tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post5498457716189788889..comments2024-03-28T17:49:01.125+00:00Comments on Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness: Smoking ban is rare Labour success. Don't change it.Owen Polleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00567787385096905811noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-2000455212412087282009-07-01T13:20:59.099+01:002009-07-01T13:20:59.099+01:00Incidentally smoking is fairly unusual in that it ...Incidentally smoking is fairly unusual in that it is still a significant risk factor in all manner of diseases even when it is practised in moderation. I know, because I'm told the 'risk factor' even when I eat too many fecking chocolate bars. :-(Owen Polleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00567787385096905811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-9614637112617923042009-07-01T13:13:10.504+01:002009-07-01T13:13:10.504+01:00If a law is already in operation and is found to b...If a law is already in operation and is found to be working well then it is the responsibility of those wishing to remove it to prove that there's a strong reason for doing so. To instigate a ban where there isn't one already requires an entirely different balance to the debate. We don't know if other bans would work. We know about this one because it's operable.Owen Polleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00567787385096905811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-40919573893711681192009-07-01T13:03:46.312+01:002009-07-01T13:03:46.312+01:00"As I've intimated, the ban is already in..."As I've intimated, the ban is already in place and working well."<br /><br />Because it is there does not address the question "Such a basis could be used for a wide variety of bans so why single out smoking?"fair_dealnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-45617429591190825372009-07-01T12:46:52.103+01:002009-07-01T12:46:52.103+01:00Such a basis could be used for a wide variety of b...<i>Such a basis could be used for a wide variety of bans so why single out smoking?</i><br /><br />As I've intimated, the ban is already in place and working well.Owen Polleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00567787385096905811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-4430617507517723492009-07-01T12:43:22.779+01:002009-07-01T12:43:22.779+01:00You are right, Chekov. The smoking ban has had a p...You are right, Chekov. The smoking ban has had a positive effect on the health of the UK, including smokers! The hard core of smokers who find the ban unacceptable ought, perhaps, to re-double their efforts to give up tobacco. Obviously it's easier said than done because it is an addiction.<br />It's really inconceivable that the smoking ban would be repealed, given the savings being made by the NHS and other inestimable benefits.<br /><br />TimTimothy Belmonthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15111145260662707575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-65323972614522509542009-07-01T12:16:57.746+01:002009-07-01T12:16:57.746+01:00"I am told that medical professionals are alr..."I am told that medical professionals are already satisfied that the ban has had a positive impact on the nation’s health." <br /><br />Such a basis could be used for a wide variety of bans so why single out smoking?<br />http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/8126129.stmfair_dealnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-34537635738954552852009-07-01T11:54:11.850+01:002009-07-01T11:54:11.850+01:00I never thought I'd agree with a NI Unionist
...<i>I never thought I'd agree with a NI Unionist</i><br /><br />I must admit I can’t imagine why. Northern Ireland unionists have a variety of different opinions on every topic under the sun, we simply share a conviction that the best constitutional arrangement for our region is to remain within the United Kingdom. <br /><br /><i>Now, would you also agree that the supermarkets and corner shops with liquor licences are a greater threat to pubs than the smoking ban? Or perhaps their difficulties are not so pronounced in NI?</i><br /><br />Very cheap off sales do encourage people to drink at home which is bad for the local pub. I think there’s also something of a culture shift at work here, whereby people are more inclined to watch the television and have a couple of glasses of red, rather than tramp half a mile to the local for a pint. It’s difficult to know how you reverse that trend.Owen Polleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00567787385096905811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2623721153002721356.post-39184544568118798012009-07-01T11:25:49.451+01:002009-07-01T11:25:49.451+01:00I never thought I'd agree with a NI Unionist, ...I never thought I'd agree with a NI Unionist, but I certainly subscribe to your views here.<br /><br />Now, would you also agree that the supermarkets and corner shops with liquor licences are a greater threat to pubs than the smoking ban? Or perhaps their difficulties are not so pronounced in NI?Frank Littlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12447989626809704972noreply@blogger.com