Wales: smoking ban one year on
Wednesday, April 2, 2008 Today is the first anniversary of the introduction of the public smoking ban in Wales. This time last year I was in Cardiff (see blog entry HERE) for the usual round of interviews.
A year on the Welsh Assembly government is telling everyone how "successful" the ban has been. Only 79 people and one business have been prosecuted. What did they expect? People don't willingly break the law, especially if the penalty is relatively severe.
"Support" for the ban, we are told, has "risen" from 71% to 84%. I'd like to know what the question was. Prior to the ban, had you given people in Wales (or anywhere else in the UK) a choice of smoking and non-smoking facilities, only a third would have supported a comprehensive ban.
Poll after poll (including research carried out by the Office for National Statistics) showed that 68-70% favoured anything but a blanket ban. Restrictions yes, ban no. Needless to say those results have been consigned to the dustbin of history and the only "choice" people are now given is a stark "smoking" or "no-smoking" with nothing in between. Not surprisingly, the overwhelming majority opt for "no-smoking".
I have just made all these points and more on Real Radio who rang us yesterday, anxious to offer a balanced set of opinions to their listeners. I am still waiting to hear from BBC Wales. (I'll not be holding my breath.)
Reader Comments (7)
Yes, I can confirm the smoking ban is really, really popular here in Wales, so popular in fact there were half a dozen poe-faced punters in my local on Saturday night and trade is so good my landlord is planning on selling pizzas.
I read a while back that there was some movement in Mid- and North Wales to allow smoking rooms. How is that coming along, or did the politicians bury it?.
It still amazes me how compliant people are, and unwilling to complain, or take a stand.
I don't think the ban has meant that many smokers have stopped smoking - most are willing to put up with having to go outside. I must admit that as I'm not that happy about being forced to do this, my level of smoking has gone down, which perhaps is a good thing.
However, there are still many ocassions where I think the ban is completely unacceptable, particularly I would say at (outdoor) sports stadiums, clubs, and live music venues - as far as I'm concerned, smoking and watching a band always go together.
The feeling is that in time, the Government will have the sense to relax the law, and perhaps introduce smoking licences so that some places can have indoor smoking sections/ rooms. Let's hope so, so that common sense can prevail.
One tip you could try is to light a cigarette indoors, place it in an empty can and let it burn itself out. Just as having a burning candle indoors is of course not illegal, I don't think having a burning cigarette is either - after all, no-one is smoking it! Plus, you can still enhale some of the fumes!
So smoking bans increase drunk driving because of the greater distances smokers drive. It causes a loss of business in pubs and restaurants.
None of the above matters when weighed against the profits of Big Pharma as they get tobacco outlawed and replaced with a daily handful of prescription drugs.Count on the law becoming stricter. These bastards can bribe anybody to go along with their tyranny.
I`m a born and bred Swansea man of 60 years..,and,,EVERY SINGLE PUB,IN SWANSEA,IS AGAINST THE SMONIG BAN,,,IN A BIG WAY!!!....the dictatorial Welsh Ass,along with the UK and European Govs..,know that ,,if you tell the people of the Country ,OFTEN ENOUGH,,,eventually they will believe it!!,,and I`m afraid ,,thats true!!!..Lets get out our INCENSE STICKS IN PROTEST,..(not against the law yet )and light them up in pubs,,together with,holding an un-lit ciggy,or ciggy holder in our mouths,when in the pub and such like.....this would at least,be a start,,Swansea-Terry..
President Ronald Reagan summed up this Smoking Ban in one of his many quotes. "Politics is the second oldest profession and is closely related to the first." Remember, the people of Wales had a referendum on whether pubs and clubs went dry on Sundays, so where has DEMOCRACY gone?
Interesting how the BBC mentioned the Scottish 17% drop in heart attacks in connection with the Welsh ban. Now, with the Scottish claim the BBC were one of the organisations showing up the fraud, in Wales they've perpetuated it.
Also, it's been such a laugh looking at the other claim of very little damage to pub revenues. I know different and I'm amazed that the Welsh Ass has decided, even more than the Scots Exec, to prostitute its integrity for junk science. However, if you have read the Ass's pre-ban report you would have tasted the fraud to come.