I am, of course, talking about the smoking ban, which, along with sharp increases in beer tax, is killing off the high street pub, as smokers are forced to brave the elements to have their nicotine fix.

The same Parliament who introduced the heavy-handed, near-on dictatorial, measure, has found its staff, like every other smoker in Britain, disgruntled and annoyed with having to stand under their brollies in all weathers to have a sneaky fag.

Unlike the struggling bar trade, however, the UK Parliament has at its disposal the rapidly-increasing tax income to waste invest in its staff morale.

And how did they appease their staff, I hear you ask. By erecting an all-weather smoking shelter – at a cost of ?33,000 to the taxpayer!

If the permanent employees are unwilling to cut down on high levels of public money wastage, then it does not matter how many “new breed politicians” are elected, nor how many bold promises the current, and future, prime minister(s) may make.

Wasting of public money has to stop now – not in a few months’ time – for all our sakes!

Thousands of pubs and clubs in England & Wales are under serious threat ? if not universally of closure, then of having to lay-off staff and reduce opening hours. This threat is substantially exacerbated by the comprehensive ban on smoking in public places introduced on 1st July 2007.

Alternatives to the present ban, falling short of full repeal (which we do NOT support), are both viable and practical and would constitute a ?win-win? public policy outcome for any future government.

Chris Irvine speaks, I think, for many people, when he said on Strood Conservatives:

I have absolutely no objection to the smoking ban in restaurants and other public venues such as theatres and places where children are present, but isn’t it time that the government started treating us as adults and allowed pubs and clubs to make their own decision as to whether or not they permit smoking?

With five pubs going out of business every day, it is now clear that Labour’s smoking ban is doing more harm than good. Let the people decide

Watch the explanatory video below, then visit AmendTheSmokingBan.com to find out more and get involved.