John reid quote

This is from the Times
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...364926,00.html) I haven't
tracked down the original transcript yet. I don't think it was the
'today' program.

...d

Quote--

Mark with care this week’s statement from John Reid, the Health
Secretary, on smoking. With the excitement of Archimedes in his bath, Mr
Reid claimed to have discovered the golden mean, “the balance between
protection for the majority and personal freedom for the minority”. His
new theorem holds that “you are free under the law to do things that
risk your own health. What you are not allowed to do in a civilised
society is things that damage the health of others and do things that
cause discomfort to others.”

This is an almost exact plagiarism of John Stuart Mill. He wrote that
“the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any
member of a civilised community against his will is to prevent harm to
others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient
warrant.” A person’s freedom to do what he wants, said Mill, should be
limited only insofar as “he must not make himself a nuisance to other
people”. Mr Reid professes to agree.

Endquote --

If Parliament - the sovereign power in this country wanted to ban
tobacco it could.

Tobacco kills over 120,000 people in the UK annually.

If 300 Jumbo jets fell out of the sky every year with the loss of all
passengers then they would banned.

So why don't they? Money - lots of it - Immediate tax on a packet.
Corporation tax on the company.

David Martin wrote:
This is from the Times
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...364926,00.html) I haven't
tracked down the original transcript yet. I don't think it was the
'today' program.
substandard political tosh snipped

I have, for a long time, been of the opinion that John Reid is a ****.
He is becoming better at it all the time.

--
Chris

David Martin wrote:
This is from the Times
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...364926,00.html) I
haven't tracked down the original transcript yet. I don't think it
was the 'today' program.

It was the PM programme. I listened on the way home one day.


- Nigel


--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

David Martin wrote:
This is from the Times
(http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...364926,00.html) I haven't
tracked down the original transcript yet. I don't think it was the
'today' program.

..d

Quote--

Mark with care this week’s statement from John Reid, the Health
Secretary, on smoking. With the excitement of Archimedes in his bath, Mr
Reid claimed to have discovered the golden mean, “the balance between
protection for the majority and personal freedom for the minority”. His
new theorem holds that “you are free under the law to do things that
risk your own health. What you are not allowed to do in a civilised
society is things that damage the health of others and do things that
cause discomfort to others.”

This is an almost exact plagiarism of John Stuart Mill. He wrote that
“the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any
member of a civilised community against his will is to prevent harm to
others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient
warrant.” A person’s freedom to do what he wants, said Mill, should be
limited only insofar as “he must not make himself a nuisance to other
people”. Mr Reid professes to agree.

Endquote --
It also seems to draw "inspiration" from some of he speeches of Woodrow
Wilson if my memory serves me correctly.

archierob wrote:
If Parliament - the sovereign power in this country wanted to ban
tobacco it could.

Tobacco kills over 120,000 people in the UK annually.

If 300 Jumbo jets fell out of the sky every year with the loss of all
passengers then they would banned.

So why don't they? Money - lots of it - Immediate tax on a packet.
Corporation tax on the company.

The societal cost (sum of all direct and indirect costs to the individual,
others and the state) of smoking far exceeds the tax take. The problem is
that the yesterday's smoking commits tomorrows costs and without tomorrow's
tobacco tax the cost must fall on the general tax payer. Who pays when
today's smoker shows lung cancer in 20 years?

Rock and a hard place: the long term benefit is borne by current taxpayers
who receive minimal direct benefit. no wonder the politicians duck the
issue!

pk

David Martin quoted:

“the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any
member of a civilised community against his will is to prevent harm to
others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient
warrant.” A person’s freedom to do what he wants, said Mill, should be
limited only insofar as “he must not make himself a nuisance to other
people”. Mr Reid professes to agree.



ummmm, how does that principle sit with the banning of hunting?

pk

David Martin wrote:
....
| This is an almost exact plagiarism of John Stuart Mill. He wrote that
| “the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any
| member of a civilised community against his will is to prevent harm to
| others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient
| warrant. ” A person’s freedom to do what he wants, said Mill, should be
| limited only insofar as “he must not make himself a nuisance to other
| people”. Mr Reid professes to agree.

As in "John Stuart Mill, of his own free will, on half a pint of shandy
was particularly ill"?

--
Patrick Herring, http://www.anweald.co.uk/ph

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 23:22:50 GMT, "Alex.Clarke"
wrote:

It also seems to draw "inspiration" from some of he speeches of Woodrow
Wilson if my memory serves me correctly.

Makes a change from Woodrow Wyatt.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 00:01:11 +0000 (UTC), "pk"
wrote:

how does that principle sit with the banning of hunting?

By counting the fox as "others".

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at CHS, Puget Sound