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Smoking ban
Lots of people are talking about the UK plan to totally ban smoking in enclosed public places which was voted through yesterday evening. Most of my friends list who have commented seem keen, though some have reservations. I'm curious as to what those who've not said anything yet feel. Do propogate this as widely as you like. Personally I think it's a good move, though I would have been as happy with the amendment which allowed smoking in private clubs. I do think a total ban in pubs is an excellent step. And no, I don't smoke, though I have in the past been in the "Well... a bit " category. - oh yeah and just to add I am still occasionally tempted if I'm out with one of the few friends who smoke. [Poll #673518]
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In many of these cases it's been found that although you lose some people who smoke you can also gain people who can't stand the smoke and attendance doesn't really change.
However, in any change of reasonable complexity there are always edge cases, you can't make everybody happy. Banning smoking in public places is an important issue on so many fronts, including health, that I think it should happen anyway. An increasing proportion of the developed world is agreeing.
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And little by little by little the rest of our freedom of choice is removed... what will you support them stopping next? Alcohol consumption (it is bad for you in the quantities normally imbibed by people going to pubs)? Fatty food consumption (it's for your own good you know)? Where does this nanny state end?
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They're not banning smoking. They're banning it in public places. If they were banning it entirely then I'd agree, it would be bad and taking choice away, but they aren't.
People can smoke as much as they like. Just not around other people inside the pub.
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If you have some venues that have smoke allowed and others that do not then you limit the places where non-smokers (particularly the ones who have medical reasons for not coping with smoke) can go. Is that fair ? No. If you allow some venues to have smoke and others not then all the smokers go to that place and nothing changes. is that safe ? No.
Life isn't fair. Deal with it.
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You intimate that life wasn't "fair" before, but were you prepared to deal with it and leave it as it was? No. At least you had a choice in that there were *some* venues you could go to to socialise in the way you wanted to, and the "middle ground" proposal would at least have tried to cater for everyone in some way. It strikes me that some people are only too happy to accept these things as long as it is in their favour, and everyone else can go hang. No thought of compromise appears to have entered your head at all - it's all or nothing.
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The example of a small village has already been given: if you had a pub and a private-members club as the only facilities in a village and one is allowed to keep smoking then all the smokers will go there and negatively affect the business of the other. Is that fair ? No. Every example you can come up with there is a counter-example to how it does not work in a slightly different situation.
As I said before, you cannot please everyone. No one solution will fit all requirements. Life isn't fair. The "middle ground" proposal would have tried to cater for everyone and it would have caused more problems than it solved.
The bottom line is that this is a health issue, for workers, for the public, for customers. The only reasonable way to solve this issue is to ban smoking in all those places. Full stop. If you disagree, then I suggest you write to your MP because whining to me will get you precisely nowhere.
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(PS. I really don't expect to get anywhere in this "discussion" with you. You've already shown your true colours as a dogmatist so there isn't much point in hoping for a change in your opinion :-))
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