Letters from The Herald June 27 http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/64803.html

99% compliance rate doesn’t justify ban

YOU report that the smoking ban in Scotland has achieved a 99% compliance rate as if this is somehow a vindication of the law and a cause for celebration (June 26). In fact, all this figure tells us is that the vast majority of Scots are law-abiding, which we were aware of anyway. When politicians tell you to obey the law or be fined or, eventually, thrown in jail, you find that people tend to do as they are told. It doesn't mean that the politicians are right. It's a bit like congratulating a bully for a 99% success rate in relieving children of their lunch money.
You also report that one in four people say they are now more likely to go to the pub even though there is no evidence to suggest this is actually happening. What we do have is hard evidence from Ireland which shows that hundreds of pubs have closed and 7500 jobs have been lost since their smoking ban two years ago.
the sad thing is we could have had sensible smoking restrictions in Scotland that would have guaranteed some measure of freedom to smokers and non-smokers alike. Such measures would have been supported by the vast majority of Scots and there would have been no threat to local pubs. Instead, we got a comprehensive smoking ban and allowed extremists and fanatics to control more and more aspects of our daily lives. That's no cause for celebration.
Neil Rafferty, Freedom Organisation for the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco, Lauderhaugh, Lauder.

THE frequency with which people such as Andy Kerr assure us that more and more of the population are behind them on their anti-smoker crusade suggests that they are worried that this attack on a minority is bringing home to more and more people the neo-fascist/neo-soviet (take your pick – they amount to the same thing) nature of New Labour.
What does Mr Kerr's pronouncement (June 26) amount to but an example of the Goebbels plan of Bogus Science – Big Lie – Constant Repetition Thereof allied to the idea that majorities have the right to tyrannise over minorities for no better reason than that they don't like what they are doing? Very neo-fascist/neo-soviet/New Labour.
Gordon McNeill, 68 South Scotstoun, Queensferry.