Monday 1 February 2010

One thing after another

It was announced today that the government aim to impose another round of draconian restrictions in a bid to halve the number of smokers by 2020. Any bets on how long before they announce their strategy to halve the number of so-called binge drinkers?

You also have to wonder how they plan to make up the shortfall from lower tobacco duty receipts. Halving the number of smokers would reduce revenue by a whacking £3.8 billion a year.

17 comments:

  1. who care how much it costs if it saves lives??

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  2. Anon: that sounds well in principle, but people have the right to go to hell in the way of their own choosing, as long as they have been told the risks and can make an informed decision. For example, some people play dangerous sports, climb mountains or go potholing, some grossly overeat, and others partake of legal drugs (alcohol and/or nicotine). A list of activities that involve personal risk would be very long ~ shall we ban them all?

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  3. @Anonymous

    If you eat meat you have a 5 fold incidence of contracting stomach cancer comapred to a veggie. About the risk a smoker has for lung cancer compared to a non smoker.

    Let's ban meat and go veggie.

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  4. Last year, tobacco duties were £8.219bn, so half of that would be about £4.1bn, or in longhand, £4,100,000,000.

    Let's just bung it on the deficit, who cares, eh? ;-)

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  5. Silly me, I forgot to add the VAT, that's half of another £1,800,000,000.

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  6. RedNev and DaveW. all the activities you mention are things that people partake in of their own choice. What about my choice as a non smoker not to breathe in someones second hand smoke while i enjoy a pint of real ale in a pub garden? my local is has a very small garden and since the ban sunny afternoons are a no go for me. i stay at home in my own garden because the pub's garden is too smoky. there 2 sides to every story you see..

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  7. If you don't like the smoke, you can always go inside the pub. Given the choice, the smokers would probably be in there too.

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  8. why should i? why should i not enjoy the sunshine? (if we get any)

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  9. Do you complain about not being able to enjoy the snow, ice and rain too, Anon?

    If not, why not?

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  10. Anon
    If you like smokeless gardens
    try the War Cemetry gardens at Ypres in Flanders. Check the ages
    of the dead heroes, would they
    have twittered about smoky gardens
    Carry on sitting in your garden
    and give real Britons a well earned break from nannybags and
    jellytots
    Oh and if you have a car keep of
    my patch ,the cats got asthma

    Gummi Bear

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  11. The earlier anon: I'm a non-smoker, so being criticised by another non-smoker on this blog is something of a novelty for me. I have found no difficulties enjoying fresh air in beer gardens in the summer, even with smokers around me, but if you've had major problems, either find another beer garden or drink inside the pub. Smokers have had to make a massive compromise, so I think you can reciprocate with a lesser one.

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  12. dave puddlecote - no i dont, because now i can sit inside in a lovely smoke free atmosphere
    other anonymous - dont be rediculous, times change, most of those tommys from the 1st world war wouldnt smoke if they new how bad for them it was..

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  13. What a sweeping statement you make about the Tommys anon..

    I smoked like a Trooper when I was in the Army (see what I did there?!)despite knowing the risks.

    Give it time - Those in power will eventually get to banning something you enjoy

    What would you say to my old mate Billy Two Sticks??

    http://coldsteelrain.blogspot.com/2010/01/billy-two-sticks.html

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  14. cold steel rain:-
    times change, get over it...

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  15. Your anti-smoking commenter should realise that many of the pubs which are still open rely on smokers outside from spring to autumn. He should also realise that there is no preventing a pub from banning smoking in its beer garden if it judges that is good for business. If anti-smokers had expressed more of a demand for non-smoking pubs years ago, just as they had for non-smoking cafes and restaurants, which then came into being (the miracle of the free market), we would not be in the ridiculous position of a legal activity being banned on private property. There would also be a large number of pub jobs for those who dislike smoke or think it harmful.

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  16. Great news for all the struggling publicans who invested time and money in providing outside smoking areas for their customers! This would spell the end to country pubs that are not food orientated. Anon if they ban smoking outside pubs you can wave goodbye to your real ale! (or at least many of the brewers that make it and the pubs that serve it)

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  17. tommyn - the writing is surely on the wall for any country pub that does not have a good food offering anyway. wet led country pubs are missing out on a huge market and many of them frankly deserve to close.
    seems strange that the number of real ale breweries are increasing at the moment since the smoking ban started no?

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