 We
have reported about the coming smoking ban in the little European kingdom of
Denmark. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is reknown for her stance on smoking,
insisting on her right to smoke. With the upcoming ban, the Queen has decided to
lower her smoking profile. For others, the ban is a call for a battle to defend
the rights of the individual.
Initially the ban proposals were
quite soft, but the antis have been lobbying. They have pounded parliamentary
members with 'science' about passive smoke. The current claim is that 2000
people each year die of passive smoking (out of a population of 5 million). That
is twice the level claimed in the United States! Of course the claims are as
substantiated as thin air. The goal for the antis was a ban similar to the
Irish. This did not materialize, in part because of two priests.
Jesper
Langballe and Søren Krarup are two very vocal MP's. They are members of the
Danish Peoples Party. This party has given Denmark a reputation as a 'racist'
country. The two priests are reknown for their hard stance on immigration, which
they would like to halt. Essentially, the two MP's are quite politically
incorrect.
So also on
the smoking issue. Both are smokers, one is a pipe smoker, the other a cigar
smoker. They loudly opposed the smoking ban bill. Eventually, they carved out
provisions for smoking in single man offices and designated smoking rooms in all
workplaces. The antis fumed, and screamed tales of lung cancer seeping through
keyholes and cracks in walls. But the two politically incorrect priests had
their way.
However, they
are not the only ones rising to the defence of individual liberties. One
radiologist, Ole Gilberg, who works part time at a hospital, decided he had
taken enough anti smoking nonsense. He has now founded The Smokers Party. This
party will put candidates on the ballot for the next parliamentary elections
(which are not due yet). The primary goal is to overturn the smoking ban.
This action
is garnering overwhelming interest. In the space of two months, 1.500 citizens
have expressed their interest. The Smokers Party can garner 300 volunteers to
gather signatures for the party. The founder of the party, Ole Gilberg,
optimistically predicts that The Smokers Party could win a landslide similar to
the 1973 landslide of The Peoples Progress Party (a precursor the The Danish
Peoples Party). Expectations may be high, but one never knows. Many people are
truly fed up with government intrusion in the lives of citizens. Of course the
media never reports such things, but we know what is going on beneath the
surface.
Follow the
progress in this matter. We'll keep readers posted.
Please bid
Ole Gilberg and The
Smokers Party of Denmark welcome!
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