h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

...used to be a phrase used in reference to governments striking up pacts with various influentual people outside of the view of the punter in the street.

My question is, where do all the dirty deals take place with the widespread smoking bans that now exist in indoor spaces?

Do they go to somewhere secret like Thunderbird Island or the Batcave?

Do they go out into wide open country, like Winston and Julia in 1984?

Are they all "clean-living" now?

Perhaps they smoke anyway, and tailor the message to the audience. For a meeting with the unions, "Oh, I know it's not strictly legal, but we turn a blind eye if any of our staff want to light up. So smoke if you like."

For a meeting with a confederation of employers: "Oh I know it's not strictly legal, but, light up if you want to. We'll deport them next week if they complain."

If I recall correctly the houses of parliament were exempt from the smoking ban. Alright if you make the laws eh?
BCNU - Crescent

Now market movements call the shots
Business deals in parking lots

RF

I'll ask my Dad, he seems to know a supprizing amoutn of pubs that don't appear to have paid any notice to the smoking bans

I've heard of pubs like that 2legs. The illegality of the dealing that takes place in them is usually a lot more widely acknowledged, though, and I can't imagine many cabinet members being welcome there.

Yeah, they can smoke in the House of Commons. Apparently, cinema nights at the House of Lords are popular too. Harder to see the shuffling of brown envelopes in the dim lighting

My local smoke-in establishment rarely seems to be open these days.

Are the smokey rooms part of parliament?

When you become a Member of Parliament do you get your own smokey room free with the job?

I dunno.... I could see MPs really fitting in with the average crowd in a 'smoke easy' pub that my Father goes too; Full of low-lifes, prostitutes, drug dealers and generally quite interesting people.... damn, its the quite interesting people that'd put em right off I guess

I always heard that these things happened in "The Corridors of Power". Maybe those with real political nous always disliked passive smoking, and just bided their time, strengthened their hand, and all the other things that you do in the run-up to a big, shadowy deal...

Sounds like they're written by Frank Miller to me, 2legs.

I assumed that people walked *through* the corridors of power (having escaped from the rat race), up a greasy pole, and into a smoke-filled room.

I'm slightly disappointed the Batcave idea hasn't yet been verified.

I thought it was down the greesy pole to the corridor of power, then along the rat race to the smokey rooms... Mind I've no idea where the level playing field came into it, maybe that was before* the freesy pole or after the smoke filled rooms...