I know the price of freedom – by Nick Hogan

July 1st 2007 became ‘Black Sunday’ to publicans up and down England, as it was the day hard working and law abiding English citizens had a piece of freedom abruptly taken away. It was also the day that would put me on a path that would ultimately end up with my incarceration in HMP Forest Bank a category B high security prison in Manchester.

July 1st was the day that a Labour Government took my freedom to run and operate my own business as I felt fit, as they bowed to pressure from the anti smoking gaggle and introduced the 2006 Health Act and ban smoking in public places.

It has been well reported, my stance to this draconian Act, but let me tell you once again that I am and never have been pro smoking. However, as a UKIP member and activist I will defend yours and my right to the freedom of choice as I did back in 2007 when three WWII heroes entered my public house in Bolton.

It was a day which was wet, cold and miserable outside, much like most of the 2007 summer, when the three gentlemen ask me as the Landlord and the owner of the business if it was ok to have a smoke out of the way in the pub. I told them it was, as in all honesty I had no desire to ask three men who had fought for my freedom to go and stand outside in the wet and cold to indulge in an highly taxed and legal product.

As they sat in comfort enjoying their pint and fag, the council smoke detectives entered the pub, they observed the men smoking and to cut a long story short, I was summonsed to court charged with breaching the Heath Act.

After a court appearance and a crown court appeal I was handed a fine in total £11,500. By the time the fine was given to me I had lost my once successful pub due in main to the smoking ban and the lack of customers, who by now had abandoned public houses and sat at home consuming cheap supermarket booze and smoked in peace. As I was unable to pay the fine because I had no business, thanks to Labour, the authorities wanted a pound of flesh or should I say £11,500 pounds of flesh. As a result, they sentenced me to six months prison. You may think that this was a shock but it wasn’t - I knew that the chairman of the bench had made it his personal goal to make an example of me.

I must admit I was very worried when I entered the prison and that I was very low in mood, but in the back of my mind I knew you and the party would not abandon me. I entered the prison on the Friday night and by the Tuesday I had dozens of letters and postcards from well wishers, most of them from you lot. I cannot tell you how much they meant to me you gave me a massive boost and will never be able to thank you enough.

The best part of this story is you and the thousands of freedom thinking individuals who in five days raised £10,000 to free me. After only twelve days I walked free from jail. Thank you. And just to let you know, I was released on the 10th March 2010, which is National No Smoking Day! Irony.