Smoking rates up in Ireland
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 I have just done an interview for a Dublin radio station. According to a survey published yesterday by the Department of Health in Ireland, smoking rates have gone up since 2002, despite the introduction of the public smoking ban in 2004.
The number of people in Ireland who say they are smokers is currently 29%, up from 27% in 2002. One theory is that the ban has made smoking cool again. Another is that as more and more people (including non-smokers) migrate outside, smoking is perceived as a rather sociable activity. You couldn't make it up.
Full story HERE.
Simon Clark
I'm doing another interview for another Irish radio station later this afternoon. Apparently, some anti-smoking campaigners have suggested that the way to reduce the number of people smoking is to remove all outdoor tables and heaters. I'm sure some of these people mean well, but ... words fail me.
Reader Comments (18)
I've started smoking at 45! It's a two-fingered sideways salute to NuLab, and as Jonathan Ross said (and it's not often that one quotes him), old age will get me before the tar...
Only 5 years, and then I can be a Saga lout too.
This could spell yet more trouble. Once the likes of smASH get hold of this story, they will undoubtedly say that more has to be done to stop people smoking, as the ban, as it stands is clearly not working.
I hope I am wrong, but I wouldn't hold your breath on it.
Are ASH really that stupid to think that removing tables and heaters will reduce the number of smokers? Do they not realise that Britain is a nation of inventors and will come up with their own solutions? For example, golfers carry handwarmers in their pockets during the winter.
CHAS: How about cheap lightweight camping stools, umbrellas & perhaps a dustbin bag across the knees. Just imagine the sight of a neat row of seated happy chatting smokers lining the street outside every pub. I do hope that smokers who have to gather in the streets and put up with comments from priggish women passing by, shout loudly, "Blame yer own government, darlin!"
PETER: ASH et all would NEVER admit that!
This smoking ban was never designed to stop people smoking. They'd all be out of a job if it succeeded. It was designed to further demoralise the population, close down places where they can have freedom of speech, create even more unemployment, increase taxation and reasons to fine people, and generally reduce us all to Orwellian misery - and sell more pharmaceutical products.
Puleeease - don't look for humanitarian reasons!
I'm so pleased to hear that you are speaking on Irish radio, Simon. Stopping the Lisbon Treaty being signed in Ireland is the single most important thing around at the moment. [Apart from the Lisbon Treaty being slowly and painfully debated in our "reformed" House of Lords.]
Having read of all the EU dirty-tricks brigade's concerted activities to stop the voice of the Irish people being heard, it has about as much chance of not being signed as of Ken Livingstone not being re-elected as London's Mayor.
Onwards & upwards!
I wonder when Gordon Brown's smiling face will introduce his gently promised electoral "reform". I wonder when the next general election will be. I wonder whether there will be one.
Well, while the smoking rate has gone up in Ireland since 2002, apparently heart attacks went down after the ban was introduced in 2004, therefore the only conclusion that can be drawn is that smoking doesn't affect heart disease.
www.freedom2choose.info
Simon, do you really continue to have such a benevolent view of Antis as your remark in your update suggests?
These people make Machiavelli look like Dopey of the seven dwarves.
I am looking forward to the day ASH becomes defunct, and defunct it will indeed become, mark my words and no, I am not a cock-eyed optimist either.
Soo, when ASH becomes defunct, Simon needs to persuade his friends at Boisdale's to buy their premises and turn them into a night club. Smoking will be permitted, of course, and Debbie Arnott and Amanda Sandford's old offices will be turned into toss your ash on the floor rooms.
Incidentally, I am just about to participate in the first International Summit for the Coalition Against Prohibition in Amsterdam. This will precede a coming international conference. We have participation now from a number of countries including Hungary and yet another new to our ranks country wants to come on board: Belgium.
Yes, we are certainly starting to attract some interest and be of good cheer my friends for armies will march against the iniquities of public health!
BLAD TOLSTOY:
Many congratulations on the months of hard work you have put into achieving this first "International Summit for the Coalition Against Prohibition" in Amsterdam.
At last - some real action to replace the millions of words written. My thoughts are with all of you.
Behind you lies the commonsense of our greatest philosophers and scientists. You have no doubt read the link below, but I will give it as a reminder.
http://www.sirc.org/publik/bad_habits.shtml
Good luck to you all. We await your report with keen interest.
I'm glad Forrest is taking a proactive step in fightning the draconian nature of the smoking ban, Im sorry to say being irish myself that we led the way in this smoking ban but after all we are used to being dominaited by church and foreign powers that we are not really to blame. Yes we now call ourselves a confident nation but only when propped up by the eu and the us multinationals. Since our fall out with the church we were easy targets for the health fanatics and our eu paymasters, nevertheless I would like to congratulate the english on their fighting spirit. Our govt is just a pawn for powerful lobby groups and eu diktat. Watch this space for there is a load of proposed legislation on the way regarding global warming, light bulbs, outside gas heater and other hairbrained nasty little rules like dispensing with chairs and tables for smokers, so beware, for when it happens in ireland you will probably be coerced into following suit.
I look forward to the day that these health fanatics will weave a rope long enough to hang themselves, it is one public event I would gladly witness. One positive note, our toothless tiger leader has been forced out of power under suspicion of corruption. Unfortunatley for other countrys the fate of the lisbon treaty rests in our hands, and we've been told by every politition to vote yes while at the same time two thirds of the population dont even understand it.
I hope Boris ousts red ken today.
p.s. I have written to a newspaper journalist about the regionalising of the british isles by the eu and he has promised to write an artice on it before the treaty vote, I too hope Margot that he will be allowed to publish it.
Thanks, Margot, for providing the link to that excellent article by Peter Marsh. I hadn't come across it before
>nasty little rules like dispensing with chairs and tables for smokers
Seriously? Has this been proposed by Irish politicians? I can't find any info on this.
As regards the dispensing with chairs and tables for smokers I just picked that up from what someone told Simon on his irish radio interview but nothing would surprise me, Ireland is inundated with wankers like that with a never ending supply of stupid suggestions playing into the hands of the likes of ASH - talk about the brain washed brainwashing the brainwashers. However on a poll about the latest proposed ban on lowering the drink driving limit to 50, 80% are against it!! Which gives one hope that ireland's habit of fixing it before its broken might be on the wane.
There was a woman from ASH on the news recently. The usual humourless killjoy. Her complaint was about groups of smokers puffing away out most large building these days. She thought it was "a bit untidy". (Presumably she doesn't think that homeless people make London look untidy too.) Previously buildings had smoking rooms. Nobody went in these but smokers so there was no issue with passive smoking. There was no problem at all. But of course that wasn't good enough for ASH who had to stick their nose in where it wasn't wanted.
So now of course all us poor smokers are outside in the cold. So ASH have created an entirely unnecessary problem and now they complain about it!
The Nazis banned smoking too. Nothing changes.
See :-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-tobacco_movement_in_Nazi_Germany
It didn't work for Hitler and it won't work now.