Oh boy, that's pretty much indicative of where we are at the moment in the UK. I'm a Labour Party supporter, but I have to admit that there's a pretty nasty authoritarian streak within our Government.
The national identity card scheme is the biggie, and I have no idea how it's going to play out. Almost everybody I have spoken to, liberal and conservative, hates the idea - but will they do anything about it when it ends up on the statute book?
I don't know, but I'm kind of hoping for a poll-tax type revolt (avoiding the riots, if we can help it), although I hope it doesn't spell the end of our Labour Government.
As for the smoking ID card, I can't really see it happening, but having said that, there has been such a move against smokers in the past couple of years that I wouldn't rely on support from the general population in opposing it.
It is very sad in the UK right now, that people really don't seem interested in supporting the basic rights of their fellow man. I don't quite know what has happened, and as you say, Mark, smokers are a nice easy target.
I note that these proposals come from "Health England", a body set up to implement the proposals in a Government white paper. I doubt this sort of thing would be put up with in Scothland and wales.
