Dave5

The most charitable explanation for National’s behaviour over the smokefree legislation is that they have dutifully fulfilled the wishes of the Big Tobacco lobby and then cast around – incompetently, as it turns out – for excuses that might sell this health policy U-turn to the public.

The less charitable view is that the government was being deliberately misleading. Are we to think Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is a fool, or a liar? It seems rather early on in his term of office to be facing that unpleasant choice. Yet when Luxon (and senior MP Chris Bishop) tried to defend the indefensible with the same wildly inaccurate claim, there are not a lot of positive explanations left on the table. Either they were too lazy to fact check the flimsy excuses they were presenting, or they were intentionally trying to mislead the public. Or both.

http://werewolf.co.nz/2023/12/gordon-campbell-on-the-governments-smokefree-laws-debacle/