Smoke Free Pubs

[cite]Posted By: Carter[/cite]Do the 'larger' (I didn't say fat okay) members of society feel bothered that the price and duty of cigarettes keeps going up to supposedly pay for the extra NHS care for smokers when the tax and price of fast food stays pretty level. Yet the cost of heavier people to the NHS far outweighs that of tax paying smokers.

Whether I smoke or don't smoke, banning smoking in pubs is bullshit.

If passive smoking was such a serious problem the sale of tobacco would be made illegal.

Why is it bullshit?

Jeez - get over it!

It hasn't taken away a freedom, you can still smoke.

And it's not outlawed because of all the tax on it...

This is ridiculous.

yeah, agree, and all places that serve food should be non smoking.

i was thinking about this smoking pubs and non smoking pubs last night and i dont think it would work. I think the landlords would be too worried about the drop in takings so they would keep it smoking and just have sections.

Mind you there's a pub round the corner from my office The Phoenix which has been non smoking for the last tow years and is always busy.

I went to my local on Sunday night and it stank of old beer and BO. Was strange to walk up Villiers Street last night and see smokers huddling in doorways too.

It's a good thing, but it'll take some getting used to.

When all the non-smokers stop driving cars, I will listen to them; until then, they can stick their hypocritical self rightiousness (scuse spelling) up their ashtray!

Portugal has seen sense, under 100m2 floor space, your choice to be smoking or not, over 100m2, max 30% smoking area.

In the three plus years I have had a pub, only one person has said they were in favour of a total smoking ban in pubs - that is the honest truth, I am not spinning it to support my argument. Even the government's own survey could find only 20% of people in favour of a total smoking ban.

The government has brought in this law with no mandate at all from the country, that is not democracy, it is dictatorship. Here is what was said in the Labour manifesto in 2005:

"We will legislate to ensure that all enclosed public places and workplaces, other than licensed premises will be smoke free."

It goes on to say that restaurants and bars serving food will be smoke free, then:

"...and other pubs and bars will be free to to choose whether to allow smoking, or be smoke-free. In membership clubs, the members will be free to choose whether to allow smoking or to be smoke-free"

Just two years ago that was published, a pack of lies.

If they can do it with smoking, they will think they can get away with anything. Road charging next, then in a few years alcohol rationing.

Its the death of the pub i tell you. Was in the Oak last night - 80% of the customers were outside on the street - shivering. non smokers sat inside alone. pissed off the neighbours probably and customers.

this weekend is going to be interesting.

Saturday night I went to the Blues rock at Gillinghams ground. Brannigans type place, people were getting their hands stamped and going outside to shovel powder up their noses round the corner whilst having a fag. Not particularly well organised but not chaotic.

The Zone however was organised chaos. Along with people being able to fire up on marching powder outside there were untold amounts of pissed up clubbers in the middle of a main road. I give it a month before someone is killed or really hurt outside that place, but it's okay because people aren't smoking inside.

Once someone is hurt they will ban smoing outside as it's dangerous and then the place will close because people simply will not go all night without being able to participate in a perfectly legal activity.

Utter bollocks this is.

who's going to see that when is stuck down two pages off the front page?

well to add to this conversation, i was in a few pubs (no surprise) over the weekend and they were empty.

i think it's just great.one of my friends is asthmatic and always did struggle wilh all the smoke before. also,it has made some places more social,with smokers striking up conversations outside with new people that they may not have before.i have just found places to be a lot more friendly.

are the pubs doing less trade than they would normally? possibly.to me it is a slight inconvienience to some,but a godsend to many.it does not appear to be the end of the world as had been predicted.now,if we could just ban smelly people..

[cite]Posted By: Algarveaddick[/cite]Threadkiller, if my pub were in the Uk it would mean more than a slight inconvenience, it would mean three people on the dole, and me with a huge albatross of a pub around my neck with very little sell on value. In some villages the only pub may shut down, inconveniencing a lot of people, smokers and non-smokers.

I for one never predicted "the end of the world", but I did predict a downturn in trade in an already struggling industry, and comments above seem to bear this out. The once a year anti-smoking drinkers remain once a year drinkers, who will now be able to have their annual milk stout in a smoke free zone. Sadly the atmospheric improvements gained by the smoke free pub may be offset by the ten miles they have to drive to find a pub still open.

Very well said, would add to it but think you've got it in one there mate

Please unsink this thread. it was a great one.

I don't smoke but this is pointless over-regulation at a time when pubs need all the help they can get.

It's a virtue signalling policy which you aren't allowed to disagree with because smoking is discursively defined as bad, thus any arguments in favour of personal liberty or freedom are banned.