PRESS RELEASE LIBERTARIANZ SMOKING

Big Brother Should Be Smoked Out

"The passing of the Smokefree Environments Bill will lead to draconian measures in order for further state nannying to be effective," says Libertarianz Deputy Stephen Berry. "The Ministry of Health will be armed with a team of camera-toting 'enforcement officers' to prosecute bar owners who offend against nanny's anti-smoking hysteria."

"The issue of smoking in bars is essentially about property rights," says Berry. "The owner of the property has the right to set the rules in their bar. It is going to take smoking police stings for the Government to enforce this law seriously - stings which can result in fines of up to $4000 for bar owners where smoking occurs. It is an absolute violation of the rights of the property owner." Berry worries that people will remain apathetic however, "right up until a smoking nazi proposes a ban in private homes."

Steve Chadwick, the law's architect, says, "Seventy-five per cent of New Zealanders don't smoke and this gives them the right to say, 'You can't smoke here'." Stephen Berry declares, "You are wrong Ms. Chadwick. Those bars do not belong to you or to seventy-five percent of New Zealanders. If you don't like the bar owner's policy, you don't enter their bar."

Libertarianz has been campaigning against the implementation of this legislation. "In all the debates on this issue, property rights are not even being discussed. There is not one MP standing up for property rights on this issue." Berry says the election of Libertarianz MP's will change this. "We will stand firmly for the rights of the property owner and destroy this fascist legislation at the first opportunity."

Ends

Stephen Berry Libertarianz Deputy Leader 0210375720 stephenberry@xtra.co.nz

More Freedom - Less Government www.libertarianz.org.nz

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