From: Gary Dale <Gary.Dale-AT-ee.ed.ac.uk>
Date: Sun, 29 Mar 1998 13:27:21 +0100 (BST)
Subject: M-TH: Welfare versus Passive Smoking




Doug wrote:

>I was just paging through the latest LM. Do you really think the fear of
>secondhand smoke is such a big issue? Yeah, I know the health fascists and
>nanny staters are out of control, but why are you all so obsessed with it?
>Your government is pushing welfare reform on the US model, no? Doesn't that
>deserve a bit more acreage than Berkeley health nuts?

---

Sorry: been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

LM was exposing New Labour as *the* danger on welfare reform
and authoritarianism whilst everyone else was wasting energy on opportunistic
attacks on the 'sleazy' Tories - when that government was already holed
below the waterline.  This focus helped New Labour escape much deserved
criticism before getting elected; recent allegations of NuLabour 'betrayal'
are childish and an admission of ignorance.  (Of course, there is Old
Labour and it's left hangers on who have more slavish adherence to Labour,
even if it is a greater danger than the Tories).


Gary D.



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