I have smoked for most of the past 45 years, although for the last 15 or so of them I only smoked cigars. In January this year, after smoking a selection of fine Havanas that my daughter brought me back from her holiday in Cuba, I gave up.

I resent having to do so, because I genuinely enjoyed my cigars, but any pleasure I might have derived was eventually eroded by the neurotic posturing of non-smokers (or, worse, ex-smokers) and the reduction in the number of places where one could smoke.

The legislation in the UK, as elsewhere, is unduly redolent of the Nanny State because, as far as I can tell, even if you wanted to designate a bar or whatever as a "smoke-easy" just for those who wish to smoke cigars, a pipe or even cigarettes, you cannot.

Long ago I predicted that when the killjoy brigade had finished with smokers, they would start applying similar sanctions to the drinkers of anything alcoholic, and it has started! The pretext is the suppression of "binge drinking", but I suspect that before long even the moderate enjoyment of wine and spirits will be curtailed by legislation.

A pox on the Nanny State and all its apologists! We may not live any longer once everything enjoyable has been legislated away, but it will certainly make life seem interminable.

Alan