Why I rant about the ban
A lot of you must be sick of my constant harping on about the smoking ban?
Before I go any further, I would like to make two things plain.
The first is that I do not advocate smoking. I would never encourage anyone to start, though I would encourage cigarette smokers to try out the pipe.
The second is that the ban does not affect me personally. I have a simple philosophy, and that is never to enter a pub that doesn’t want me, unless I absolutely have to.
So why should I care so much about the ban? There are many reasons.
The primary reason is that it is a very bad law. The law is supposed to be subservient to the people, and should be there to protect our basic rights. Yet here is a law that was created by government [who are also supposed to be subservient] without any demand for such law. It was created purely to impress the world that we were ‘leaders in the field’ and to this day, stands out as one of the strictest regimes. Laws are there to protect the people from those who would do them harm, yet there is no evidence whatsoever that smoking causes any harm to others.
Which brings me to my next point.
The laws that exist now were demanded, not by the people but by small groups such as ASH and the Irish Heart Foundation. I would ask what right any group has to demand a law? These groups seem to think that it is incumbent on them to protect the people against themselves. Freedom is supposed to be the right of every individual, yet how come these groups can get laws enacted that curtail the freedoms of individuals ‘for their own good’?
We are constantly being told that we are a tolerant society. We shout about racism and religious freedom yet when it come to one significant minority group, freedom goes out the window. Not only are smokers actively discriminated against, but the laws actually legitimise abuse against that minority. Non smokers now feel totally at liberty to chastise and castigate smokers even though what they are doing is perfectly legitimate. The fact that smokers form less that half the population is irrelevant. Itinerants and Muslims are also in a minority, yet the laws are there to protect them, and many other minorities. The smoking ban is also one of the few laws where the general public are asked to enforce it. There are smoking hotlines that the public are encouraged to use to inform on their fellow man. Publicans and business owners are deemed liable if someone smokes on their premises. Is this right?
One of the worst aspects of the smoking ban has been a raft of subsequent petty legislations such as the banning of tobacco displays in shops and the banning of the small packs of cigarettes. My great fear is that there are further laws in the pipeline banning smoking in the open air and in private cars, or even homes. This is intrusive, nonsensical and extremely petty. These laws serve no function other than to appease the tiny minority of fanatics whose aim is to socially engineer the population to fit the model of their ‘ideal citizen’.
I hate the law simply because it is one gigantic step too far by the Nanny State.
-oOo-
I came across this wee video yesterday. It is quite interesting as it goes into the origins of ‘passive smoking’. The subtitles require a bit of imagination and concentration, but it is worth watching nevertheless.
Tip of the cap to TheBigYin
In all respect, only 30% of the population smoke. The government has the mandate to make sure that every worker can work in a safe, and healthy environment. Working in a pub for 40 years, where people are smoking all around you is not a safe environment.
You say smokers are a “significant minority group”. If I am sitting beside a Muslim / Catholic or what not in a restaurant, my eating experience isn’t changed. If someone is smoking beside me, it is. The law doesn’t extend to ban you smoking outside. And you can of course smoke in the safety of your own home, and it’s unlikely that that will change.
[quote]The smoking ban is also one of the few laws where the general public are asked to enforce it. [/quote]
There are rubbish hotlines, crime hotlines , even an internet hotline (www.hotline.ie), they are generally used as a tool to get the public to make the enforcement of wide reaching laws that little bit easier to enforce.
Paul
Paul – I would consider 30% to be a significant minority? In Ireland that represents well over a million people.
I agree about working in a safe environment, but there is a major questionmark over the ‘healthy’ aspect. I agree that working for forty years in a smokey environment may not be pleasant [if you don’t like the smell], but there is no evidence whatsoever that there is a safety issue.
With regard to smoking in resaurants, I completely agree that it is utterly antisocial. I have never done it and never will as it is the height of bad manners. If restaurents were to introduce their own no-smoking rules [as the were always entitled to] then I would be very happy with that. The same applies to pubs. A publican is fully entitled to make up his own rules about behaviour on his premises. It should have been left at that, where business owners were given the facts about the limits of their powers, and they should have been left to manage their own affairs. A blanket ban is anti-free market.
With regard to smoking outside, I agree that people can do that. However, do you consider that smoking outside on a winter’s day is a healthy environment? I know you will say that it is optional, but I would say it is as optional as entering a smokey pub?
As for the hotlines, I don’t like ’em. The law should be enforced by those whose job it is to enforce the law. Providing hotlines for crime is fair enough – you are merely phoning the law enforcers which should be the recourse for any lawbreaking, but the rest?
“A lot of you must be sick of my constant harping on about the smoking ban?”
We are far too polite to say so.
TT – Heh! Thanks for that. You are probably right. [*tough shit*]
You keep harping on about the ban GD, I’ll never stop till this bloody awful ban is amended here in the UK. Thanks for the link too.
Did you see the anti smoking video below it? It’s full of crap and if you dont like brains and hearts being cut up then don’t watch it, fair turns your stomach. It’s called The science of fear. Although I should have called it The science fiction of fear.
Grandad
I think your arguments in general are interesting, but that video? Come on, it’s a bit of stretch to link Nazi eugenices as a whole with one aspect of their message – that passive smoking is bad – just to prove a point. Very cheap and dangerous …
And any video that starts out with a typo such as ‘aiming to smoker to quite’ has to be distrusted, even if the person making the video is a non-native speaker of English
I really don’t have a hard-and-fast opinion about the smoking ban – personally I find it a good thing, speaking from both sides of the fence …
Tony S.
It does seem to irk you more in the last couple of months than it did before. I suppose I’m wondering why this is?
There seem to be a lot more smoking related posts than usual.
This is not a criticism – I’m writing a lot more ‘trying to have sex and failing utterly’ posts than usual.
BigYin – I saw that video. Worth a good laugh!! 🙂
Tony S – The whole concept of passive smoking was invented by Hitler [who was an anti-smoking fanatic], so in fact the Nazi refence is more than relevant. I agree that the subtitles are somewhat confusing in places, but they do make that plain.
Radge – The reason it irks me more nowadays is that the more research I do, the more I see how ridiculous the law is. Maybe I should ease back a bit? Start to post instructions on how to have sex more often?
BigYin – I saw that video. Worth a good laugh!! 🙂
Tony S – The whole concept of passive smoking was invented by Hitler [who was an anti-smoking fanatic], so in fact the Nazi refence is more than relevant. I agree that the subtitles are somewhat confusing in places, but they do make that plain.
Radge – The reason it irks me more nowadays is that the more research I do, the more I see how ridiculous the law is. Maybe I should ease back a bit? Start to post instructions on how to have sex more often?
http://takingliberties.squarespace.com/taking-liberties/2010/8/24/irish-prime-minister-seen-smoking-in-no-smoking-area.html I was only holding it for a friend sir….
Please. The Joy Of Sex is not as informative as one would think.
Johnie – So the Stuttering Cunt is caught smoking illegally, but it’s ‘legal’? I wonder what would happen if I lit up in the same place? Conversely, all publicans should announce from tonight that it’s ‘legal’ to smoke in their premises?
Radge – OK. Lesson one. Do you have a strong right hand?
Strong and compliant.
And I thought I’m the only one left with same feelings about the smoking ban.
Grandad – I applaud you for this post.
Radge – You should now have all the requisite equipment? Off you go so…. Enjoy!
Raul – One of the things that amazes me about the ban here is the total silence and lack of any counter arguments. It’s not like the Irish to just roll over and die?
Unfortunately most Irish people prefer the ban to be in place so fuck your rights (and mine) to smoke.
So your brain is inventing illogical reasons for you to feel you are right, and everyone else is wrong, so it can get it’s fix of nicotine?
It is avoiding all logical explanations, for why maybe you shouldn’t smoke: and is providing illogical arguments as to why, you should be allowed to smoke.
This is called addiction, it’s how your brain deals with it. Your body needs nicotine, and as long as you are addicted to it, your brain will keep coming up with these silly
verbal ejaculations, to make you feel like you are doing the right thing. Your brain can trick you. It is doing a great job on an otherwise, it would seem, logical brain.
SAm – An interesting hypothesis? Let’s apply a bit of reasonable logic? You claim that nicotine addiction is addling my brain, and clouding my judgement? Can you please explain something to me then? If for some reason I run out of pipe tobacco, and am not in a position to buy any more, why is it that I don’t smoke cigarettes that are available? This situation has arisen in the past, and Herself has offered my a cigarette, but I won’t smoke cigarettes. I hate the things. I hate the taste and the smell, yet they are a source of nicotine, so presumably a nicotine addiction would overcome my distaste in order that I get a ‘fix’.
No. I enjoy my pipe, because I find it is a relaxing pastime. If there were a nicotine free tobacco, I would happily smoke that, provided the taste was the same and it were cheaper.
My ‘verbal ejaculations’ are more about tolerance and liberty that anything else. My pastime is now seen as ‘offensive’ to non-smokers and I am no longer allowed have a puff [for example, on a station platform, or hospital grounds] where there is absolutely no question whatsoever that I am doing anyone any harm. Through the actions of the self-righteous, I am now a persona non grata, and that is an infringement of my civil liberties.
Grandad, when I was a proper smoker of cigarettes (I’m am now what you might call an occasional smoker) I wouldn’t deviate from my brand either..
I agree, that no open air smoking should be banned, but clamping down on smoking in cars with kids etc, is a good thing.
And the smoking ban in pubs is the greatest thing that ever happened in the country. The thing to remember is, is that you are doing your part for future generations by suffering the pain, that they will never know. (not smoking in pubs I mean)
Keep on smoking, but keep it to yourself!
And keep blogging, I will try look in more, and stir the pot occasionally.