Wednesday
Dec192007
It's a wonderful life
Wednesday, December 19, 2007 
I shall be in London tomorrow recording a 20-second soundbite for BBC Breakfast to be broadcast after Christmas. To be specific, they want to film in the car park at Sainsbury's, Ladbroke Grove, at 9.00am. No doubt it will be very, very cold.
The interview is part of a report examining the impact of the smoking ban, six months on. Anti-smoking campaigners will declare the ban to have been a great success (high compliance, dramatic health benefits etc). Expect more of this nonsense between now and the new year.
Reader Comments (8)
A Sainsbury's car-park at 9AM???
Why not an empty pub at 9PM?
Simon, I do hope that you will mention the MYTH on which the ban is based. Whenever I've heard or read s FOREST spokesman being quoted there is never any mention that the evidence is spurious. I've never understood why. Do they edit it out?
Yes it is wonderfull that there is high compliance, not much chioce is there when business's are faced with a £2500.00 fine with the public of £50.00.
Health benefits ? certinly there is. Pneumonia,flu not to mention the disgusting way mature adults are being treated.
They can keep their'health'At least i'll live an healthy life not like the instigators of this ban.
Yes,we have filmed one for BBC East Midlands News,they wanted to find someone who had started smoking because of the ban,and being left inside all the time etc. Wasn't difficult and ours goes out @8th/9th january.
Well our fire alarm went off in work last night. We all had to stand out in sub zero temperature. Guess who complained the most? The anti smoking brigade - of course! They even complained how cold the canteen was shortly beforehand. They don't mind us outside but if things go against them, they complain like hell.
Has anyone noticed how quickly BBC removes anything that might show the true facts about the effects of the smoking ban from their teletext service. I wonder who dictates what they can transmit.
We Shall not be going away at new year as we normally do. As I object to standing outside ofthe hotel to smoke in the bitter cold. Instead i will stay in my own warm comfortable home and puff away to my hearts content.the plus side we will save a £1000. No grid locked M1 and M5 to drive down to weymouth. Minus. the hotel loses £800 shops cafes etc another £200, oil companies £90 !! need i say any more !
Happy new year.
What we really need is an in-depth documentary on the true nature of this witch-hunt, and the attendant, speculative propaganda which has driven it. That is one of my hopes for 2008.
I am also still hoping for a reply (one year on) from Ken Livingstone when I wrote to him that: "We are becoming a controlled people, Mr. Livingstone". I wondered what he might have to say about that. Unfortunately, zilch. No surprises there then. "Bring it on Boris, Bring it on. Good lad." You read it here first.
I'm getting really fed up with having to go outside in the freezing cold to lite up and now I'm on my second course of antibiotics for a chest infection, which is not helped by standing outside in the cold, I've seen people in their 80's standing outside a local club smoking. We are obviously not going to give up,why should we.