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

You should be able to go to a no-smoking club. I doubt if anyone would argue that.

The argument is about what grown adults can do to other people's bodies.

Now I don't know how bad second hand smoke is or isn't for your health, but it is pretty foul stuff to have to breathe in or get on your clothes.

Saying 'you can just go somewhere else' implies a total smoker/non-smoker segregation which is unrealistic. Some of your friends might want to go to the smoking section, you might not want to, are you just expected to split up?

Plus its pretty hard to have a smoking section without the stuff getting everywhere else.

I suggest some form of sealed smokers' helmets.

The argument is about choice. Not about smell: farts, BO, stale perfume, halitosis and Hai Karate aren't being banned, (yet)

There is no credible scientific link between passive smoking and cancer, unless you know different. They've been unable to prove it in courts anywhere in the world, but maybe someone can prove it here.

<>

Well, what's the difference between that scenario, and the smoker p**sing off somewhere else to have their ciggy?

Anyway, by the sound of the 10pm news, it's all done and dusted anyhoo, so happy breathing, all you non-smoking pub-goers.

I hope you all enjoy going out to poison yourselves with alcohol in peace from those nasty smokers.

spiff

If I remember correctly, they had problems proving that smoking caused lung cancer in courts in first place, now no one in their right mind would argue that smoking doesn't cause lung cancer, not even tobaco companies....logic tells me that exhaled smoke still contains some of the many toxic chemicals, logic must also suggest that if smoke is inhaled again it can cause damage.
Eventually they will likely be able to prove it, if they can't already, although to be honest I thought I read somewhere they had proved the passive smoking cancer link......I would not be surprised if they find out that even a small amount of smoke can cause cancer.
The book I have here says that chemicals in the tar cause the cells that reproduce in lungs to reproduce incorrectly, causeing cancer....the book is not indepth on subject.

Smoking might cause cancer, but non smokers get it too, even non-passive-smokers. Look, nobody thinks anybody should be forced to breathe cigarette smoke, but come on, a little perspective would be good. WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE! Smoking is stupid, but we like it. Why can't we have smoking pubs? We can avoid smoking in non-smoking pubs and won't complain if non smoking friends want to drink there but, please, why can't we have the choice? What is so alien in what we're asking?

"refer to earlier post"

a .00002% increase in cases where the passive smoker is subjected to sustained exposure.

Certainly here in Ireland, the reason why the pub-owners were fairly meek about the ban in the end is that they and their lawyers and their insurers were fairly sure that sooner or later the damage due to passive smoking *will* be proved in court--and no one wants to be stuck with paying out huge insurance settlements.

That's the whole thing about health and safety regulations: the employer can't just say "You know there's a risk. If you choose to work here, that's your problem, not mine!" If the employer was warned of the risks and could have avoided them, then they're going to be in trouble.

The ban will certainly encourage me to visit England as a tourist!
Azara

Azara: 'That's the whole thing about health and safety regulations'

Spot on. Surely the landlord should be able to decide whether to accept smoking or not and potential employees should be informed accordingly?

Nobody has to work in a pub. And the catering industry sucks anyway.

f*** time for me to lurn a forign language and move. There already was* choice. within five mins walk from my front door I've two non smoking pubs, a smoking pub with a non smoking area, and another pub with a non smoking area whilst they're serving food, and a pub that smoking is allowed in the entire venue, except within three foot of the bar. Now they're going to ban it completely... great.. f.ing great, no choice any more. When I'm back home at my Fathers, there are two pubs I go to ocasionally, where I know that all the staff in the pubs smoke, as do the vast majorty of the customers, so why would that suddenly have to now start becomign a non smoking venue? Seems rediculus to me...

Hello 2legs. Well said.

Anyone fancy moving to France and staying with Terri & Yoda?

Oui! Devons-nous nous trouver un petit appartement quelque part pour louer en France ? Semble la seule option gauche.

Oi - no foreign on HooToo. You knows da rulez.

Hang on , Devon's a small squelchy appartment in southern France? What you been smoking Legs?

If I remember correctly, the first line of the 1974 Health and Safety At Work act says, "Employers and employees must ensure the safety of workers at work."
......it is not an optional thing, you can't pick and choose and say "Well I told them it was at their risk to work in my pub."
.
...I fully expected legal action to be taken against an employer about smoking before now, but it certainly would be after the new law comes into force.
.
(I may not have remembered the exact words of safety act, but that is the jist of it)

You're right, and that's the start of the slippery slope that leads to the NHS spending money compmensating the families of people who would have died anyway rather than paying to keep other people alive.

If people are stupid enough to take on a job they feel uneasy about the world's better off without 'em.

And before anyone says it: I know some feel they have no choice. That is another issue, and the complexity of these issues is why I'd never want a minister's job.

I just read back through that, I think I'd been better off translating the English to French myself rahter than using babelfish

Wouldn't have helped me I'm afraid.

'Un pint du beer seive four plays?'

'Une loaf de bread for favours?'

etc.

cannez I smokio here-o?