Without a bohemia you pay a heavy price he said in an interview with The Independent

Without a bohemia you pay a heavy price,” he said in an interview with The Independent. “Picasso smoked until he was about 98 and so did Matisse.”Mr Hockney defended the right of smokers to pursue their pastime, dismissing the Government’s plans as excessive bossiness.”I smoke for my mental health, so do most people actually If they are not on it what replaces it? Antidepressants. People don’t want to live like you do.”Over the course of the day Mr Hockney, came up with a palette of colourful abuse of Labour’s plans to ban smoking in pubs and clubs. The internationally acclaimed artist, who spends most of his time living in smoke-free Los Angeles, arrived at Labour conference wearing in his button hole a pink rose, rather than the more usual red one, and declared: “Death awaits you whether you smoke or not.”

He started the day with a combative appearance on the Today programme on Radio 4, dismissing as “absolutely dreary” Julie Morgan, the earnest Labour MP who argued smoking in pubs could damage the health of the bar staff He told her: “You’re too bossy, chum … Adding a splash of colour to the rather drab Labour conference proceedings, David Hockney waltzed into Brighton, cigarette in hand, to promote smoking in pubs.

tactless and unnecessary.” Linda Riordan, MP for Halifax * “The Labour Party reserves the right to remove people who cause a persistent disturbance” Labour party spokesperson * “It’s heavy handed for people to be ejected” John Austin, MP. He won loud applause as he declared: “Our troops should be pulled out now and quickly.” He received more applause when he said: “I ask you in all conscience: are 100,000 civilian dead a price worth paying? Are the scores of British soldiers dead a price worth paying?” How other delegates reacted * “It was a dreadful overreaction by the stewards, who were understandably concerned about security” Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt * “The stewards behaved completely inappropriately” Liam Byrne, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Care Services * “The treatment was … His security pass has been taken away, but he intends to attend the conference’s final day today. Earlier Barry Camfield, the assistant general secretary of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, accused the Government of allowing itself to act as a “crutch” for President George Bush over Iraq. Mr Wolfgang was later greeted as a hero when he appeared at a rally of left-wingers in Brighton.

However, it is clear from TV footage that the way in which Mr Wolfgang was removed was inappropriate.” When the Prime Minister was asked by a journalist whether he would apologise to Mr Wolfgang, he did not comment. Ian McCartney, the party chairman, said: “We apologise for the inappropriate way he was removed.” A Labour spokesman said: “The Labour Party reserves its rights to remove from the conference site people who cause a persistent disturbance. It’s not taking place in the conference hall, but it is going on in the bars and the corridors.” After initially defending its actions, Labour admitted Mr Wolfgang had been wrongly treated. Perhaps more appropriate action could have been taken but this was an 80-year-old gentleman and I am sure that Jack Straw, a politician of great experience, is able to deal with events of this kind without that kind of response from our stewards.” Linda Riordan, the MP for Halifax, added: “You can’t stop ordinary members of the Labour Party having a debate about Iraq. A Mole Valley delegate, Carol Hayton, said: “We are very concerned about the way in which a gentleman of more than 80 was manhandled from the balcony.

They’ve taken my pass away and they won’t let me back into the conference centre.” Delegates forced an investigation by the party’s conference arrangements committee into the incident. It was just the voicing of an opinion and they grabbed hold of him. I said: ‘You leave him alone, he is an old man’ and five stewards pulled me out of the centre. It makes me feel that the people who resort to these tactics are very unsure of themselves and they are on the losing side.” Mr Forrest said: “I literally said ‘hear, hear’ twice Later, this gentleman shouted ‘nonsense’. Mr Wolfgang, a prominent member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, said: “Most of the Labour Party stewards are very nice people One or two people lend themselves to this nonsense.