N.I joins the no smoking brigade

[Raining_again]

well its been all over the news here, northern ireland is goin to be smoke free in pubs in about a year an a half.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/4346802.stm

personally i think it will destroy pubs all over the place, N Ireland has a scary number of young smokers, infact i don't know many people that dont smoke! i could see all the young people having house parties, instead of going to the pub.

so its Scotland, Ireland and northern ireland, any news of the English/Welsh ban?

[Dawn]

There is meant to be a law coming in for England in the near-ish future which bans smoking from pubs serving food (which is loads of them nowadays) but I do not think there is a complete ban in the pipeline at the moment.

I would love to see a complete ban though, I went to a smoke free pub the other night (its a rule they made in the pub because they wanted to - not because they had to) and it was lovely to come out at the end of the night not stinking of smoke and having a dry sore throat the next morning from all the passive smoking I usually do in the pub.

I think for all the people who are put off going out, there will be an equal number who stay in or go to mates houses to avoid the smoke. There has been no known effect on takings in Ireland that Ive read about - it might even help people quit if they are just social smokers.

[Jack]

I don't see why pubs and smoking have to go hand in hand. I don't really mind it unless I'm eating, but I don't see why it'll destroy pubs. New York's surviving fine, isn't it?

[blumeanie.]

Mmm, just reading this made me reach for the packet and lighter .Its political correctness gone mad. Ive recently been in some of these smoke free pubs&clubs and trust me ,THEY STINK. If there is no smoke there is the overpowering stench of sweat, dampness,stale drink from the carpets and seats, cheap perfumes and bad breath. If the government are truly concerned with our health why dont they just ban ciggarettes totaly ?. I know why they wont .

[Raining_again]

Mmm, just reading this made me reach for the packet and lighter .Its political correctness gone mad. Ive recently been in some of these smoke free pubs&clubs and trust me ,THEY STINK. If there is no smoke there is the overpowering stench of sweat, dampness,stale drink from the carpets and seats, cheap perfumes and bad breath. If the government are truly concerned with our health why dont they just ban ciggarettes totaly ?. I know why they wont .

seriously, dont tempt me :heh:

IMO sweat/stale drink is rotten, id rather smell smoke myself, and that is coming from someone that is now a non-smoker, and i do think fags are horrible, i just cant resist them :heh:

[Noodleman]

If there is no smoke there is the overpowering stench of sweat, dampness,stale drink from the carpets and seats, cheap perfumes and bad breath. If the government are truly concerned with our health why dont they just ban ciggarettes totaly ?. I know why they wont .

Strange how the half of the uni bar thats non smoking smells a lot more pleasent then the half that is smoking. And its not because no one goes there its always a lot more packed then the other half. I cant wait for the day i can go down t'pub and not come back smelling like a chimney.

[Dawn]

Maybe I was just lucky - the pub I went to didn't smell bad, although Ive never been to a smoke free club, I imagine they stink.

Obviously the Govt will never ban smoking - think of the tax!! But it is nice for non-smokers like me to have the option to go out and remain smoke free. Its a free choice thing - if you want to do it, go ahead and do it, but not in places where other people cant avoid breathing it in. My personal view on it anyway.

[Raining_again]

I totally respect your opinion, people should have a right to a non smokey environment. i hate people that smoke when im eating! thats gets on my nerve!

there must be a better compromise, smoking in the pissing rain will not makin anyone a happy camper. But yeah saying all that any not having a clue how to have a compromise doesn't exactly work :heh:

[Bowser57]

Mmm, just reading this made me reach for the packet and lighter .Its political correctness gone mad. Ive recently been in some of these smoke free pubs&clubs and trust me ,THEY STINK. If there is no smoke there is the overpowering stench of sweat, dampness,stale drink from the carpets and seats, cheap perfumes and bad breath. If the government are truly concerned with our health why dont they just ban ciggarettes totaly ?. I know why they wont .

What kind of nasty dives do you frequent?

Was the floor covered in sawdust from where people had been throwing up?

[Jack]

If the government are truly concerned with our health why dont they just ban ciggarettes totaly ?. I know why they wont .
Everyone knows why they won't - it's not a secret that the duty from cigarettes is many times the amount the NHS spends on treating smoking-related diseases. I wouldn't mind if people stopped smoking tabs which stink - Benson & Hedges are fucking rotten. I'd much prefer everyone smoked menthols.

[Raining_again]

Could ya see the state of the NHS without the tax on fags, that would be pretty damn scary!

[blumeanie.]

Theres to much tax revenue to be lost introducing a total ban on ciggarettes .Banning people from smoking in pubs and restruaunts etc, in my opinion, does not encourage a majority to smoke or even drink any less . The landlords of small pubs with regular smokers are the ones who get hit hardest financialy ,the government looses nothing. I find it very unsettling that some people just roll over and accept these new laws without question . We are currently being assaulted with a barrage of new laws ,most of which will have serious repercussions for our civil freedoms, by a government that is totaly obsessed with any form of social controll. A ban on smoking is only the tip of the iceberg.

[JonSt]

I cant wait till the ban starts in scotland, hopefully get rid of the stinking habit.

[rokhed00]

I respect the right of the non smoker to be able to go out without having to breath in smoke, but to ban smoking in all pubs is just overkill.
As long as there's enough non smoking pubs to cater for the demand then there should be as many needed for the smokers aswell.
Otherwise it's just unfair and may encourage more people to give up smoking which the government don't want (despite how much they spend on their NHS smokers quitline service).

[Raining_again]

rokhead, thankyou! you summed up just about what i think :heh:

[faz99]

Well, over here in the green place, everyone bitched at the start. I don't smoke so it doesn't bother me. But everyone just goes outside because they have to. And that's it really. No one dies. No one passive smokes much. And the smokers get to shorten their life. It went down alot better than expected in my eyes.

But clubs can be weird. When you dance, a small of a fart isn't nice. But it doesn't last long, and im not breathing in smoke so that doesnt bother me :D

I think it helps alot of people give up aswell.

[blumeanie.]

It is strange though that some places still have a smoking area in the same room as if some invisible wall stops the smoke from reaching the non smoking tables eh!. The non smoker has every right to the clean air they demand but most of them probably think nothing of leaving the pub to spew their exhaust fumes for the 5 min journey home (sober of course). But hey , im just being picky and thats a totaly different issue isnt it?.

[soag]

Happy days :D

Now the smokers can go kill themselves in their own homes, I cant stand smokers and cant wait til they all kill them selves :p

[Eddage]

I'm totally for a total ban in England, can't stand the smell of smoke and whenever I want to go out for a drink having to breathe in other peoples!

[Raining_again]

you guys are only gettin a ban in places where food is served tho? i think ours applies to all work places

[RoadKill]

I'm totally for a total ban in England, can't stand the smell of smoke and whenever I want to go out for a drink having to breathe in other peoples!

I have to agree.

[Eddage]

you guys are only gettin a ban in places where food is served tho? i think ours applies to all work places

Oh well, at least I wont have to breathe in peoples smoke when I'm at work, better than nothing, and I'd also love to tell some people off for smoking when they're not allowed too, just like I did today (they were smoking in the wrong section). I told them they had to move to the smoking section and they got up in a huff, walked out, saying "well, I'm never coming back here", yeah like a could give a shit!

[Raining_again]

hehe yeah i bet! i mean pushing your luck is not on - smokers should have some respect for other people too!

[dukkadukka]

wish me luck guys, i've just smoked my very last cigarette! fingers crossed i'll quit properly this time.

[Meik]

I don't smoke. I don't like being around smokers, and I think it's a complete waste of money. I am, however, 100% against the ban. Here's why.

My parents and myself run and live in a small local community-based pub, where most of the patrons are smokers. The fact of the matter is if there was an outright ban on smoking, our livelihood would be destroyed. If smoking was banned, our customers simply wouldn't come anymore.

If you don't want to be around smoke, fine - find a non-smoking pub or go somewhere else to have a drink.

Spare a thought for the innocent landlords and pub-owners and how it will affect them before you all go shouting your mouths off about how you hate smokers.

[RoadKill]

Meik, that's a self-centred and useless excuse I'm afraid, the customers will still come, and if you don't know that, you're not very clever.

They will be super fucking miffed by the ban but they won't leave, they come for the other people.

[Jack]

People said the same things when smoking was banned in cinemas, on planes and so on. Smoking was recently banned inside the Metro Centre, and the place is just as heaving as it's ever been.

[Meik]

Meik, that's a self-centred and useless excuse I'm afraid, the customers will still come, and if you don't know that, you're not very clever.

They will be super fucking miffed by the ban but they won't leave, they come for the other people.

Okay. First, thanks for posting a well-thought out and constructive response.

I'd like to point out (and I should've mentioned this in my previous post), that pretty much all our custom comes from the working-class locals (we're situated right in the middle of a housing estate), and most have openly stated that if they can't smoke they'd find some other place to drink/smoke. We are not a low-price pub that is situated in the town center, we don't attact any other types of customer.

Sorry you think i'm being self-centered for presenting the other side of the argument. There are hundreds of other landlords/families in the exact same situation.

Banning smoking isn't a win-win situation as most of you seem to think it is.

[RoadKill]

What are they going to do? Smoke at home? No. They come out for the people. You provide a place for people to meet.

[Cubechris]

What are they going to do? Smoke at home? No. They come out for the people. You provide a place for people to meet.


Isn't that what Mike has been saying all along?

[RoadKill]

Yeah, but unless they're like OH JESUS I CAN'T SEE MY BUDDIES BECAUSE I MUST SMOKE, they'll still come in.

[blumeanie.]

Well done MEIK, isnt it sad when people cant see the other side of coin. If it doesnt affect their pockets they simply couldnt give a shit. I sincerely wish you and your folks the best of luck if a ban is imposed in your area .They are trying to ban smoking in my workplace but i work on my own, its laughable. I wonder how they would police the ban if the landlords and locals refused to co-operate with it eh!. I will be the first to admit that there are health benefits in stopping smoking, but what other enjoyment do many working class people have apart from enjoying a smoke and a drink at the local ?. As for those who are ignorant to your familys plight, ignore them, they only jumped on the bandwagon because the "sun" or tony blair told them to.They are sheep. good luck man

[CVD]

I can see where Mike is coming from, and I hope the local punters keep going, maybe have the odd cigarette outside the pub between drinks or something.

But personally, I can't wait for the ban to come into effect. Smoking has taken 3/4 of my grandparents, the only survivor never touched cigarettes, which speaks volumes for me. I believe the Scottish ban is May 31, the first official day of summer 2006.

[kenners]

Well done MEIK, isnt it sad when people cant see the other side of coin. If it doesnt affect their pockets they simply couldnt give a shit. I sincerely wish you and your folks the best of luck if a ban is imposed in your area .They are trying to ban smoking in my workplace but i work on my own, its laughable. I wonder how they would police the ban if the landlords and locals refused to co-operate with it eh!. I will be the first to admit that there are health benefits in stopping smoking, but what other enjoyment do many working class people have apart from enjoying a smoke and a drink at the local ?. As for those who are ignorant to your familys plight, ignore them, they only jumped on the bandwagon because the "sun" or tony blair told them to.They are sheep. good luck man

Yes i wish they would ban smoking from pubs etc. cause the Sun told me to, it deffently has nothing to do with the whole passive smoking thing

[Meik]

What are they going to do? Smoke at home? No. They come out for the people. You provide a place for people to meet.
This is the point I am trying to get across, though. Most of our patrons are the sort of people who just come in by themselves and have a quiet cigarette and a pint - these are the sort of people we're going to lose, and that has come straight from their mouths. I'm not saying everyone is going to vanish, far from it - but the single regulars are the ones that pretty much sustain our income.

I've got nothing against any of you for wanting to get rid of smoking in public places - like I said before, I hate smoking like the rest of you and would gladly see it abolished everywhere.. it's just not feasible for many pubs across the country.

I hope you can all see past your hatred of smoking and realise there is actually a different side to the argument. If you can't, I could care less. I'm going to leave this discussion at that.

And blumeanie, thanks for you kind words.

[Moz La Punk]

Happy days :D

Now the smokers can go kill themselves in their own homes, I cant stand smokers and cant wait til they all kill them selves :p

I almost never post here but why don't you come over and kill me because I sure won't kill myself for an insecure bastard telling people to kill themselves. Why don't YOU kill yourself?

*lits a fag*

yeah, what now raindbow boy?

:wink:

[RoadKill]

Lits a fag?

I didn't think smoking killed literacy!

Lights a fag.

[LukeLee]

Lits a fag?

I didn't think smoking killed literacy!

Lights a fag.

hehe.

I'm not a smoker, but i suppose to some smoking is part of the enjoyment of a night out, you even get social smokers who only smoke during nights out. A complete ban is a bit far, i think ideally all pubs should provide a smoking room and if they can't then no smoking allowed.

[Dawn]

I thought it was interesting when someone said "its a shame people don't protest about these laws" but the polls have been showing 9/10 people are in favour of the N. Ireland ban - so I don't think there is any need for a protest.

[Mr_Odwin]

I can see where Meik is coming from and to some extent I agree. I'm for a ban in public places like shopping centres, the high street, workplaces and bus stops, but I think that owners of pubs, restaurants and so on should have the choice. It's their establishmant and it's a legal habit.
But then a pub is a workplace too, so now I'm not so sure.

I think in a few years time we'll look back at this time and be amazed and shocked that smoking was so prevalent in public places, just like we now look back at the time when smoking was allowed in cinemas, on planes and so on as Jack mentioned.

[zaraki]

http://www.shdir.no/vp/multimedia/archive/00001/IS-0086_1849a.gif

[soag]

I almost never post here but why don't you come over and kill me because I sure won't kill myself for an insecure bastard telling people to kill themselves. Why don't YOU kill yourself?

*lits a fag*

yeah, what now raindbow boy?

:wink:

no thanks im totally pass the whole i hate myself and want to die thanks :p

But I'll see you at your funeral, after you die from a smoke related death :p

[Raining_again]

thats not on, if people want to smoke who are you to critisize, if they aint harrasing you with the smoke, you shouldn't tell em to go off and die! your not comin to my funeral :heh:

[soag]

thats not on, if people want to smoke who are you to critisize, if they aint harrasing you with the smoke, you shouldn't tell em to go off and die! your not comin to my funeral :heh:

Who says I want to go ;) :p

[Raining_again]

i dont care if you do or not, you're a damn mod you should behave like one and stop being so nasty to smokers! :(

[soag]

i dont care if you do or not, you're a damn mod you should behave like one and stop being so nasty to smokers! :(

Smokers shouldnt smoke then I cant be nasty towards them :p