Several centuries ago kings ruled by "divine right". They were said to be appointed by god and the churches of the day backed up the kings in return for special privileges such as being the only religion permitted in the realm. So even in those days "divine right" was not enough by itself to keep the populace in line. Kings needed propaganda to maintain their hold.

Today we have governments that do not pretend to have a "divine right" to rule. They pretend to gain their legitimacy from the "will of the people". That is a lie too. It would be more accurate to say they are put up with because they are accepted by enough of a majority of those ruled.

But this is just background to the main point of this piece. In truth government has power and can enforce it's laws only where the majority of the people accept those laws. Government can make any laws it wants regardless of support. They could make it illegal to wear blue hats on Sundays. They could make it illegal to use the word "sacred" in any written communications. They can make a law saying the owner of a pub is not allowed to permit his customers to smoke. None of these laws can be enforced without the acceptance of a majority of the population affected.

We have seen this in action many times in our history. Two examples in recent times are the ban on fox hunting and the introduction of the poll tax. These were not acceptable to a majority of the population in the areas they applied to. The fox hunting ban mainly affected the people of the countryside and the poll tax affected everyone. The fox hunting ban is barely enforced today. The poll tax was thrown out altogether.

The government, through much of the mainstream media, is constantly telling us how the smoking ban is being welcomed, how it will have no negative effect on businesses and how secondhand smoke is a greater threat to mankind than atomic bombs and how it causes everything from lung cancer to yellow ears. But you only have to talk with smokers standing outside a pub to know the ban is not welcome. Then look at how the pubs are gradually emptying to see the effects this will have on the livelihood of those who own or work in a pub. Over the next few months there will be many news items claiming that hospital admissions and deaths "related to secondhand smoke" have dropped dramatically. This is the standard pattern applied around the world. Or something else might happen....

There are thousands, probably millions, of people who think this law is wrong. They are not being heard because they are not politically correct. But they certainly do exist. Some are openly flouting the ban. They are causing havoc with the powers that be because they are supposed to enforce a law that is blatantly and obviously unwanted by the people the law affects. The authorities are begining to look ridiculous because the law isn't being enforced. They will have to do something. Those flouting the ban want them to do something. They want a day in court so they can expose the b/s surrounding this law. When they get to court the courthouse will be filled with their supporters.

You are not alone. If you want to throw out this fascistic law, if you want to regain the right to decide what you can allow on your own property, connect up with others who feel the same way. Together we can turn this around.

(note; this post and the one before it are available in printable pdf format from the menu on the right)