The gambling industry is whining because tobacco addicts aren't allowed to consume their drug on the premises. Boo bl;oody hoo.

They write this as if bingo is a good thing. If people really wanted to play bingo they would still go.

Eddie -the SNP are just as big a bunch of sanctimonious control freaks as the LibLabs which are passed away.
You'll see.

Social lives and wellbeing don't matter to health fanatics. They can't see past the next gravytrain.

Why can't the bingo halls be allowed to have sessions where people are allowed to smoke? Non-smokers could avoid these sessions. Whatever happened to freedom of choice? Are the health freaks and the tobacco Taliban so hell bent on totalitarian control?

It's just like Sunday sailings and Sunday flights. Nobody forces those of a Sabbatarian persuasion to actually utilise them. This is also known as freedom of choice.

Why are there so many would be control freaks in this country?

I see that Gnasher is his usual tolerant self today....

His attitude is government mandated hatred.

This is simply persecution dressed up as health.

Disgusting.

When MSPs were voting on the ban guarantees were made that there would be no negative economic impact and in fact floods of new customers would come out. Votes were swayed on this assertion. This has clearly not been the case. The SE needs to take action to rectify their mistake.

Sir Peter Fry would be interested in seeing from this article that the general public perceives that the smoking ban is what is damaging bingo. There will also be petitions being heard today about the smoking ban, but the bingo petition, requesting a tax break, is a separate petition.

The petition will be received with thanks, filed and ignored. These are politicians we are talking about after all.

They'll only listen when the tax revenue start drying up, which will be after more of the bingo halls have gone under.

And all this over something that's less dangerous than drinking full-fat milk, spun up by a bunch of puritans and health freaks.

#10. RufusT, Planet Zog - Drinking full-fat milk doesn't bother anyone else (Most people consume full-fat milk in the comfort of their own home), smoking in public does (or rather did).
We will have to see if bingo takes a tumble in England after 1st July.

Bans of any kind only last ,if the people accept them...Jack the lad,or as he is now known as just Jack,and soon to be Jack who?..has let the "Tut Tut" brigade thru the door,and guess what! he has lost his job.The idea of a "Devovled" Parliament was to keep these guys out,but his comical parliament playing the "Power Game" has let these guys slip under the radar,and into power.Remember,it was one of these chappies that started the ball rolling regarding the "Smoking Ban"..ol Slippery Jack fell for it hook, line ,and sinker..who caught the Salmond ?eh!...With his attitude,and the "we can't possibly lose mentality"..he has ended up on the long list of "Yesterday Men",with a hard boot in the radicals for comfort.The electorate are not mugs..Alex done a salmond leap over Labour..but lets see if he panders to the "tut tut" brigade..because if he thinks that they will stop at the "smokers"he is dellusional.....We are living in strange times..if i had told my old man,in my lifetime i can't go into my local boozer for a pint and a fag,he would have had me locked up...you see,the "Tut Tut" brigade keep on about the dangers of passive smoking..they haven,t a bloody clue...i seen my old man gasping for breath for years,before he passed on...yes he suffered from passive smoke..it was called COAL DUST...he was a miner for 40 years..and not a coin in compensation...didn't hear of the "tut tut" brigade at the gates of the pits warning them, that the passive smoke down the pits was a guaranteed killer...and by the way..the miners adhered to a Smoking Ban all their working days...Strange times indeed..

Apparently we citizens are too ill-informed or perverse to reach sensible decisions about what's good for us so the only way forward is for the state to intrude ever deeper into our lives and micro-manage every last detail.

In Scotland the smoking ban was passed as health legislation particularly regarding the workplace. But traditionally, health and safety in the workplace is the province of the Health and Safety Executive, a branch of the Department of Employment, and thus not a devolved issue. (Interestingly almost every argument against allowing any flexibility in the system is expressed in terms of the dangers of passive smoke. )

Our HSE gives its views here: 'the evidential link between exposure to risk in exempted premises will be hard to establish,. In essence, HSE cannot produce epidemiological evidence to link levels of exposure to the raised risk of contracting specific diseases ...' .

But apparently Nanny Knows Best.

To Gnasher and Kiwiscot

Did you get a refund from the charm school?

My mother used to go to Bingo and I remember coming home with a pot plant once. Bingo to middle aged and elderly people, mainly ladies, is an excuse to go out and socialise. The gambling is probably incidental to the girlie chat. It is also probably one of the few places that these people can get together. I would not expect the prizes on offer will allow you to retire. There obviously is a demand for smoking venues for bingo or so many would not of gone out of business. Guys, are you happy to see this state of affairs?

Dave

There's was nothing worse than coming home after an night out, reeking of someone else's stale smoke. Even the next day it still on your clothes. Worse of all trying to enjoy a meal in all that reek. The worst offenders were the addicts who insisted on smoking between every course.
Keep the smoking ban. It will be interesting to read the results of the study of the effect of second hand smoke on staff before and after the ban when they are published.
Here's hoping more of those other dens of misery go out of business - pubs.

To Pocket Dictionary

Will that include the ones who have lost their jobs too? On passive smoking, the Labour Party's and ASh's big lie you ownly have to read our own glorious Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and I quote from this report written in 7/8/2006 and I quote "'the evidential link between exposure to risk in exempted premises will be hard to establish. In essence, HSE cannot produce epidemiological evidence to link levels of exposure to the raised risk of contracting specific diseases ..."

http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/fod/oc/200-299/255_...

Check it out yourself, paragraph9 second page.

There's was nothing worse than coming home after an night out, reeking of someone else's stale smoke. #15

Really?

AIDS?
Rape?
Malaria?
Starvation?
Terrorism?
Child molestation?
Cruelty to animals?
Mugging?
Burglary?
Botulism?
Alzheimers?
Drought?
Famine?
Gitmo?
The Iraq war?
Hiroshima?
Nagasaki?
The Holocaust?

Nothing worse than coming home smelling of smoke.

Are you sure?

#14 Dave,
Excellent post, Bingo has for generations been enjoyed by the very people you have described.
I personally have never been in a Bingo hall in my life, but I fully appreciate that it is enjoyed by many and an integral part of their social life.
As for Kiwiscot suggesting that, "if people really wanted to play Bingo they would still go". There doesnt appear to be much going on between this mans ears.. The Bingo Halls are closing down, if not already closed, just like more than 200 pubs and many other affected business's. Many of these establishments have been operating for many years and have been the hubs of their communities. They have also provided the livlihoods and employment for many folk.. Despite all the stupid remarks from the likes of Gnasher#1 with regard to gambling, we have a government that has promoted this vice more than any other other in history. Double standards to the extreme..
# James Donald 11, lets just sit back and watch all the damage being done, good fun eh! Folk losing their jobs, boarded up premises, dead communities and the elderly confined to their homes, this scenario is exactly what you promote along with your other 'control freak' buddies.. You must be so happy in getting your wish at the expense of all these rejected 'losers' as you would probably describe them. The new world order is what you want, so relish in it.. Compromise and tolerance were obviously deleted in the school dictionary that you have read as you have no concept or understanding of these words.

#15
As a tolerant non-smoker but a frequent pub-goer, up until just over a year ago, I honestly cannot remember anyone complaining about their clothes smelling of stale smoke after visiting a pub. I can only surmise that an awful lot of people did not wash their clothing.

As far as I am concerned the jury is out on passive smoking until all the evidence on the subject is published, including the current research.
I can tell you, as an asthmatic there were few places I could go when smoking was allowed. My social and rec has improved considerably, as has the smell of my clothes after a night out.
Bring on the job losses in the booze and gambling industry because it will improve others financial well being. And scrap that tax on the poor, known as the National Lottery.

#15 Pocket Dictionary..
You are pathetic!

To Pocket Dictionary.....Freedom Of Choice Buddy...
That way,it is a level playing field....Us "Addicts" as you call us,can head for our pubs that allow smoking,and you lot can head for the smoke free ,empty garden centres,for your entertainment..Just don't foist your "johnny-no-pals" sad life onto others.Anyway i would rather have my toe nails dragged off by rusty pliers,than spend a night in the company of people like you
Get a grip..and Get a life..

17. Colin, Banff - "AIDS?
Rape?
Malaria?
Starvation?
Terrorism?
Child molestation?
Cruelty to animals?
Mugging?
Burglary?
Botulism?
Alzheimers?
Drought?
Famine?
Gitmo?
The Iraq war?
Hiroshima?
Nagasaki?
The Holocaust?

I had no idea that the pubs and clubs of Banff were so rough, though it explains much.

#18. stef, Edinburgh - "lets just sit back and watch all the damage being done, good fun eh! Folk losing their jobs, boarded up premises, dead communities and the elderly confined to their homes, this scenario is exactly what you promote along with your other 'control freak' buddies" - I think you are getting a bit carried away are you not? Communities dying because of a smoking ban? Get a grip.
After the ban is imposed in England, there is nothing to stop people going to bingo or going to the pub but, if smokers choose not to go, merely because they will be obliged to smoke outside, then they will be as much to blame for lost jobs, boarded up premises, dead communities and the elderly confined to their homes etc...etc....

Just trying to get some perspective James.

I knew that you wouldn't understand this concept.

Nice attempt at # 25 to pin the blame on the smokers for economic damage caused by this vindictive and childish ban.

It wont wash though. Just like you anti-smokers....

#26. Colin, Banff - I think it is you that needs to get some perspective, your "view" being a bit clouded (must be all that fag smoke).
#15 - "There's was nothing worse than coming home after an night out, reeking of someone else's stale smoke" - "There's nothing worse" being a figure of speech, but you chose to wade in with your little "list".
If the ban is "childish" then so is your attempt to imply that "anti-smokers" don't wash. A nassty, vindictive comment by the scunnered smoker. Never mind, summer is here and the beer garden becons.

23 I don't see how we can be called selfish. We smoked where we were allowed to smoke. Pass a ban and we still smoke where we're allowed to smoke, but you people still complain about that. Who's the selfish ones here?

Hey Scottish &Proud.....Breaking wind is disgusting as well mate..lets ban that too while you are at it..and shall we all start eating low calorie-fat free- no wind -food...along with the smoking ban...that way you are guaranteed to go home everynight smelling like a rose...you are totally missing the point here ol pink lungs...the way you expound your views you make it sound smoking was just invented yesterday,oh what a filthy disgusting habit...you see these bans(and this is only the thin edge of the wedge) give your type the chance to come out the closet and jump on your wee soap boxes,to tell your fellow man the error of his ways...we don't want your smoke around us ,you preach....it damages my health....so overnight, passive smoke is put in the same bracket as any plague you care to mention...how did you survive up until now..you must be gasping for breath..if you believe everything you read..you will eat everything you see...live and let live buddy,,,,there is more pollution and poison put in the atmosphere from car,diesel,and bus fumes...but that isnt the agenda is it,it is the passive smoke off a ciggie..yes because of all the misinformation now spewing out about passive smoking,it must be true...do you know why they want gullible Joe Public to believe all this mince,and jump on his soap box and persecute the smoker...BIG PHARMA..buddy..they single handed have persuaded governments,with ,i do not need to tell you what with...to introduce Smoking Bans..so the minority you talk about,becomes the majority,and buys their products,THAT is the bottom line my friend,believe me...but the most worrying factor is this..Who&What is next?...The Booze? Fat Foods?Fat People?Regulating Car Use?Gypsies?The Homeless?...Bans of any kind bring out the worst in people..this is only the start of it.

Last week I made the comment on this forum that Pubs and Clubs in Oz are struggling since the smoking bans were brought in. I think its going to do the same here. They build outdoor sheltered areas but it doesnt help and remember its warmer out there. Whenever you drive through Brisbane there was groups of people who had nipped out for a quick smoke so the government made an amendment to the law that stopped anyone smoking within 4 metres of the entrance and if you do you will pay a 150 dollar fine. The latest big thing out there is about all the fat people (and believe me there are lots of them) and Doctors are now saying they should not get treatment for ongoing illness unless they dramatically loose weight.

These types are taking over and creating good numbers for themselves from government grants and donations.

Breathing air that is not toxic inside , REALLY, are they banning perfume, after shave and deodrants then.
How many people have a problem with them do you think?
Ghost towns will be on the rise. Asking people not to smoke in their leisure time in the bingo halls is like asking the obese to sit and watch others eat while they have been banned from doing so.
Superb way of putting it Colin,
The intolerance from the minority on here is not healthy either.
For those who would like to see this ban amended for the hospitality trade please support freedom2choose.co.uk fight for ventilation to be included
This is NOT going to stop just inside.

Breathing air that is not toxic inside , REALLY, are they banning perfume, after shave and deodrants then.
How many people have a problem with them do you think?
Ghost towns will be on the rise. Asking people not to smoke in their leisure time in the bingo halls is like asking the obese to sit and watch others eat while they have been banned from doing so.
Superb way of putting it Colin,
The intolerance from the minority on here is not healthy either.
For those who would like to see this ban amended for the hospitality trade please support freedom2choose.co.uk fight for ventilation to be included
This is NOT going to stop just inside.

#19. Reason - voice off : No one complains while where out about the smell on their cloths. It'd when they get back home.

I've never smoked and sometimes people smoke beside me makes me feel sick. Does it know sound unfair that someone who has never smoked has to put up with feeling ill on a night out because people are smoking.

I say long live the no smoking ban and clean area in all indoor places.

Smokers enjoy the fact that you can smoke out side and stop wining about not being allowed to do it in doors.

The day someone can smoke with out producing 2nd and 3rd hand smoke is the day that most of non-smokers will be happy for yous to smoke in doors again. (But I very much drought that will happen, unless your taken nicorette)

#32. Mandy: The majority of people in Scotland don't smoke, where do you get your minority thing from.

Everyone I know is happy about the ban and that includes some smokers too. I guess they save a wee bit of money too. And are less likely to singe their hair. Yes I have met smoker who set a wee bit of the hair on fire, while drunk.

Obese people only harm obese people unless they fall on you. And while we're talking about obesity, lets get this thing straight if an obese person goes to their Doctors their advised to to lose weight and should be given or put in touch with someone who can give support during this time of their life.

Smoking is an addiction NOT a pleasure, It eats at your money and leaves you wanting more.
I heard Smoking Sensation are effective groups at helping, smokers quite.

Go and ask your GP about them.

#16. Anti-health fascist: Is that a joke. I worked in a night club pre-ban and on 3rd night I was violently sick in the toilets about Midnight (After working 2hrs) because of the smoke.

Then when I quite I had a really bad cough for about 12months.

So I think I'll believe those who want to implement the ban after my own experiences.

I don't think these symptoms are normal in non-smokers, do you. It was definitely the 2nd and 3rd hand smoke, It's harmful.

#10

The petitions for the smoking ban were referred to the health committee. The petition for the bingo industry was referred (as far as I could make out) for further consultation.

Going back to the topic, the owner of Mecca Bingo, Rank, are getting in ahead of the ban. They announced they were decimating their operations, closing halls in Fulham, Islington, Hull, Liverpool, Reading, Sheffield, Swansea, Welling and Wolverhampton. This is before the ban in England kicks in.

30. Brisbane Scot, I'm not sure about the Scottish ban (I can't find the right bit of legislation), but the English one they don't even need to modify to increase the areas that it covers. It's entirely at the whim of the "Appropriate Authority", 4m away from the doors? Not a problem. On the street? OK. In your own home? Hmmm, do-able. And without further need of legislation.

I'd like to be optimistic Belinda (36), I really would, but having a new shiny mandate they can safely ignore what people want for a few more years.

Ah the "smoke makes my clothes stink" argument again.

Great then, now you self-righteous anti-smoking drinkers can get drunk as skunks, roll around in your own vomit and not have to worry about washing the smell of smoke out of your clothes.

What's always a puzzle though is that if you lazy anti-smoking moaners want non-smoking venues so much why don't you go out and start your own?

I can't wait till next Sunday 1st July in England when lots of people in Bolton, Blackpool and Hereford will be still smoking in their pubs and flouting the ban. There's more to follow but that's for us to know at the moment.

McConnell-hell slap it intae ye. Thought ye'd sail on a cloud of glory efter introducing the ban here before any other part of the UK? Now Salmond's on yer throne and ye're oot on yer erse! Ha, ha, bloody ha! Wonder if doon south the reaction tae the ban'll be the same as the poll tax? Mind the riots in the streets in London? Canny wait tae fun oot!

It realy all comes down to choice, if government denys you choice are you living in a democracy I think not. There is no reason why there carnt be smoking venues and non smoking venues. Smoking venues could be staffed by smokers or non smokers that dont mind smoking and anti smokers would never have to cross the threshold so wheres the problem. The problem is people in government dont believe in giving people choice, and neither do anti smokers. Its their way or no way at all, zealots, bullies control freaks springs to mind, what they have not cottoned onto yet is that smokers realy dont want to be in the same room as them and dont want to socialise with them. You can have as many non smoking venues as you want, but in a true democracy smokers should have the right to venues of their own as well.

Eve, Please read my post again, I did not day anything about a majority or Scotland.

Yes John, the first time in my 51 years I will be classed as a criminal, because I will be there.
This ban stinks more than anyones clothes, they can be washed and should be anyway, there will be enough people looking for work after this ban comes in, without doing proctor & gamble employers a job too.

Social engineering does not wash so well though.
Open your own non-smoking venues, use your own money, should be little goldmines.
Not all non-smokers are anti.
freedom2choose.co.uk

#25 James Donald.
Clearly you have been living a very isolated life, in that 1 pub'd village you have previously referred too. Or perhaps spending too much time on that computer of yours, gleefully, deriding others whilst losing all perspective of what is happening in the real world outside..The radiation emanating from your screen has modified your brain patterns and turned you into the intolerant and selfish little man that you are. Another side affect, has been the blindness and stupidity of being unable too see, reason, or understand.. Try pls, attempt to see that both many smokers and non smokers wish too spend their social time together, uninfluenced from all the deceit of this ban in a comfortable, convivial, and welcoming environment..Not ushered out into cold, wet' wintry streets or offered what wouldn't befit a cowshed for shelter. I really think by all the comments that you have posted, that we are not really the kind of company that you would like to share your time with. You have made that very clear in all of your fanatical rants. Equally so, we are tolerant people but also do not wish too share our precious social hours in the company of Po' faced, TutTut vendors who possess a very narrow minded view of society. So it would be the perfect compromise for all concerned if the many 'control freak' characters like yourself would stay 'out of our faces' it would be a great pleasure for us to reciprocate.. See sorted, its that easy, not to much too ask is it?
I would like to add what I think is a great suggestion. Why don't you, Eve, if she hasn't broken a finger nail since her last pathetic comment, Pocket Poppins, Scottish and proud, lol. Make your own space,, there are literally hundreds of boarded up pubs both in Edinburgh and all over Fife going at rock bottom prices.. The claims made, before this wicked ban was imposed were that the pubs would be overspilling with people like yourself, maybe that's a reason why they have lost their

#39. John V, Chester - "Great then, now you self-righteous anti-smoking drinkers can get drunk as skunks, roll around in your own vomit and not have to worry about washing the smell of smoke out of your clothes" - this may be the idea of a fun night out in Chester but some of us can manage a few drinks without the "Hughie Green".
What bothers me about a few smoking moaners is their need to constantly whinge about getting off their arse to go outside for a smoke. Get ready for some fresh air with your smoke on 1st July.

#5 Social lives and well being don't matter to health fanatics. They can't see past our gravestones.

#45. stef, Edinburgh - Thank you Dr Stef for your low brow diagnosis. As I work in the centre of Edinburgh, I have more to choose from than the one pub in my village and even manage to see a little of the world outside. I have a second job which necessitates quite a bit of travel so I get to see even more of the world outside, occaisionally encountering abusive little numpties like yourself en route.
If you are "ushered out into cold, wet' wintry streets or offered what wouldn't befit a cowshed for shelter" you are drinking in the wrong pubs. Non smokers and smokers can still enjoy the convivial company of smokers (and endure the company of the torn faced ones) in a comfortable environment etc.....only now smokers have to pop outside for a moment or two to indulge their habit before returning to the comfort of the bar. If this is too much to ask of you, then nip to Tescos, buy a carry out, invite your friends round to your house and puff away.
From the tone and content of your post(s), I wouldn't say hello to you on a lonley day, never mind want to socialise with you in a pub, especially with a lack of nicotine making you tetchy. The pubs I drink in are much as they ever were and I haven't noticed hundreds of boarded up pubs in Edinburgh (the Cross Keys was boared up for a while but is open again and pretty busy). There is plenty of space for everyone in the Capital's pubs and if smoker stay away because they can't smoke inside, that is their choice.
"Now try to think if possible, about the Hospital patients, many infirm, many elderly, having to stand or wheelchaired to car parks in Baltic weather to also satisfy your and your ilk's, petulant little disorders" - When was the last time you noticed Baltic weather in Edinburgh? The groups you mentioned should be discouraged from smoking in any case, given that it is not noted for its health giving properties.
Given your grumpy little rant, I can only assume that you are

James ,but isn,t alcohol a form of drug like cigarettes and might make people who are regular drinkers and who were deprived of it tetchy as well?
Would you also like to be made to stand outside to drink it, which might be the future the way things are going?after all it is a mind bending drug and can change peoples personality dramatically! unlike cigarettes.

#48 James Donald
Thank you for your comments, James. I am not a Dr. I don't drink at home, apart from cups of tea. Just quite simply a chap who does not like lectures, or wish too spend time in the company of people so full of their own 'self righteous' beliefs that they feel empowered too tell everyone else how to behave..It was already assertained in my comment that for me and my friends, you are not a man we would wish too spend our evening with. It did not require any follow up. The follow up you submitted quite simply emphasised my point entirely. I am however impressed that their seems to be some human feelings within you albeit that you are 'hurt' when challenged in your derisory perspectives of other folk. Sadly, this is not going to prevent the closures of these Bingo Halls..

-- The day someone can smoke with out producing 2nd and 3rd hand smoke ..

OK, we'll bann diesel cars from cities. You don't see much of the smoke, but can smell it and it gets on your clothes. They produce alot of it.

Better ventilation and extraction systems could likely get the air healthier in many buildings than the outside environment, and staff should not have to work long hours in a poluted atomosphere.

#49. Chris Seasider, Blackpool - "Would you also like to be made to stand outside to drink it, which might be the future the way things are going?" - in the highly unlikely event that this happens, I will address that issue. Unlike second hand smoke, alcohol does not have an immediate byproduct which is irritating to others.

#50. stef, Edinburgh - Likewise I did not require any follow up from you to ascertain that you are someone I would not care to spend time with. I think you flatter yourself if you think your earlier comments were regarded by me as anything other than a rant like that of a small child that can't get its own way.

#51- not to mention alcohol- a class A carcinogen. The actual Class A components of a cigarette's smoke mass only .0005 grams. A standard martini puts out roughly one full gram of alcohol vapor per hour: as much Class A Carcinogen as 2,000 cigarettes!

Steady on now Enrico !!

You are straying into products that they enjoy. I too have seen the science that fully supports the second hand alcohol danger, but they wont listen. Even though it does 2000 times the damage.

Very selective these anti-smokers. They will happily repeat that the Relative Risk for SHS is 1.19 and then completely ignore the fact that whole milk (RR 2.4) and cheese (RR 2.8) are more of a threat.

James for instance has previously confessed that he is "not interested" in the science.

We know why that is.

Its because the science does not support any of their whining. The science is crystal clear.

Second hand smoke is an irritant. No more, no less.

So irritating in fact, that it will irritate another 200 businesses so much, they will go bankrupt in the next 12 months.

But as long as the whinging set get their way, nothing else matters.

And just so that you all know, I am still keeping a watch on worldwide deaths caused by SHS.

The total now is zero.

#55. Colin, Banff - "James for instance has previously confessed that he is "not interested" in the science. We know why that is. Its because the science does not support any of their whining. The science is crystal clear. Second hand smoke is an irritant. No more, no less" - Utter nonsense. I sure someone who is "interested in the science" would take issue with you on this.
However, I know the evidence of my own senses, and know that second hand smoke is a very unpleasant and immediate irritant but is one that I no longer have to put up with in Scotland at least. So no whinging here, I am happy with the status quo. It is the few (if vocal) smokers who are coming out with all the moans and groans because they no longer have the freedom to be inconsiderate. Shame....

#56. Scottish and proud, Edinburgh - Yes, they must have been going into some great pubs where the punters need fag smoke to cover up the smell of the B.O., farts and Hai Karate.

James Donald always likes the last word even though everyting he says is equally hogwash. I love the way that he throws himself about like a piece of napalm desperately trying to surpress or counter every disagreement with wall to wall crap!

James on July 1st I'll no be taking fresh air with my fags I'll be sitting INSIDE a pub.

#59. John V, Chester - "trying to surpress or counter every disagreement with wall to wall crap!" -You are hardly the master of the witty retort. I trust the evening of 1st July will find you staring at the 4 walls of a (non-smoking) cell gasping for a fag.
If you are going to try civil disobedience, try finding a more worthy cause.

# 35

I am sorry that cigarette smoke has a short term effect on you. I have NEVER objected to businessmen or women making their premises smoke free, I just exercise my fiscal right and go elsewhere. Modern air condtioning can rid the air of smoke which I am sure you will find acceptable.

What I object to most is the lie put about by ASH and Noooo Labour about passive smoking. If it was proveable in any way that there were any long term effects on passive smoking, I would probably modify my behaviour and step outside voluntarily. In the same way that I do not drive down a residential street at 60 mph. I have no wish to be a danger to anyone else. It is the blatant Nazi like spin and Goebbels propoganda that makes my stomach churn. Here is a quote from the most well known passive smoking report which covered 188,000 people, from 1960 to 1998. The scientists are Prof Enstrom and Dr. Kabat. They are ardent anti-smokers and the study was initially funded by the American Cancer Society. When the scientific data was turing up the "wrong " results the ACS promptly withdrew their money. To be fair Philip Morris picked up the the funding subsequently. Also please go to BMJ web site (www.bmj.com) and read the quite nasty vitriol the learned scientists and the editor who published the report had to endure from the vested interests. 6 eminent scientists peer reviewed Enstrom and Kabat's work and could not find any scientific flaws. The anti-smoker health fascists should hold their heads in shame.

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/326/7398/1057

I quote: "Conclusions The results do not support a causal relation between environmental tobacco smoke and tobacco related mortality, although they do not rule out a small effect. The association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and coronary heart

#61. Anti-health fascist, London - " quote: "Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, primarily asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, has been associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, but the evidence for increased mortality is sparse."" - I don't think the conditions listed will increase anyone's lifespan or add to their quality of life.

When you you are a chemist, do you really mean that you work at Boots?

Any, and every chemist knows that the poison is in the dose, and quite frankly, while you list some nasty stuff, they are not emitted from secondary or sidestream smoke in quantities that would harm a fly.

There is more arsenic in a glass of tap water. There is more Polonium 210 in cabbage.

I could go on, but it will clearly be wasted on you.

If you truly were a chemist, you would be on here telling people the truth. That SHS harms no-one.

Sorry, that should be: "When you say you are...etc"

#63 Some chemist you are, pal.

Arsenic - Naturally present in the human body as well as many fruits, vegetables, cereals, meats and dairy products. Seafood can contain even more. Shrimp, oyster, mussels, prawns and other marine foods have been found to contain up to 174 ppm of arsenic—far more than the doses anyone will ever get from secondhand smoke.

Furthermore, arsenic—despite its scary reputation—has been found to be essential to human life. At least ten other elements that are essential to human life are carcinogens at high doses—including and iron and even oxygen.

Formaldehyde - Again naturally present in the body as well as being formed by sunlight and oxygen acting on methane and other naturally occurring hydrocarbons in the atmosphere.

Hydrogen cyanide is present in lima beans, cherries, plums, apricots, peaches, pears and peas. Even cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower contain cyanide compounds.

You will inhale the equivelent of 200 cigarettes worth of benzene on a garge forecourt while filling up your car.

Ever used a soldering iron? Then you've inhaled cadmium.

And yes, I do remember Litvinenko and I remember that it was reported that polonium 210 is present in the atmosphere.

It's scaremongering, pal.

Enrico #66 is right.
May come as a surprise to some but arsenic is added is varying amounts to bottled, and, presumably canned, beer as a preservative.

It does appear that the smokers appear well read if not erudite. My reply to Scottish And Proud is as Colin says it is the dose not the poison. Please click on the URL, but let me pick out the main highlights. A cigarette burning releases 0.4 grams per hour of emissions compared to 35 grams for an open fire 0.66 for a car with a catalytic converter, through to a massive 70 grams per hour for Diesel. So by my simple maths , even if you drive the most environmentally friendly car you are "poisoning" people 66% more than me and if you catch an old bus in the morning you are 17,500% more dangerous than me and my roll up. This is the whole myth that governments wish to peddle on ETS. If you drill down into the study about the same number of women contracted lung cancer from log fires as from smoking, these numbers are extremely small anyway. Just anti-smoking bullying.

http://burningissues.org/car-www/medical_effects/comp-emm...

Sorry if I seem to be getting a tad irate.
Why don't the anti- smoking brigade get their brains out of their a***'* and accept that they have been brain washed, that is, if they had one to start with.