News Release from: Sean Gabb, Director, the Libertarian Alliance
Contact: Sean Gabb – sean@libertarian.co.uk – 07956 472 199
Release Date: Wednesday the 22nd June 2011
Release Time: Immediate
Other Details: See below
Sean Gabb of the Libertarian Alliance on BBC Three Counties Radio, on
Wednesday the 22nd June 2011, to discuss whether smoking should be
banned in cars where children are present. A Bill to this effect was
discussed on that day in Parliament.
Sean says no for these reasons:
• The claim that 300,000 children suffer ill-effects every year in the
United Kingdom from “passive smoking” is a falsehood. There is no way
of gathering such data. There is even no sound epidemiological evidence
that passive smoking even exists. The alleged figure of 300,000 children
is what is called a “junk statistic.” It is in the same league as the
claims made in the 1980s about the number of people who would die of
aids by 1990, or the claims made in the 1990s about the numbers who
would soon be dead from mad cow disease. It is almost as gross a
falsehood as the fraudulent global warming claims made by British
scientists.
• These statistics produced by pressure groups and
politicians are plainly dubious on their own account. Every single
statistical claim reported by the media and accepted by the politicians
seems to justify higher taxes or tighter controls on adult actions, or
both. There was a time when it was necessary to bribe priests into
saying that God wanted if before the authorities could oppress ordinary
people. Nowadays, a set of junk statistics is produced.
• The demand for a smoking ban in cars is also an instance of the “saving the
kiddies” argument. This proceeds by hiding the agenda of control behind a
cloud of hot air about the need to protect children.
Therefore, the Libertarian Alliance is against any smoking ban in cars.
Listen here:
http://www.seangabb.co.uk/?q=node/565
http://www2.libertarian.co.uk/?q=node/362
End
Notes to Editors
The Libertarian Alliance was founded in 1979, and is the foremost civil
liberties and free market policy institute in the United Kingdom. With
over 800 publications already available, its website grows by the week.
Dr Sean Gabb is Director of the Libertarian Alliance. He has written over a
dozen books and around a million words of journalism, and has appeared
on hundreds of radio and television programmes. His seven novels have
been commercially translated into Spanish, Italian, Greek, Hungarian,
Slovak and Complex Chinese. His latest novel, The Churchill Memorandum,
can be found on Amazon
His latest book, Smoking, Class and the Legitimation, was released on the 22nd June 2011, and can be seen here:
http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/smoking-class-and-the-legitimisation-of-power/16111783
