Liberals have a big problem - they're never satisfied. But there are a few rational libs, it turns out - like anti-smoking activist Michael Siegel, a tobacco control expert at Boston University's School of Public Health, who realizes that banning smoking in open spaces like public parks is taking things too far.

“But I would argue in a wide-open space like a park or a beach, there is no necessity for the government to step in and regulate smoking, because nonsmokers can easily avoid exposure,’’ Siegel said. “My fear is if we are going too far and pushing for laws that are no longer justified on public health grounds, the public may begin to view us as zealots who are simply trying to get rid of smoking everywhere.’’

David Goerlitz, once the Marlboro Man, then an anti-smoking activist, now is lashing out at the anti-tobacco industry.

Andy Davis, chairman of pro-choice organisation Freedom2Choose states, “David has already confirmed in an explosive interview with historian Christopher Snowdon how guilty and embarrassed he now feels by his association with the tobacco control industry. He is a man of virtue and knows the anti-tobacco industry inside-out.”

I wonder if he'll be thrown out of the party. Imagine the mess it would make if this caught on - if abortion rights advocates didn't insist that 11 year olds should be able to end their pregnancies without telling their parents, or if those fighting for worker rights didn't continue to look to give unions more power even after they've become the most destructive force in the country.