10 Years Since Ireland Showed Us The Way To Deal With This Filth.

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26785369
Most of the civilised world now has some sort of smoking ban, hard to believe it was only 10 years ago, seems like an age. I just find it unimaginable that people used to smoke in pubs once. Thanks Ireland.

[Gromit]

I agree with mikey,

The smoking ban has made minimal impact on pubs. The biggest factor in pubs closing is the availability of cheap booze from supermarkets, the drink driving laws and the excessive profiteering of breweries and HMRC tax.

The ban was very overdue and has worked well. if people say they no longer go out because they cannot smoke then that is a great result for everyone else.

[weecalf]

What Davy Cameron,s lot making outta this new laptop ciggie

[anotheoldgit]

I'm not a smoker but I wonder how many of these anti smoking brigade drive around in air polluting diesel vehicles?

Phone-in on BBC5 Alive this morning was about the same brigade now trying to stop the smoking of the non harmful electronic devises in public places.

Where will it end? If I had a choice I would like to see a ban on obnoxious heavy perfumes and body deodorants,

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit
I agree with mikey,

/// The smoking ban has made minimal impact on pubs. The biggest factor in pubs closing is the availability of cheap booze from supermarkets, the drink driving laws and the excessive profiteering of breweries and HMRC tax. ///

Then why has it had such an impact on Bingo halls and working men's clubs?

[ToraToraTora]

it's not a pollution issue AOG, it's about not having to smell the disgusting stuff indoors. I think most agree that the actual pollution effects of passive smoking are probaby minimal but that doesn't make it pleasant. I remember the days before the ban going to a pub and having all my cloths and hair reek after. It never ceased to amaze me how bad smokers stink, even when not actually smoking, I never really understood whether they new they stink and just tolerated it or whether they simply did not believe they smelled so bad.

[jno]

yup, the Welsh now want to make vaping illegal because it looks like smoking.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-26837682

Coming soon, a ban on chewing pencils, at least white ones.

[anotheoldgit]

ToraToraTora

If it is all down to the smell of smoking, what is your take on some very heavy perfumes, personally they tend to make me physically sick, especially in confined spaces.

[anotheoldgit]

jno

/// Coming soon, a ban on chewing pencils, at least white ones. ///

Along with the disgusting habit of chewing gum and the occasional match stick in the corner of the mouth, and heh what about those disgusting comforters babies suck on, ban them, ban them.

[mushroom25]

//it's not a pollution issue AOG, it's about not having to smell the disgusting stuff indoors. //

actually it's a public health issue, to do with health & wellbeing of employees in the workplace. see here http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/smoking.htm

[Prudie]

I smoke but am quite happy about the ban in public places. I don't smoke inside my home or anyone else's so as far as possible don't impinge on others. I do object to smoking being the one thing humans can get up to that is persistently acceptable for other ABers to be rude about about. ie I object to the use of the word 'filth'. It is still legal and until a few years ago very acceptable.

[ToraToraTora]

smoking, spitting chewing gum, the holy trinity of disgustingness!
You are quite right mushroom it was a public health thing for staff etc but what I'm saying is from a personal point of view It's the stench, the way it clings to your hair and clothes, fills the air with smog, gos right up your nose etc. Yes AOG I too have occasionally smelt some cats pi55, perfume not to mention jam tarting! but really there is no comparison.

[Gromit]

// Then why has it had such an impact on Bingo halls //

There are hundreds of adverts on TV during the daytime for online bingo. I reckon if bingo halls are empty, it is because people are playing on their tablets.

[Gromit]

// There's been a rapid growth of bingo websites. As recently as 2004 fewer than 20 such sites operated in the UK, now there are thought to be about 350, according to portal site whichbingo.co.uk.

Operators include everyone from bingo hall owners Mecca and Gala, to newspapers like The Sun and Daily Mail. //

[mushroom25]

even some of the more die-hard tobacco-smoking cultures in Europe have accepted bans on lighting up indoors - previously, in France bars were required to provide an "espace non-fumeurs", which was invariably 2 uncomfortable chairs wedged in a cupboard under the stairs.

[whirlyhurly]

Oh yes forgetmenot (I've never been a smoker),but those smokers outside do seem to be a jolly sociable lot !

[Svejk]

its a shame they didnt try smoking and non-smoking pubs.
then all you miserable bleeders, who we didnt like having in the pub anyway,lol, could have stood around, drinking yer halfs, and imbibing the fresh air. well, for 6 weeks till all 'your' pubs shut.

[ludwig]

mikey
// I think that the link between banning smoking in public places, and the closing of Pubs is largely spurious and is just an excuse //

gromit
// The smoking ban has made minimal impact on pubs. The biggest factor in pubs closing is the availability of cheap booze from supermarkets, the drink driving laws and the excessive profiteering of breweries and HMRC tax. //

Both of the above are true. If anything, the ban has encouraged people to go to pubs that avoided them before because of the atmosphere. I don't think it's stopped smokers going. They just keep nipping outside every 10 minutes. It's not even a hardship for them.

Habits have changed. Pubs aren't just drinking holes any more. People will buy a bottle of wine and watch telly if they just want a drink.
Pubs now have to offer a better reason to leave the house, like good food and entertainment. The ones that failed to modernise have fallen by the wayside.

Having said that, round where I live there's a resurgent pub industry based on micro breweries, real ale, and live music.

[Svejk]

that's likely right amongst the middle classes, ludwig.
around here, amongst my crowd, thats exactly what we want. A watering hole, no bloody meals, no bloody women, definitely no brats. entertainment, racing on the telly. saying that, everyone i know is calling in for a few after work. people go to different kind of places for a night out with their other halves.