Well knock me down with a feather, Parliament has actually passed something that:

1. I agree with
2. Most of the rest of the country agrees with

What!? I hear you exclaim. Yes, it's true. In the midst of ignoring the country at large and taking away a large number of freedoms (not least, the freedom to leave the country without paying several hundred quid to deposit vast amounts of your information onto a honeypot for identity fraudsters), Parliament has agreed to bring Englandshire into line with the rest of these islands (and increasing areas of Europe) and ban smoking in public places.

Some lobby groups *cough^[1]*Forest*cough* are trying to spin this as another loss of freedom. It's not. It's a gain of freedom - freedom to work without your health being threatened.

I'm no Roy Castle, but in my semi-pro folk singing days, my eyes, throat and lungs felt the effects of a gig every time. And as for the It'll kill the pubs argument - if smokers are really not willing to have a pint without a fag, then pubs really aren't as attractive as they'd like to claim.

So to otherwise well-respected Political Commentators I say: in the week when so much was taken away from us, please focus on the real issue, and don't get diverted by side issues.

In a rare spirit of credit where it's due: well done our representatives.

[1] And I do mean cough. And splutter. And hawk. And other noises of nasty lung diseases