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What are these wowser councillors smoking?

What are these wowser councillors smoking?

City burghers around Australia – many of them undemocratic wowsers – are getting heads as big as whoppers. They appear to think that petty power entitles them to dictate how the rest of us live. One even wants to eliminate the rights of minorities entirely. If only we had US-style recall elections here…!

 Brisbane City Council banned smoking in Queen Street Mall in 2011 and Adelaide has a six-month smoke-free trial in and around Rundle Street Mall. Hobart has banned smoking in the Elizabeth Street Mall.

As Australia enters election mode, the councilors of major capital cities are demonstrating that democratic freedom is becoming a thing of the past when legal product cannot be consumed in the streets and malls of our nation.

 The council burghers are proving to be as thick as whoppers. To be so “high” on themselves, they almost appear as if smoking an illegal product. Surely not!

 As CLA has said before, if society wants smoking banned, then society should persuade the federal government to make growing tobacco, and selling tobacco products, illegal.  Governments should abandon tax on cigarettes.

 While tobacco is legal, like lipstick it should be able to be used anywhere.  Politeness dictates you don’t apply lipstick to your fellow diners, just as you shouldn’t blow smoke in the face of your fellow walkers in malls.

 But politeness is not enough for the Wowser Brigade.  Wowser councilors and wowser medical-related mafia operate to a principle that what’s good for them is good for you, no options. They would do to democracy what they are doing to freedom of choice: you will be allowed to vote…provided you vote how they dictate.

 The trains will run on time. Ranks of pedestrians will shuffle past, three abreast. Children will be silent (as will adults, unless singing from the State Songbook).

As CLA’s Director in WA, Rex Widerstrom, said: “Some of the attitudes and comments coming from the perpetrators of these proposals are alarming.

“The comment of Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi that: ‘Why should we pander to a minority?’ is chilling. What’s the next minority we’ll stop ‘pandering’ to? Aboriginals? Fat people? Fremantle fans?

“It’s appalling that someone in her position should promote intolerance and discrimination against a minority because they are a minority. Does she not understand that anti-discrimination legislation applies to Perth councillors as much as to ordinary citizens?

 “Will homeless people in Perth be forced out of the CBD next? Will people of left wing views be next, or maybe right wing? Will we be allowed to wing it at all, under the city council…unless we agree, to the letter, with every word they promulgate?”

 “How is it a legitimate function of any level of government to restrict the informed consumption of a legal product and the assumption of personal risk?

 “Skateboarders might injure themselves: are they to be banned from Perth, and Melbourne and our capital cities? Babies can fall out of prams: let’s Scaffidi the use of prams in Perth,” Mr Widerstrom said.

 CLA believes councilors are becoming crazed with rampant power delusions, and false righteousness.  The measure of tolerance is allowing others to do things you may not choose to do. But choice – freedom of choice to use legal products in this case – is what the issue is about.

 The West reports the Mayor as saying:

 “Smokers are in the minority,” she said. “Why should we pander to the minority? It’s the majority who should say where smoking can and cannot occur. If I had it my way, the city would be smoke free.”

(CLA says that, In future, it will describe this form of personal discriminatory reasoning as a ‘scaffidi’.)

In Perth, the proposal local law amendment will now go to the State Government for approval. If passed, the council will phase the ban in over six months to educate people before penalties and fines are imposed.

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3 Comments

  1. What most people don’t realise is that city councils are nothing more than body corporates. Under the Constitution of the Commonwealth (The real one) Australia is only allowed 2 tiers of government, in 1988 a referendum was held to change the Constitution to allow a third tier of government……the people unanimously voted NO.
    So councils do not have the right to make laws, ANY LAWS!! so if you know your rights and you know how to handle them in court (never go unless you have already won) they don’t have a leg to stand on. I have a letter from the Attorney General of Australia confirming that they do not have the power.


    Axe
  2. I’m laughing, why, because people who love their alcohol/wine/spirits and complain about smokers in Pubs and restaurants and anywhere alcohol is served are next on the attack list for sure…who will have the last laugh then, I certainly will.


    Genevieve
  3. I thought that councillors would need to show due regard for the health of people, especially non-smokers who wish to avoid the health dangers of smoking. The association of smoking being a legal product and therefore being able to smoke anywhere is false. If something is dangerous to others there does exist a duty of care to protect the ‘innocent’; guns are legal but to argue you have a right to fire one in a crowded place is stupid – same principle applies to smoking. If you wish to cause harm to your health, fine but do it in a way and place that does not cause potential harm to others.


    Lance

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