.
In case you are worried about the cost of these "enforcement officers", have no fear, Nanny has given Birmingham £600K to pay for them.
Oh, wait a minute, that would be £600K of our money...errmmm...collected in part by taxes on fags, yes?
Nanny's Gestapo will be empowered to photograph and film smokers, then issue them with a £50 on the spot fine.
Isn't it illegal to take photos of someone without their consent?
Now the question arises, when smoking has been eradicated in Birmingham will these "enforcers" be out of a job?
I guarantee that they will remain employed, and will be used by the council to spy on people for other "misdemeanours".
The Gestapo state has arrived, on the back of a fag packet!
Feel free tow rite to Nanny's lackeys at Birmingham council, and vent your spleens:
-smokefree@birmingham.gov.uk
-Neil.Eustace@birmingham.gov.uk
I would suggest that the local populace all make complaints about smoking observed in the town hall. Hopefully investigating that should keep the gestapo at home. With any luck they might even find some of their own to arrest.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should go further than "anon" suggests... We should phone in and grass up every single shop, pub, office, meeting room, cinema, council office, government department, etc..
ReplyDeleteGive the buggers so much to do that they don't even know where to start - or how to sort out the real grassings from the hoax!
pogo,
ReplyDeletegreat idea, but you just know the bastards will put a trace on every call.........
Grumpy...
ReplyDelete"Disposable" mobiles... And there are still a few phone boxes around! :-)
If I pass the interview I might be offered a job with a Dutch company.
ReplyDeleteThey have a position in Amsterdam and a position in Birmingham.
Guess which one I want?
I wonder if the drunken louts in Birmingham are just sissy girly-men or what?
ReplyDeleteIn Sutton, where I visit often on business, I have seen some really bad drunken "behaviours". Drinking, puking, smoking, fighting and public shagging.
I very much doubt nanny's gestapo could do anything to those folks.
I'd like to see nanny's gestapo go into the Litton Tree pub any Friday night and bust some drunken, tattooed soccer thug for smoking.
Yeah, right.
Nanny's gestapo will go into the local ladies cricket club and bust people there.
It's time you Great Brits stood up and said, no more.....