Sunday, July 01, 2007

Hoorah! The smoking ban kicks in today

July 1, and the smoking ban kicks in today throughout the UK. Hoo-bloody-ray! Of most interest to me is that the ban now applies at train stations and railway concourses.

Each morning when I walk down the concourse at my local station, I'm blasted with the stale smoke of commuters who are banging down fag after fag before the eternal (15 minute) journey. From today, that will be a thing of the past.

I'm also loving that the ban will apply in shops, pubs, bars and restaurants. It's about time!

I don't care if people smoke - that's their own choice. But this new law enforces them to have consideration for the non-smokers who have had to endure smoky pubs and train stations for way too long.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

On no account should a total smoking ban be allowed ! That is pure fascism, those who are trying to enforce it are pure fascists, and as such are dangerous and should be fought tooth and nail as any dangerous fascist should.

The solution to the smoking/non-smoking problem is to have separate areas. That works perfectly well and there is no valid reason to change it. There is a lot of medical propaganda about smoking that is unproven or false, notably on the subject of passive smoking.

It is pure humbug. The rights of smokers are just as important as those of non-smokers and let no-one say otherwise. Hitler singled out the Jews in the 1930’s just like people are singling out smokers now. It is very very dangerous and these people must not be allowed to get away with this, if only because it is an open door to other things ………alcohol, fatty foods, car exhaust fumes etc etc. Rail Travel is dangerous, air travel, cars on the road.

You could argue that anything is dangerous and that it should be banned. The argument just doesn’t make sense. I have not one iota of doubt in my mind that these would-be banners are wrong and they must be stopped.

The other thing, the most hypocritical thing of all, is that if cigarettes were really as dangerous as they would have us believe, then their sale would be banned, wouldn’t it ? Ah yes, but there is too much money involved. Cannabis, which is not dangerous at all, is banned ? Why? No-one knows, but it does containes less dangerous products than tobacco.

All this goes to prove that the government are a load of hyprocrites and should in no case be listened to. It’s time the public stood up to these people who really take them for a bunch of idiots.

Mike Smith said...

No it doesn't - another chunk of Blair-ite "nanny state" democracy. A Pub is a Pub - you want to redefine pub - don't - invent something else like a brasserie or a bar/restaurant, and go there instead...

Stations - no big deal - I have a one hour commute involving three trains and four stations - I can live with that.

Restaurants/cafes - blimey I would hope most restaurant-goers already have the common decency ot to smoke around someone else's food - maybe you live in an area of ignorance, nay intolerance.

Ooops hang on - we've turned full circle here..by the way I'm not a proper smoker - I gave up months ago - but I bought a pack of 20 this weekend and smoked the bloody lot in support of the oppressed minority who contribute an absolute packet to your/my NHS. (Tell you this mind - they made me feel bloody ill !)

Freedom of Choice - not in this country ...

Venti said...

It actually is not a total smoking ban, and I agree - the solution is to have areas where non-smokers can smoke. That's what the new laws are about.

And I'm not really debating whether cigarettes are dangerous - they just stink!And the less of them there are in public places- where non-smokers also have the right to co-exist without being coated in foul smelling drimy smoke, the better.

Venti said...

Mike,

I think its about choice. A non-smoker who exercises their right not to smoke does nothing to bother a smoker. Whereas a smoker, who chooses to smoke near a non-smoker, and puff smoke all over the place - in public placeslike stations and pubs for example, infringes on the rights of non-smokers. So I'm just suggesting that these laws enforce the type of common decency you seem to think is common place.

In any case, congratulations for giving up smoking.