A gross invasion of rights
There is no need to say what this is about.
I honestly thought our Minister for Health had more sense. I was stunned therefore to see that he is not only contemplating banning smoking in a car where there are children but is talking of going the whole hog and banning smoking in cars altogether, whether there are children or not.
I own my car. I paid a lot of good money for it and what’s more I pay the government a lot of good money every year for the privilege of running it. I also shell out a lot of money to the government when I buy tobacco. It is my property and the state, or anyone else has no right to tell me what I can do in it, provided that action in itself is legal.
There has been a massive amount of propaganda over the years about smoking, to the point where the truth has long since been buried. One aspect of smoking which they don’t mention nowadays [purely because it would be politically incorrect] is that nicotine has a lot of advantages including improving concentration, attention and memory. [also here and here] Now I would have thought that anything that aided concentration and attention would be a damned good thing for a motorists, but instead of that they are going to force a smoker to abstain, thereby causing irritability which not exactly desirable behind the wheel of a car?
One of the most galling aspects of this intrusion into our private lives is that this legislation seems to be less a health issue and more an attempt to “get one up on” Wales who are also contemplating a ban. There seems to be a race on to see who can bring in the most draconian laws. I remember when Micheal Martin brought in the ban on workplace smoking that there was much gloating at the fact that “we were first”.
This is a bad move. There is no justification for it whatsoever other than rolling forward the agenda set by ASH who won’t be happy until we are all shelling out for nicotine patches and nicotine gum [you don’t seriously think it’s about health, do you?]. It is the final confirmation of a Nanny State becoming the Bully State.
In the meantime, Luke Clancy and his cronies are convinced that it is “safer to have the exhaust pipe on the inside of the car than to smoke cigarettes in terms of fine particulate matter”. I would like to issue a challenge.
I am prepared to sit in a car for any number of hours if Clancy, or Reilly will sit in another car breathing exhaust fumes for the same period.
I saw this on the front page of the IT when I logged on this morning and thought to myself “this will be GD’s blog for today” !!
Heh.
But anyway, even though I gave up the fags two years ago I’m still against invasion of privacy measures such as this.
And I see Wales are only considering it when there are children in the car. Maybe make some sense if, for instance, there is a baby in the car, But the there would be all sorts of complications like age restrictions as well. Leave well alone and trust in the parents to make their own decisions.
Oh wait, that probably assumes some level of intelligence among parents !!
Some chance.
Mossy – All they have to do is to insist that car windows are open. Oh wait! ASH claim that opening car windows increases the levels of smoke!
Good Irish band Ash. As for the other ASH they should go vacation in Norway.
Well now the idea has been floated it’s only 6-8 months until it’s in effect. From now until then there’ll be mumbling and grumbling about how this is one step two far etc etc Blah blah Blah. But as sure as there’s shit in a duck, the minute the law is on the book, the irish will fall in line. Then it’s peelers on their beat pulling over every car and MF65 that looks like there maybe a smoker onboard. If there’s not, they’ll still find a way to ticket you. Sheep Sheep Sheep. Aand everyone knows it and proud of it. When they killed the pubs I stopped going back, Thank fuck I got out when i did
I wonder what will be the 145 invasion of our rights.
Hee hee hee hee.
A great old country.
Bollox, I wrote a nice comment and got this shite on submit,
Hmmm, your comment seems a bit spammy. We’re not real big on spam around here.
Please go back and try again.
Could’nt be bothered again, fukkit!!!
TT – Harsh, but at the moment I’m not going to argue.
Welcome, RonkonkomaCavan! Indeed, today’s announcement is merely the beginning of the softening up process. I don’t think there is any doubt that some form of legislation will come in.
Patrick – Ban #245.. the outlawing of free speech websites.
Martin – What are house prices like over there?
Slab – Who says computers aren’t intelligent?
Don’t see anything harsh about calling Ash a good band ? Anyways, speaking of smoking, I’m off for a couple of days in the Smokies. (Sylva, N.C to be precise.) Y’all behave while I’m gone GD. You too Slab.
Have a good one TT. You will be strangely missed. 😉
While I agree that total ban is indeed overboard on the same basis as outlined above, seeing parents smoking with their toddlers in the car is sick. Maybe this will carry the message home to some of the parents. However seeing how mobile phone ban is (not) working, I won’t be very optimistic.
it’s a smoke screen to distract the sheep from discussing more important stuff
Total Bullshit – they’ll have it so we can only smoke in secure smoking rooms in private houses before long
Buddhists may go to temples as often as they like and smoke incense in homage to a golden statue of the Buddah. Serenity here we come.
Stas – Welcome! All they need to do is to have a simple campaign – if you have to smoke in the car then open a window. The venturi effect zaps the smoke instantly. Personally, I hate the smell of cigarette smoke [though I never complain!] and if Herself lights up, I open her window by an inch. Bingo! No smoke.
Dessiegee – Plans are underway to designate Great Blasket Island as the only legal smoking zone in Ireland.
Ger – If everyone started whiffing incense, they’d just ban that too.
One month from now. “This is the RTE news @ 6 o’clock” ( the old blond broad with the tan)
”
Following the recent proposal by the Minister For Health Dr O’Reilly, a new survey among smokers finds a small majority, 54%, favor a ban on smoking while in a vehicle……”
Two months form now, same news broadcaster,
“As the discussion about banning smoking in cars continue, acceptance among smokers seems to be rising, 74% of smokers would like to see a ban implemented. This number rises to 82% of smokers in the greater Dublin area. ( cue to video of 2 people who agree with this, al least one or possible both will say that it will ‘help them quit’ )
Four months form now
“In the Dail today, a motion was introduced by the Minister for Health, to outlaw smoking in all vehicles. Those caught flouting the law would be liable to a 1st fine of 200 euro, rising to 500 for each additional infraction as well as points on their license. Ireland is the first country to introduce such a ban and it is expected to reduce the amount of people who die from smoking related illnesses dramatically. A vast majority of the people, 97.5%, are in favour of the legislation”
You can take this scenario to the bookies and he wouldn’t give you odds of 1/5, they don’t like to payout on sure things.
Hey, RonkonkomaCavan!!! Conas ata tu? I live in Farmingdale!