Sturgeon the latest illiberal domino to fall
17 February 2023
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Joseph Dinnage writes in The Daily Express
IEA Digital and Press Officer Joseph Dinnage has written for The Daily Express on Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as First Minister of Scotland. Joseph drew parallels between the nationalist leader and her illiberal ideological soulmates: the departed Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Joseph wrote:
“Just as Sturgeon appealed to the empathy of her countrymen, Ardern proclaimed that she had “nothing left in the tank”.
“Although separated by some 11,000 miles, outward displays of humanity are not all the two leaders have in common. They were brought down by a meddling approach that only served to demonstrate the risks of gross state overreach.
“In New Zealand, Ardern took smokers to task, imposing the nauseatingly titled ‘Smokefree generation’ plan.
“This involved a lifetime prohibition on buying cigarettes for anyone born after 2026 among other sweeping policies. Given the howling success of alcohol prohibition in the States, we wait with bated breath for the dissolution of New Zealand’s tobacco black market.
“Sturgeon also had a crack. In 2018, she introduced Minimum Unit Pricing on alcohol, which set a floor price on booze to tackle problem drinking.
“As one of the last harbingers of statism with a human face, as demonstrated by his harsh treatment of Canadian truckers, his fate now seems uncertain.
“Ardern and Sturgeon’s decline may very well signal a change in appetite: a move from the misplaced and unpopular politics of virtue signalling to public policy formed with individualism in mind.”
You can read the full article here.
Joseph’s piece was also referenced in a Scottish Daily Express article, which can be read here.
Joseph wrote:
“Just as Sturgeon appealed to the empathy of her countrymen, Ardern proclaimed that she had “nothing left in the tank”.
“Although separated by some 11,000 miles, outward displays of humanity are not all the two leaders have in common. They were brought down by a meddling approach that only served to demonstrate the risks of gross state overreach.
“In New Zealand, Ardern took smokers to task, imposing the nauseatingly titled ‘Smokefree generation’ plan.
“This involved a lifetime prohibition on buying cigarettes for anyone born after 2026 among other sweeping policies. Given the howling success of alcohol prohibition in the States, we wait with bated breath for the dissolution of New Zealand’s tobacco black market.
“Sturgeon also had a crack. In 2018, she introduced Minimum Unit Pricing on alcohol, which set a floor price on booze to tackle problem drinking.
“As one of the last harbingers of statism with a human face, as demonstrated by his harsh treatment of Canadian truckers, his fate now seems uncertain.
“Ardern and Sturgeon’s decline may very well signal a change in appetite: a move from the misplaced and unpopular politics of virtue signalling to public policy formed with individualism in mind.”
You can read the full article here.
Joseph’s piece was also referenced in a Scottish Daily Express article, which can be read here.
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