The anti-smoking nutters are getting their way, but there will be a price to pay.
Smoking will be banned in all prisons in Wales and four in south-west England from next year, the government has said.
It is the first stage of a plan to make all jails in England and Wales smoke-free.
I mean… What could possibly go wrong?
Earlier this year, the Prison Governors Association said a smoking ban risked making jails more unstable.
So, it ain’t as if they haven’t been warned. How long before the rioting starts, then?
I keep wondering to myself as these repeated and excessive bans are placed one upon the other, when will we reach a tipping point? When will the bovine public finally decide that this extreme puritanical authoritarianism is too much? When is enough, enough?
“When is enough, enough?” Oh, perhaps when the riots start about three hours into the ban. I suspect you’d have to be a rookie prison officer to decide that the threat from SHS is worse than the threat from Big Jimmy “The Hammer” Boyle. I’d bet that this is being brought in on the back of threats to sue HMG by opportunistic non-smoking prisoners (a tiny percentage, I’d say).
I’d love to see a news report showing the high heid yins of tobacco control announcing the ban to the prisoners affected.
Perhaps the aim is to create yet another Black Market?
I am sure that if the anti-smokers personally explain to the prisoners, they will get their message across, and all the prisoners will happily agree.
*sigh*
If only they would give that idea a try…
Northern Ireland prisons will continue to allow prisoners to smoke, a move which will keep prison officers safe because the inmates will be happier as they can indulge in a small luxury which gives a small shred of freedom and respect.
However, George Orwell’s Junior Spies are currently active and entrapment continues apace.
“A Belfast city centre shop keeper has been fined £500 for selling cigarettes to a person under 18.
Belfast City Council brought the fine to Jim Moan, of the Howard Street Post Office. It came after a test purchasing exercise in February.”
The person under 18, we can guess, looks over 18 or the Elliot Ness-type sting operation wouldn’t have worked. Well done, arseholes.