MPs' bad example of smoke ban

May I endorse the letter in the Shropshire Star headlined "Politicians Have Own Standards On smoking" (July 16).

It goes without saying, most of the population have accepted the smoking ban without question and they realise for health reasons it is for everyone's good.

It has, prior to this smoking law, been not unusual for many people to be banned from smoking at work or in the office for a host of reasons, from health reasons to food contamination risks, fire risk, health and safety rules etc.

It is surprising to learn that it is not illegal to smoke in the Palace of Westminster but it was agreed that smoking would be restricted to four designated outside areas.

A similar arrangement applied to the European Parliament, but then lifted for the reason of being unenforceable. It so happens that the ban in Parliament was also being disobeyed.

How is it that the very organisations which decreed the bans are unable to enforce it in their own environments while expecting the people of this country to obey the ban?

We now understand that a member of parliament has defied a smoking ban on a train which, as everyone understands, has been in force on trains for a number of years.

These examples of attitude and behaviour are the very stuff that result in lack of faith in Westminster and in the European Parliament.

Is this an example of the old dictate: "Do as I say, not as I do".

John W P Lloyd, Telford