Mattias Svensson: The new rökförbuden is authoritarian populism

Even an unwelcome task to have landed in the individual affärsidkares the knee through the new laws against tobacco that will be introduced on 1 July this year, including the prohibition of smoking in outdoor cafes and at the entrances.

Would someone smoking in a public place in connection to the entrance as it is the store owners inside the affected by the sanctions, not the smoker. They can be fined, and tobacconists can also lose the marketing authorization ( Stockholm Directly 13/3).

act unpaid rökpoliser. It follows that no powers with this mission, the store owners may not physically rejecting people, but they are expected to put up the signs, remove ashtrays, and ask smokers to move. As well as pay fines and risk state if they do not do it.

instead of reducing bureaucracy, the political work resulted in a red tape, simplifying rules.

It does not stop there. The county administrative board of Stockholm invites the public to gossip about the smoke outside the entrances or on the terraces, so that they can act against these business owners ( SVT 18/3). Which convenient way for an unscrupulous operator to set it to a competitor.

The new law allows shop owners and restaurateurs to both moralpoliser and monitored.

on something that has been a mystery to many outside of politics. Throughout the 2000s, governments have promised to deal with the compliance burden of businesses. Delegations have been appointed to work with simplifications, government investigators are required to consider such impacts and we also have a consultative Regelråd to monitor the situation. Still increase the burden year by year. Instead of reducing red tape has the political work that resulted in a red tape, simplifying rules.

Still slips laws of the above type through.

the major problem is not effektivitetsförlusten, without prejudice to the application of the law is arbitrary, that the general public are invited to inform and innocent at risk of being penalized. Many who disapprove of smoking are probably be sympathetic to any restriction that is proposed, but it is a thoughtless approach given the approach that legitimated. To a self-righteous majority is chasing displeasing minorities with legally questionable practices indicate that the authoritarian populism comes in many forms.

That a self-righteous majority is chasing displeasing minorities with legally questionable practices indicate that the authoritarian populism comes in many forms.

the Ban also has no health to speak of. Not even the investigation that preceded the proposal dared to assert to smoke outdoors would be a health hazard and the ban also includes e-cigarettes and that is people who breathe out water vapor. With the minister of social affairs Annika Strandhälls (S) infamous words, the idea is to ”avnormalisera tobacco use in public space”. All this trouble for a pure moral law.