Smokers unite before it is too late.

[jambutty]

Here we go again. The smoker is being targeted once more with moves afoot to ban smoking in the open air, like at bus stops, doorways etc. Crikey the smoking ban in enclosed spaces hasn’t even come into force in England yet.

Some *!!*!!* on the Jeremy Vine show this morning had the gall to suggest that a doorway was an enclosed space or even bus shelters that do not have four sides and a roof. What planet is that guy living on?

The loud mouthed, self opinionated and utterly selfish non smokers are pushing for an absolute and total smoking ban altogether and want to dictate what I do in my home, my garden (such as it is) or in my car. Then they jump in their noxious, fumes spraying vehicles and drive off in a sanctimonious huff leaving me having to breathe in the fumes.

Of course it is perfectly OK to stand at a bus stop and have disgusting and deadly diesel fumes pumped straight into your face and no one, but no one objects.

I have a fag in my mouth whilst I am typing this. Who is going to be the first to object?

I think that I had better stop before the forum police take me away.

[pendy]

Even worse - the powers that be have announced that they are not considering stopping smoking in private houses - yet.

Also, like many other daft ideas of this daft government, virtually unworkable. How far away from a bus stop do you need to stand if you want a fag? Can you get nicked for walking down the street with a fag in your hand because you are passing the doorways of offices? Or is it alright if you keep walking?

If they really want to stop people smoking, then ban tobacco. But they like the revenue that smokers bring in, don't they. If they made it illegal, the government would lose something like £12 million a day minimum.

Oh, and of course there is the lunatic thing that prisoners can smoke whilst banged up, despite the fact that prisons are workplaces for many people - can't infringe the poor little dears' human rights, can we?

It's all gone mad.

[Tealeaf]

I wonder what the penalties are going to be for all this? A hundred quid spot fine? An ASBO? A stiff jail sentance? And what would happen if you were caught smoking in a bus shelter while also present was Garinda, or a member of the ethnic community, or someone with crutches? Would the penalty then be doubled, as is now the case involving criminal actions against 'minorities'?

[garinda]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

I wonder what the penalties are going to be for all this? A hundred quid spot fine? An ASBO? A stiff jail sentance? And what would happen if you were caught smoking in a bus shelter while also present was Garinda

If it was the chauffeur's annual day off and I was to catch a bus, I'd never smoke at the bus stop, but find a place nearby where no one can complain.

Even in restaurants that allow smoking I find I don't enjoy a cigarette if there are people near by.

[shakermaker]

Smoking should be banned altogether.
As a country we have the largest rate of children & teenagers developing asthma due to the ignorant gases of Tony Blair's new plane, all your fuel guzzeling 4x4's which are not necessary, and of course not forgetting those nice little cancer sticks.
How ignorant do you have to be to smoke in public when there could be pregnant womens lungs being bombarded with your tar & crap from the inside of your 5 minute nicotine fix.
What could you possibly be gaining?
A sense of power or rebellion?
Why would you attack your own health, never mind the health of every passer by?!
Smoking is utterly senseless. Fact.

[cashman]

the world is going nuts!! a simple solution would be to execute the cretins that dream these ideas up.

[jambutty]

I believe that someone suggested that 4 yards away from a building would be OK to smoke.

I get this vision of one of the anti-smoking police wandering down the high street with a yardstick in his hand (like the sergeant majors of old when they were measuring a marching pace).

“Hello! Hello! Hello! Smoking are we sir/madam.”

Copper measures distance.

“That is 3 yards 2 feet, 11 and a half inches. You’re nicked.”

We the citizens of the UK need to wake up because the government is setting citizen against citizen with all these silly rules and whilst we argue amongst ourselves we don’t notice what the government is getting up to. Namely screwing us down further and further until we will have little or no freedoms left. We will just be workers (well you will I’m retired) creating the country’s wealth for the top nobs to cream off for themselves.

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by shakermaker

Smoking should be banned altogether.
What could you possibly be gaining?
.

Its called a sense of satisfaction, chummy. The only thing that ruins it is the knowledge that not all of the tobacco taxes we pay are spent wisely; in fact, much is wasted, such as on meaningless courses in education (an example being media studies) and on those students who should have their head in their books, rather than be spending all day fooling around on the internet.

[jambutty]

Some people shakermaker still don’t get it.

The infernal combustion vehicle has a greater detriment to EVERYBODY’S health than fags.

How ignorant do you have to be to smoke in public when there could be pregnant womens lungs being bombarded with your tar & crap from the inside of your 5 minute nicotine fix.

Apply that to motorists and there are many more of them than there are smokers.

How ignorant do you have to be to drive in public when there could be pregnant womens lungs being bombarded with your poisonous fumes of your 5 minute school run - as an example.

The self opinionated, sanctimonious driver twerps who castigate smokers are hypocrites of the first order.

[shakermaker]

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

Its called a sense of satisfaction, chummy.

Cancer, emphysema & looking like 20 years older than you are? Satisfying indeed.

Originally Posted by Tealeaf

The only thing that ruins it is the knowledge that not all of the tobacco taxes we pay are spent wisely; in fact, much is wasted, such as on meaningless courses in education (an example being media studies) and on those students who should have their head in their books, rather than be spending all day fooling around on the internet.

See - it's obvious. Smoking makes you defiant, defensive, paranoid and above all - stupid.
Tell Rupert Murdoch that a career in media isn't worthwhile....

[shakermaker]

Originally Posted by jambutty

Some people shakermaker still don’t get it.

The infernal combustion vehicle has a greater detriment to EVERYBODY’S health than fags.
Apply that to motorists and there are many more of them than there are smokers.
The self opinionated, sanctimonious driver twerps who castigate smokers are hypocrites of the first order.

Typical mark of the cornered and fundementally wrong.
Pointing the finger elsewhere...it's so childish.
"But he was throwing more paper airplanes, sir"

I for one do not see an argument. It's simple.
Don't smoke - your heart, lungs & bank account will thank you for it.

[Tealeaf]

Originally Posted by shakermaker

Tell Rupert Murdoch that a career in media isn't worthwhile....

I doubt that Rupert has an A level in media studies, though.

[andrewb]

On the one hand i'd rather not go in to a pub and have my lungs filled with smoke, not because I think it's killing me, but because I don't like the smell, and I don't smoke myself.
However, banning people from smoking outdoors is eroding peoples civil liberties. In an outdoor environment you are not subject to hours of constant smoke inhaliation, your subject to a moment of, a more moderate dose of it. As far as bus stops are concerned you can always move to where the wind isnt blowing it.
It's completly different indoor because the smoke lingers, but outside it dosn't.

Another thing is; where does this stop? Some of you mention car fumes, if smoking is banned then, why shouldn't car's because they produce an awfull lot of fumes, I don't have the details, but I think im on safe ground if I say that they're not awfully good for us. Now of course, not a proper suggestion, because banning cars is not realistic, its just making a point out of where do we stop.

[SPUGGIE J]

All that is mentioned is in force up here and its a pain and as for bus shelters wether it has 4 sides or not smoking aint allowed.

[jambutty]

The only group who are cornered shakermaker are the pro cars people. Not one single motorist has stood up and denied that their vehicles pollute the atmosphere. They can’t because they do and they like you have no coherent argument against it.

All they can come up with are supercilious remarks about cars etc being a necessary a part of life and in your case calling it childish to point out that vehicles do pollute more than fags.

Denying the obvious and trying to justify the denial with stupid comments is childish in the extreme.

So because it is not realistic to ban cars we all have to suffer their pollution. Ban cars, whether it is realistic or not – my heart and lungs will thank me for it.
Cancer, emphysema & looking like 20 years older than you are? Satisfying indeed.

So we are onto the cancer theme now. And car fumes don’t cause cancer??? You really are living on another planet.

And finally, it makes people look 20 years older does it? According to your theory my looks would make me 50. I’m 70 next April and that is me in my avatar. Not the caricature, nor the frog but the picture.