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"Thousands of anti-smoking council officers will patrol bars, restaurants and clubs to police England's smoking ban, it was reported today.



Not for much longer: Smoking will be banned in all enclosed public places and workplaces in England from July 1

Councils have been handed £29.5 million to train existing staff and to recruit dedicated officers in time for the introduction of the ban in July.

Anti-smoking staff will be able to hand out £50 on-the-spot fines and will even be allowed to sit among drinkers undercover and film and photograph offenders"

From:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... ing115.xml



I think that if I were a licencee, I'd be tempted to refuse entry to such "officials",

or draw the attention of everyone to their prescence (e.g. by making them sit

under a large sign labelled "COUNCIL ANTI-SMOKING OFFICIAL"). Not because I'd

allow smoking contrary to the law, but simply because it's being done like this!

Don't worry, we all thought we would have a smokers revolution as well, and got all outraged, but in reality that lasted about 3 hours, the smoking ban has been a good thing, and you will get used to it over there as well. But I warn you, the smell of pubs at first is awful as the cigarette smoke no longer clouds the smell of years old alcohol, and urine soaked pub furniture, also you won't be smoking in the bar, so you will smell it. Not nice.

Galbally;550758 wrote: Don't worry, we all thought we would have a smokers revolution as well, and got all outraged [snip]


Your views must be quite different from mine, then!

Shame they couldn't think of a better way to spend all that money! Maybe instead of training officials to sit in bars, they could have non-trained officials giving out nicotine gum!

My company is working on a smoking ban at the moment, and it's involving offering free counselling, patches, gum etc.

Exactly Dr. G it lasted about 2 hours in the States and then everyone was enjoying not smellling like a cig every time they went out to eat or to a bar.

They did have to completely redo some bars air them out, paint, and all new insides since the smoke was still very much there even with no smoking.

It is a good thing and you will get use to it fast. Then the police can do what they should be doing catching the bad guys.

Actually the police stopped patrolling rather fast here since the patrons started telling the owners and then the smokers were asked to leave or the police were called. :-6 It is all good.

[QUOTE]Don't worry, we all thought we would have a smokers revolution as well, and got all outraged, but in reality that lasted about 3 hours, the smoking ban has been a good thing, and you will get used to it over there as well. But I warn you, the smell of pubs at first is awful as the cigarette smoke no longer clouds the smell of years old alcohol, and urine soaked pub furniture, also you won't be smoking in the bar, so you will smell it. Not nice.[/QUOTE]

Elvira;550823 wrote: Shame they couldn't think of a better way to

spend all that money! Maybe instead of training officials to sit in bars


AAARGH! I see that I have made a terrible error in my life's plan!!! Of course, with a suitable driver and expense account, this would be a *wonderfully* fulfilling occupation!



Elvira;550823 wrote: My company is working on a smoking ban at the moment, and it's involving offering free counselling, patches, gum etc.


There's more government stupidity on the way. They're proposing new powers

to "give local authorities the power to require the occupiers or owners to clear up litter in the immediate area of their premises and to install disposal facilities or risk a fixed penalty notice of up to up to £110". This is in advance of the ban on smoking in public places which comes into force on 1st. July. As if it's the fault of the employer, pub, or whoever, instead of the fault of the person who actually dropped their fag-end!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... fags14.xml

Bill Sikes;550837 wrote: AAARGH! I see that I have made a terrible error in my life's plan!!! Of course, with a suitable driver and expense account, this would be a *wonderfully* fulfilling occupation!




It's not too late to retrain...... particularly with the new age discrimination laws :wah:

Elvira;550839 wrote: It's not too late to retrain...... particularly with the new age discrimination laws wah:


That is a very cheeky thing to say.

I thought there might be some trouble up here in Scotland Bill, we've had the no smoking ban for over a year now. Everybody seems to be ok with it & its bloody cold up here to have to stand outside.

Bill Sikes;550845 wrote: That is a very cheeky thing to say.


I'm a very cheeky girl! :wah:

You'd never believe I specialised in employment law, would you?

I like the smoking ban but I don't like the idea of hiring the Keystone Kops to police everybody. Enough Big Brother! Just put up a sign and the first one who lights up gets politely asked to put it out. Problem with that? Then boot him out.

Nobody even thinks about it here anymore. The one thing that annoys is when you are at a big function the group always ends up split with smokers outside and non-smokers inside. That is a pity.

Galbally;550758 wrote: Don't worry, we all thought we would have a smokers revolution as well, and got all outraged, but in reality that lasted about 3 hours, the smoking ban has been a good thing, and you will get used to it over there as well. But I warn you, the smell of pubs at first is awful as the cigarette smoke no longer clouds the smell of years old alcohol, and urine soaked pub furniture, also you won't be smoking in the bar, so you will smell it. Not nice.


While smokers have every right to choose where they wish to smoke, providing it is within the confines of the law, as a non-smoker, I too have certain fundamental rights, like walking out of a pub, or a betting shop, or walking to the end of a railway platform to avoid two things - firstly inhaling their secondary smoke, but more to the point, to aviod them personally, because whether they like it or not, THEY STINK!

weinbeck;551251 wrote: While smokers have every right to choose (blah blah blah bah)


Well, that's got sweet FANNY ADAMS TO DO WITH MY ORIGINAL POINT, bloody whisky and caps lock, but I suppose that's the delight of thread drift.....

Bill Sikes;551281 wrote: Well, that's got sweet FANNY ADAMS TO DO WITH MY ORIGINAL POINT, bloody whisky and caps lock, but I suppose that's the delight of thread drift.....


So subtly put, old buy. Must remember not even to bother skimming through your threads, if that's your attitude. No great loss on either side.