Legal discrimination
Over the next few months people will doubtless turn their thoughts to holidays.
If nothing else, it's a pleasant subject to dwell on in the dark cold days of winter?
For the last four years, I have gone to the same place in West Cork. I go there for several reasons – it's an incredibly peaceful and beautiful location, the people in the local town are extremely friendly and the dog is more than welcome. It is also a non-smoker cottage. Now the agent who lets the place knows us at this stage so when she discovered that we were fumigating the place on a daily basis she just asked us to open the windows before leaving. An eminently sensible arrangement.
But how does the smoker fare when it comes to booking a holiday here?
My pal John has just been on a road trip around Ireland highlighting the discrimination against smokers in this country. Simon Clark gives a brief summary of the trip over at his place. What stands out for me is the hostile reception John got when trying to find himself a hotel room for the night. The anti-smoking laws here don't cover hotel rooms, or indeed rented accommodation but by all accounts hotels can hang a sign on the front door – "Niggers, Polaks, Pakis and Tinkers welcome but NO SMOKERS" and somehow get away with it.
I just did a quick search on the Interwebs to see what kind of reception smokers get in self-catering holidays in this Ireland of a Thousand Welcomes. It wasn't easy but I found a site that allows searches under various criteria.
The site has the best part of eight hundred rentals so it should be easy enough to find a place that welcomes smokers?
Think again.
Out of eight hundred locations, just five allow smoking? Less than one percent?
This "denormalisation" of smokers has gone too far. We have chosen a lifestyle which is perfectly legal and which has a lot more health benefits than they care to admit. We are singled out for excessive taxation, legal discrimination, abuse from public funded qangos and abuse from the public who are egged on by those same qangos and "charities". We are inundated with advertising and propaganda against us, and they take delight in dreaming up new ways to attack us such as banning smoking in our own cars, and ultimately [I bet] in our own homes. If any other sector of society was subject to so much abuse there would be screams of discrimination which would doubtless end in the European Court of Human Rights.
Racism and discrimination exist in this country. However there is a clatter of laws against said discrimination. The law is fully on the side of the discriminated.
Except in the case of smokers where the law is fully against us.
One is illegal and the other is encouraged by the law.
What's the difference?
Perhaps you could try Wales, the health minister there is banning quitting.
the Welsh department of health has just confirmed it can be an offence to use NRT
inhalers, IN YOUR OWN HOME.
Reductio ad Absurdum is usually used in an argument. Here the Welsh Gubmint have reduced themselves to a level of absurdity that defies all logic. How soon will it be before people wake up and realise how insane this pogrom has become?
If I were planning a big (e.g. wedding) do costing at least a fair few thousand and seeking quotes to include rooms from hotels, I'd also request tenders from one or two that are patently anti smoker. Cast the bait, give them some hope of winning a big contract by telling them they're well in the running – then casually mention (as an 'after thought' towards the end of the negotiations…) that many of the guests are smokers and would like rooms to that effect.
That is an excellent idea! I have no plans to get married myself in the next few years so can't try i out personally but it would be very interesting.
As I said in my little piece above, the holiday agent only discovered we were smokers during our second or third stay and luckily she is an intelligent woman and took the line that she wouldn't tell the owner if we didn't. She knows a regular customer when she sees one, and with a bit of uck she'll be seeing again next year. If she had kicked up about it she knows we'd go elsewhere.
I am traveling 200 miles to a reunion tomorrow so I searched for smoker friendly accommodation in Weston Super Mare, Somerset — I only found one out of the hundreds of possibles in this holiday hotspot and despite it being out of season the one was fully booked. A quick message to the Tourist bit of the Council made me feel a little less angry but it won't do any good and I don't really expect a reply I shall be saving my money and driving the 200 miles back home. How many others are discouraged from spending their £100+ in smoke averse places and how many businesses can afford to lose such income?
So it's much the same across the water? Why am I not surprised?
It has struck me many times that if our gubmint really wanted to boost tourism [it seems to be the only industry they are interested in apart from Pharmaceuticals] they should rescind all those damn laws and restore the place to its former glory. I would imagine that we would be inundated with UK tourists looking for a drop of sanity?
Checked Air B & B. Sod all in wsm, but quite a few in Bristol. If the link works it'll take you to the page with filter that smoking IS allowed. Too late for the morrow, but do bear it in mind as there's even an apartment at less than $90 a night.
https://www.airbnb.com/s/Weston~super~Mare–United-Kingdom?checkin=12%2F05%2F2015&checkout=12%2F06%2F2015&guests=2&room_types%5B%5D=Private+room&hosting_amenities%5B%5D=11&ss_id=ucmbyhxh
I regularly book accommodation for staff, either in hotels/B & B or self catering cottages. Smoker friendly such places are rarer than rocking horse shit.
Whenever possible I use Ho-seasons to book mobiles at holiday camps, not only because they understand that many of their customer base are smokers, but also because (out of season) they are relatively cheap
e.g. 3 nights in Weston Super Mare from tomorrow – £165
http://www.hoseasons.co.uk/holiday-parks/purn-holiday-park-purn?adult=2&nights=3&range=3&start=20-11-2015
On the odd occasion you get landed with a non smoking unit, basically ignore it, At worst, you might get a slap on the wrist. They wouldn't know until you'd gone anyway because there's no daily 'room' service.
I stayed at a hotel in Norn Iron a while ago and a deputation of three heavies arrived at the door and told me in no uncertain terms that smoking was verboten. I can't remember its name so unfortunately I can't not recommend it.
Lots of interesting & useful links but I set certain restraints on my W-s-M search — I had hoped to have a few drinks and be within a not too expensive taxi ride or walking distance to the accommodation and somewhere for a 'nightcap' with other humans. The Bristol hotels and one close to the airport are too far away but they prove that some at least consider the needs of we 'imperfects'.
Many hotels advertise no smoking throughout, none seem to advertise smoking rooms but I wonder if some of those offering non-smoking rooms are somehow indicating they may also have smoking rooms. Sadly life is too short to phone each one and find out.
The W-s-M hotel I found was Daunceys. I just found another, The Balmoral. Well worth reading the comments on Trip advisor – one to avoid at all costs!!!!
Here's one..
http://jjsguesthouse.co.uk/about-us/1750945
A BIG thank you Prog.
They'll be getting a call in the morning. Hopefully it's game on – a few drinks with old friends, a good nights's kip, a walk round old haunts and a leisurely trip back.
Grandad's Blog done good and made an old man very happy.
Hope they've got a room, usually better chance at the weekend at short notice. Have a good one.
As it happens, we're traveling down to Bristol from Lincs later to visit eldest. No probs with smoking in her house!
Maybe I should change my Journal into a travel advisory site?
For several years on the trot, I went to Ireland to play in golf amateur tournaments. We had a really good time. There's no way that I would do it these days. Any holidays i take are in warm, sunny climes where you tend to be outdoors most of the time.
Sadly the soul has gone out of the whole scene here. I would love to head to warmer climes for the summer but unfortunately the fates dictate otherwise. I just have to be careful when I time my breaks in Ireland to try to spot a bit of blue sky.
If it's any consolation it appears that more than 500 of those properties seem also to ban children! Perhaps they are the next on the list.
In other words, if you're a child smoker the chances are you're screwed. Some people have no consideration for the younger folk.