Smoking ban in pubs. Another small victory?

Question

Another victory was won last night (Saturday) in a London pub against the Smoking Ban in pubs when one drunk lighting a cigarette prompted a spontaneous demonstration of people power when he was asked to leave by the door staff. He was very quickly surrounded by 20 other people, all strangers, who quickly lit up cigarettes to join him. Word quickly spread within the local area and by the time the Police arrived there was close to 80 people all smoking and drinking in the pub.

The Police very wisely decided to withdraw and advised the landlord not to prevent people smoking as it was likely to cause a breach of the peace. The landlord was very happy with this news as his pub had not been this busy on a Saturday night since long before the ban and very quickly produced a whole box of stored ashtrays. A GREAT NIGHT WAS HAD BY ALL!!!

Have you had this happen in your area yet? How long can this stupid law survive if people decide to act together with total strangers in this way? It was fantastic to witness and be a part of.

What I find interesting is there really does seem to be a sense of community spirit among smokers where total strangers are prepared to stand together in a common cause. It would be very good if this spirit could spread to other areas of life as it seems everyone is just out for themselves these days.

Oh! And a very big well done to the Rolling Stones during the O2 concert. Nice one guys.

Answer 1

That's very cool!!

Answer 2

Yippee! customers exercising their right in a pub. Pubs. are for socialising and, as you point out, smokers are sociable people, because smoking is a social habit practised by those who aren't obsessed with their health. Red Indians and countless other ancient tribes smoked as a social habit.

PS. I am only talking about pubs here. Smoking and drinking have always gone together. Pubs. wouldn't have survived otherwise.

Have you noticed how the 'intolerants' are hiding behind the law now. Mustn't break the law now. But this is a law that they have imposed on smokers in an area where the law has no business, and so it should be challenged. Nobody challenged feminists when they were on the rampage (for years) to achieve their so-called rights. That was OK, right.

Answer 3

I have smoked virtually all my life and I strongly dissagrea with the smoking ban but I also disagree with breaking the law.The smokers will not win this argument until they use rational argument and voting power to overturn it.To all the ones saying the smokers are selfish I would say they are just as selfish.They are the ones who took away CHOICE.At one time you had a smoke room in a pub and a lounge where smoking was not allowed you had a choice in where you went now you have no choice.In my village there are approx 9 pubs and clubs and the landlords are already looking at the fact that when the weather gets colder their trade is going to be devastated for two reasons
(1) the smokers are going to get their beer or whatever from local supermarkets and drink in the comfort of their warm houses and be able to smoke when they like.
(2) the influx of non smokers into the pubs which was promised has not happened.
The landlords are already seeing a drop off in their trade and quite a few look asthough they will go to the wall.
My second observation is how many of the non smoking brigade are being selfish and forcing both smokers and non smokers to inhale their deadly CAR fumes I dont hear them calling for a ban on cars and if they are so serious about the nations health WHY.To the government who are so concerned about the nations health why is it you and your cronies are sill allowed to smoke in the bars of westminster(subsidised bars paid for by us the TAXPAYER) BAN THE SALE OF CIGARETTES,and we all know the answer to that because it is the smokers who are keeping the health service afloat with the tax they pay on cigarettes to pay doctors and army of administrators their exhorbitant salaries while the nurses get the scraps thrown down from whats left.If the government lost the tax revenue from that they know that income tax would have to rise by something like 10 p in the pound to recoup all that revenue.

Answer 4

Good.

I totally disagree with this law, because it is against the manifesto of the political party that applied it. In the manifesto that won Labour the last election, it was stated that smoking would be banned in restaurants and pubs that served food, but that the street-corner beer and whisky pubs, and also private clubs, be they Batley Working Man's Club or Boodles Gentleman's Club in Mayfair or Pall Mall, would be exempt. The goalposts were moved in Parliament without recourse to the people.

It can be argued that this is what Parliament is meant to do, but when you amend a manifesto statement and White Paper that affects over 20% of the adult population, then one must question the point of voting for any political party. Lebour won the polls on the statements of their manifesto, and then they go and change it, once they are securely in power.

Statistically, I have seen reliable evidence that 80% of regular wet trade (drink and crisps only) pubs are smokers. A straw-poll carried out in the pubs in which I regularly drink indicated similar figures.

Non-smokers. Us smokers are not looking for pubs that serve food to be allowed to permit smoking. As a Chef, I find it abhorrent when I used to see people smoke between courses, as the flavouring of the mouth with tobacco will spoil the food which I have laboured at. Nor do I suggest that wet-trade pubs be entirely smoking. Bars can be partitioned, ventilation improved. One can have the choice, which is surely better than compulsion.

This leaves the staff - and I am convinced that this law was enacted to enable England to squeak out of any claims by pub staff against the Brewers, Pub Chains and the Government. It has nothing to do with the general public, only those with the power to sue.

Many occupations entail risk. I have scalds on my hand at the moment because of an unstable wok spilling hot ghee on me. My shins carry scars to this day because I have been a club cricketer for over 30 years and play off the front foot. I was a front-line railwayman for 20 years, and worked around rolling stock that was full of asbestos.I have scars from when three-link couplings broke loose and hit me in the chest, and I have even moved dead bodies (human) off the Permanent Way (track) to enable trains to keep running when there had been a suicide. My main work now is as a Security Officer in and English Criminal Courthouse, which entails confiscating knives, screwdrivers, scissors, corkscrews, NEEDLES (HIV) and other sundry objects, as well as being the first on the scene when fights break out.

This law was imposed too quickly, without proper consideration and without consultation with smokers. In my lifetime, the number of regular smokers has declined from 75% of the adult (male) polulation to around 23% of the whole adult population. How many of these are hopeless addicts, I cannot tell you. But I do know that myself, and my smoking friends and acquaintances enjoy smoking, and have no wish to abandon this pleasure. Most of my circle are pipe and cigar smokers.

I do not agree with breaking the law. However, when a law is imposed against the manifesto of the Government that instituted the legislation, then civic protest is a good thing.

Finally, I have visited 12 pubs this week, as I have been onn holiday from work. Not one licencee reports a single new regular from the non-smoking brigade. Local restaurants have also lost trade. I run a small, legal, tax-declared business cooking dinner for parties in peoples homes at weekends. Since the smoking ban, my bookings have quadrupled.

Answer 5

People power, we have not seen this since the poll tax,
20% of the people smoke in the uk, but 45% of people who went in pubs smoked,
We should be allowed some smoking pubs, but the goverment would not allow that, because the non-smoking pubs would lose trade.

Answer 6

Hi there jb, This is a brilliant example of a pro-active dispute against this stupid smoking ban. I have not heard of anything of this kind in my area. However, all of my friends and associates have signed an online petition and emailed it to the prime minister's website. Maybe you could get all of your friends and acquaintances involved?
Information as follows:
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Re-think the
smoking ban and use some logic.

Whilst I agree in theory with keeping non-smokers away from
cigarette smoke, please provide the millions of us who put alot
of money in your kitty from the sale of tobacco products, with
a place of our own so that we can enjoy a cigarette without
getting wet, cold or scowled at. I deeply object to being
treated like a second class citizen, or indeed a leper, simply
because I choose to smoke. Criminals in prison have their human
rights and can still enjoy a cigarette, so why can't we?
Provide us with smoking areas. It's not difficult! You have
enforced people to smoke out on the streets where more people
are going to come into contact with cigarette smoke, and our
streets are becoming ashtrays. Where is my human right to smoke
in comfort?

Send to: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/

Answer 7

A blow for freedom, OK non smoker will whinge about "how bad it is for them", but are they just not selfish too ? It strikes me its just another infringements on the individual who chooses to do what he/she pleases with their life and if they chose to smoke, then who are non smoker to say they cant. If the government was really serious about banning smoking then they would ban tobacco totally and give proper help to the smoker coming off the so called "dreaded weed" And if the majority of people stood up against this stupid law, then surely that is the right of the majority, rather than the right of the minority, maybe this is where we are going wrong in this country, by allowing the rights of the minority to out weigh the majority ? There does not need to be a total ban of smoking in all pubic place's it should be down to the individual landlord or manager to say whether their premises are smoking or non smoking.........."POWER TO THE PEOPLE" !!!!!

Answer 8

Enjoy ignorant pigs I dont go to pubs because of smokers I still dont go the pubs still stink of smokers

Answer 9

Not yet, nothing like that has happened here. OHIO. (state smoking ban)...

One of the Bars in my local area when the Health Department walked in to fine him $2500.00 can only happen once per year I guess with that fine to the Bar. The owner said, I'm not going to make my customers quit smoking! So would you like that in cash or should I just write a check.

I laughed when I heard about that one.

Answer 10

A brilliant victory for smokers everywhere.
I will not be dictated to by anyone and this nanny state is becoming unbearable.
I think that any pub that wishes to allow smoking should put up a notice stating this and non smokers could avoid going there.
I refuse to be treated as a second class citizen by do-gooders, what I do with my money is up to me and it is no-one else's business.
Power to the rights of the individual, I am not a sheep.

Answer 11

Well done to all. We need a day of smoking disobedience.

I am a non-smoker.