Can't Smoke Won't Vote
Our MP's are public servants and are there to represent us.
Tell your MP you can't smoke so you won't vote and this could really hurt our government who brought in this puritanical smoking ban.
Smokers contribute far more tax than they cost to treat, so smokers are beneficial to the countries economy-to expect smokers to go out side, in all weathers to enjoy their smoke is wrong. It is no way to treat honest and law abiding people-it is certainly no way to treat our elderly.
Our elderly forced to go outdoors in all weathers to enjoy their "smoke."
For the record-we don't want to go back to the old days but we do require smokers to be treated with more respect and for pubs/clubs and bingo halls to have more choice.
We require smaller bars to be able to choose if they want to be a smoking bar or not.
We would like larger pubs/clubs and bingo halls to be able to have an allocated indoor smoking room should they wish-one that is walled from floor to ceiling and has a door,window and ventilation and where there is no bar or food area.
Until smokers are treated with more respect and more dignity-
Can't smoke won't vote
Sign our petition-can't smoke won't vote
The next general election and government will be decided on the results of the following constituancies.
These are key marginal seats that all parties will be fighting to win and spending their resources on.
The majority are held by New Labour but there are other key seats that are held by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives with a small majority that New
Labour will target.
Inn The Cold and the team from smoking ban stinks will be visiting these key marginal seats in the run up to the next general election and asking smokers NOT
to vote for New Labour-if you vote for anyone or abstain, that is your choice but Please do not vote New Labour.
Through Myspace we will be recruiting friends from these areas and holding meetings and gigs.
Inn The Cold
Smoking ban stinks Myspace
Gillingham and Rainham
Crawley
Harlow
croydon central
Portsmouth north
Battersea
Hove
Milton keynes north
Stroud
Dartford
Basildon and Thurrock east
East central and Acton
Chester
Colne vally
Cardiff north
Hastings and Rye
Calder vally
vale of Glamorgan
Swindon south
Dorset south
Northampton south
High peak
Rochdale
Oxford east
Edinborough south
Hampstead and kilburn
Islington south and Finsbury
Watford
Aberdeen south
Ochil n south Perthshire
Yns Mon
Lancaster and Fleetwood
Hammersmith
Rugby
Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Somerset nort east
Finchley and Golders Green
Rochester and Stroud
Wirral west
Thanet south
Enfield north
Staffordshire moorlands
Selby and Ainsty
Just 7,500 smoking voters can wipe out Labour's Commons majority
Charles Clarke releases 'doomsday list' of Labour MPs at risk
Peter Thurgood 25th March 2008
A former cabinet minister has circulated a "doomsday list" of Labour MPs at risk of losing their seats if fewer than 7,500 voters switch sides.
Charles Clarke, the former home secretary, warns that because of boundary changes the party needs to lose only 24 seats, predominantly in London and the southeast, to be stripped of its overall majority.
This will happen if just 7,417 people in the 24 seats who voted Labour at the last election vote next time for the party that came second.
Clarke points out that a disproportionate number of these marginals are in north Kent and Essex, prompting MPs to dub the next election the Battle for Bluewater after the giant shopping centre near Dartford.
In most of the seats, the Tory party is the main challenger.
See full article here: Http://extras.timesonline.co.uk/doomsdaymemo.pdf
The Government say that there are approximately 15 million smokers in the UK. I think this is a very low estimate, which in reality is something more like 20 to 25 million.
Nevertheless, whatever the figure, it is still a substantial number of people, all of whom have the right to vote.
Imagine what would happen if all those smokers stood together as a political force, and demanded rights for smokers. Even the lowest figure, of just 15 million, could decide the outcome of the next General Election.
As we all know, smokers have had all their human rights taken away from them, and have been victimised by this Government. In their manifesto, New Labour declared that they were considering a ban on smoking in bars or pubs where food was sold, but they were adamant that a total ban in all indoor public places, was out of the question.
New Labour's record on broken promises is however, only too well known, and as we all now know, this promise was not only broken, but enhanced upon, until there is hardly any place left for a person to smoke. The law, as it stands, states that indoor public places are out of bounds to smokers, but how they define "public" is another thing. How on earth can a "private" club, be classed as public?
When the vote was taken in Parliament, the figures were as follows:
Voting figures for a total ban was as follows:
220 English Labour MPs
45 English Conservative MPs
32 Liberal MPs
1 Independent MP
TOTAL 298 English MPs
Scottish MPs 42
Welsh MPs 33
N.Ireland 11
MPs that voted against a total ban:
44 English Labour MPs
125 English Conservative MPs
6 English Liberal MPs
TOTAL 175 English MPs
Scottish MPs 7
Welsh 1
From a total of 644 MPs, there were 76 abstentions.
The figures show very clearly, that Labour MPs made up the very large majority voting for a total ban, while the Conservatives as a whole, voted against this.
On Thursday 1st May 2008, we will be given the chance to vote in the Local Elections, as well as the London Mayoral election.
This will be the "smokers" chance to show this Government, our local Council, and our London Mayor, exactly what we think of them.
We need to make our voice heard now, louder and clearer than ever. The party who offers to amend the smoking ban, and allow both smoking and non smoking establishments to prosper, side by side, will get our vote.
There are just five weeks to go until polling day. All smokers and smoking rights campaign groups, need to start their own individual campaigns immediately. We need to write to our local MPs, to text them, to email them, to petition them, to speak to them personally, if possible.
The message must be got across. NO SMOKE - NO VOTE, NO SMOKE - NO VOTE, NO SMOKE - NO VOTE, NO SMOKE - NO VOTE.