A member of the Anti-smoking Publican Party posted in the Scotsman on Sunday:

"The current smoking ban was initiated by pressure groups such as ASH Scotland who incidentally received £1.7 of taxpayers money from the Scottish Executive between 1999 and 2005.

I have met many non-smokers who have said they support our view as they see the ban as a freedom of choice issue."

I replied
"Thanks Eddie I hadn't realised they had been given £1.7 (million) of our money to browbeat us.

Rather like Scottish Renewables boss getting money to lobby (& write letters to the Scotsman) for more money for windmills.

I am also a non-smoker who shares the view that the smoking ban is an "illiberal attack on individual freedom".

Our political class is a very incestuous bunch who seem to be cross subsidising each other at every opportunity.

If this money had gone to a political party (either yours or ours) to lobby against spending more taxpayer money there would, correctly, be an outcry."