I was right to vote for smoke ban – President
Friday 15th January 2010, 2:29PM GMT.
THE President of the Alderney States has defended his decision to back the island’s controversial anti-smoking law.
Sir Norman Browse (pictured) used his optional casting vote to force through the legislation on Wednesday after Alderney’s 10 States members were split over whether to ban smoking in enclosed public places.
Since the vote, Sir Norman has been heavily criticised by former States member Lin Maurice, who told the Guernsey Press yesterday that she was planning to stand for election in December in an attempt to have the law amended.
Sir Norman said: ‘The constitution says I may participate in debates if I wish. I am a full States member and may cast a vote if I choose to do so. There are times when I think I should vote and this was one of those times.’
A retired surgeon, he said he backed the ban for the good of islanders.
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I feel that the smoking ban should have been taken to a public vote. As a President you should be looking after the people of Alderney and taking their views into account. To make the comment that you were not sure if you did the right thing (as seen in the journal)should surely tell you that you should not vote, if someone was on trial facing a charge and you had the final decision would you have voted knowing that you were not sure? I clearly see that if this has been left to the public vote the ban would have not been inforced. I dont feel that someone who does not spend allot of time in public houses should have a vote on this especially not the deciding vote. I actually dont mind having a ban but do mind not having freedom of choice especially when we pride ourselves on being a unique place. All that is special about Alderney seems to be fading away and the people that live here dont even have a say in it. We pay our taxes, work for the island, make money for the island, why should we not get our say.
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Norman you were right may I suggest IQ testing those in disagreement.
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It’s an island of 2000 people. Some pubs and bars allow smoking and some do not. You choose where to drink.
If you’re a smoker you know the risks of the slow painful death ahead. As a non-smoker I know the risk of passive smoking, do I drink in the same pub as the smoker? Not often, no.
With a hung vote and elections due within a year I suspect it would have been better to have left this for another day….. I doubt those in favour of a ban are often seen in the ‘smoking’ pubs now and will not be seen after June either.
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Doug
Your post blows the whole Freedom2Choose concept apart.
You elevate the individual right for someone to pollute you above your right to want to be wherever they may be. That’s not freedom on your part. You didn’t choose that. You accepted it. Smoking is an individual past-time, not a social one. Like-minded smokers could easily convene in a mutually acceptable private space. By not wanting to do so they portray a lack of understanding of what it means to be ‘public’.
I understand that the private-public ‘club’ thing is a legal minefield.
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The right decision was made & should have been made some time ago. Well done Sir Norman
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