"The question of one’s own philosophy of how to live comes into play here, of course. Mine, just for the record, is to enjoy life as much as possible whilst also applying as much moderation, common sense and consideration for others as I can manage. I also believe that pleasure is extremely important to human beings, that our pleasures should be given up only as an absolute last resort, and that if the medical establishment were to see things more in that way – ie. as human beings – we would be hearing very different statistics and different advice. Finally I believe that what I choose to do to my own body is entirely my own business.

There’s another philosophy, though, which feeds into antismoking, and goes something like: work hard to avoid absolutely everything which current opinion holds to be bad for you, and do as much as possible of what current opinion holds to be good for you, and maybe you can attain perfection or invulnerability. Often this mindset is accompanied by a zealous desire to whip others into shape, and/or a feeling that if anything goes wrong it must be someone else’s fault, so let’s find someone to blame – or sue. This is all very American and I don’t think it’s an accident that antismoking mania has spread primarily through the countries most influenced by America: Canada, Australia and the British Isles. But in my opinion it’s not only a dreary way to live but not guaranteed to work any better anyway."

This is a quote taken from an essay called, "the smoking issue" by Joe Jackson in 2004 (this year updated to a new essay called "Smoking, Lies and the Nanny State"). "Songwriter and contrarian" Joe Jackson, most well-known for his 1970's pop-hit 'Is She Really Going Out With Him?', was highlighted in an article in today's Daily Telegraph that goes to show that not all pop stars are left-wing pamphleteers.

Of Joe Jackson they write:
"Ever since his first hit in 1979, the scathing date-hate tune 'Is She Really Going Out With Him?', an unwillingness to suffer fools has been the leitmotif of his career...Not for Jackson the populist flag-waving of Third World debt relief, global warming or the anti-landmine movement. In his more bloody-minded moments he says he feels like "standing up and saying, 'Actually, I quite like landmines!'"

For the past 10 years, Jackson has been a staunch defender of the rights of smokers. As a moderate five-a-day man, he is principally motivated by suspicion of the covert agenda of the anti-smoking lobby, which he dismisses as "a new Prohibition, a racket hugely driven by the pharmaceutical companies in partnership with the World Health Organisation".

As well as contributing opinion pieces to various broadsheets (including this one), Jackson has also recently published an 18-page polemical pamphlet, Smoking, Lies and the Nanny State, on his website, www.joejackson.com. Thoroughly researched and passionately argued, it articulates Jackson's conviction that "the war against tobacco is part of a broader effort to turn us away from traditional pleasures, cures and comforts."

Joe Jackson: Actually, I quite like landmines.