How the UK compares with Europe

The decision by the new government in Holland to amend the smoking ban introduced two years ago is very welcome, not least because it highlights the intransigence of politicians in the UK. It also gives us somewhere to go for long weekends, but that's another matter.

Just as important, how does the UK compare with countries other than Holland? Let's not beat about the bush. Smoking in public is restricted throughout Europe, but to a greater or lesser extent most countries provide exemptions to the ban in bars and, sometimes, restaurants, cafes and casinos.

Here are some examples:

Austria
* In venues greater than 80m² separate smoking rooms covering maximum 50% of surface area are permitted
* Venues between 50m² and 80m² may permit smoking provided the owner can prove that partitioning or separation of the premises is not possible
* Venues less than 50m² may decide to become either fully smoking or non-smoking

Belgium
* In restaurants smoking is allowed in a separate smoking room in which only drinking is allowed
* In bars that do not serve food (only pre-packaged foods that keep at least three months are allowed) a smokers zone is permitted; it cannot take up more than 50% of the total surface of the establishment and needs to be equipped with a ventilation system
* Casino playing rooms are exempt from the smoking ban

Denmark
* Smoking rooms with adequate ventilation (where food and drinks are not served) are permitted in venues larger than 40m²
* Small bars (less than 40m²) may permit smoking

Germany
* Smoking regulations at regional level usually allow for separate smoking rooms
* Some special restaurants and bars are exempt from the ban altogether
* In some states there are exemptions for small pubs or beer halls (Festzelte) or even for specially designated 'smoking restaurants'

Italy
* Segregated smoking rooms allowed as long as they cover less than half the space of the venue, with strict ventilation requirements

Portugal
* In venues with an area less than 100m² the owner may permit smoking, as long as: (i) the smoking area is clearly designated; (ii) it is physically detached from the remaining facilities or has an autonomous ventilation mechanism; (iii) the direct ventilation to the exterior is assured by an air extraction system
* In venues with a total area of 100m² or more, owners may designate up to 30% of their total area as a smoking area or up to 40% in the case of a physically separated area, as long as the conditions (i), (ii) and (iii) are fulfilled and the area does not include spaces used exclusively for workers or areas where workers have to be permanently

Sweden
* Smoking permitted in separate smoking rooms in restaurants and other places where food and drink are served; smoking room must occupy less than 50% of the total area and no serving or consumption of food and drinks will be permitted inside the smoking room

You get the picture - and I haven't even mentioned Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic or Latvia where exemptions remain reasonably generous. (The Czech Republic for example allows proprietors to decide whether to designate their premises as smoking or non-smoking, or provide structurally separated areas for smokers and non-smokers, and then visibly label their premises in accordance with specific signs.)

The point, rarely acknowledged by politicians in the UK, is that our smoking bans are more draconian than anywhere else in Europe with the exception of Ireland. Funny, that.

Dutch amend smoking ban

Confirmation today of the news reported here a few weeks ago ...
Dutch smoking ban reversed for small pubs (Daily Telegraph)

See also: Smoking ban stubbed out (Sun)

Forest goes global

Above: how the smoking breaks story was reported today in Brazil's largest circulation newspaper Folha de S. Paulo. The Portuguese-language daily describes me as "diretor da Forest, grupo cujo nome significa Organização Libertária pelo Direito de Divertir-se Fumando". I like it.

The story, with quotes from Forest, has also been reported in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Holland, China and the United Arab Emirates (to name a few).

Update: In Romania I am "directorul Forest, grup de lobby pentru drepturile fumatorilor". I realise this is of no interest to anyone (not even members of my family) but it amuses me.

Smoking breaks: add a comment

More on smoking breaks, the story that keeps on giving ... Should workers be forced to clock out to smoke? (BBC News Magazine).

Note: this is currently one of the most read stories on the BBC website so it's worth adding a comment.

Update on Tuesday, November 2, 2010 by Simon Clark

Fair play to the BBC website for seeking out and quoting time management expert Clare Evans who pointed out that:

• Smokers are doing the right thing by taking breaks
• People should take breaks every 15-20 minutes while doing intense screen work, because concentration flags
• But some individuals may take advantage and slack off
• It can be distracting if a colleague is disappearing every so often, so it's important non-smokers get up and stretch too
• As long as people maintain a good attitude to work and get the job done, employers shouldn't worry about smoking breaks

Update on Wednesday, November 3, 2010 by Simon Clark

Forest Eireann's John Mallon discussed the issue on The Inbox on 98FM (Dublin) last night and writes about it HERE. The station's website currently has a poll on the subject should you wish to make your views known. Click HERE.

Firefighting is not a full-time occupation

It's normal, when writing about firemen, to pay tribute to the bravery of those who do such a potentially dangerous job for a living. I don't dispute that.

Why, then, do I have so little sympathy for the London firefighters who are on strike today and again on Bonfire Night and why - in my mind, at least - do they compare so unfavourably with the people who are my real heroes, the men of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution?

Personal experience has something to do with it. As a boy I enjoyed holidays in Cornwall and St David's in Pembrokeshire. I was fascinated by the lifeboat stations and the remarkable pictures and stories of volunteers leaving their day jobs at a moment's notice to risk and sometimes lose their lives in the most horrific storms. (We have all heard stories whereby several generations are lost and a whole community is devastated by a single tragic incident.)

Firefighters have a similar challenging job and I take my hat off to them but in comparison to lifeboatmen they are well paid and my attitude towards them changed, many years ago, when I published a 'behind the scenes' style feature in a student newspaper I was editing.

I was already aware that many firemen have second jobs. What I did not expect was to find a group of men so bored, sitting around all day, that they occasionally amused themselves by making hoax calls to other fire stations.

I don't want to sound too po-faced about this but it did make me think: do we really need full-time firefighters? To put it crudely, firemen are part-time workers, on stand-by but infrequently called into action.

Let them have their second jobs but let their second jobs be their main occupation with firefighting something they do as a sideline, rather like our lifeboatmen. Just a thought.

PS. If I can find the original article I'll post it here. I think it's in a box in my garage at home.

The heroin addict

Alcohol 'more harmful than heroin' says Professor David Nutt, the former UK chief drugs adviser who was sacked by the government in October 2009. Try telling that to a former colleague of mine whose son was addicted to heroin.

Some years ago, when I was editor of Freedom Today, the Freedom Association magazine, I interviewed him (the ex-colleague) about his son's addiction. This is what he told me:

We knew my son was taking heroin. We didn't have proof but we'd speak to him on the phone and you could tell that he was high on something. I can't describe what's like when you discover that your child is injecting drugs. It's horrific, unbelievable. The worst part is the feeling of impotence. I've taken him into rehab twice. The first time he walked out within two hours and the second time he walked out the next morning.

Three hits a day [in 2001] costs £210 a week. To fund that sort of habit a heroin addict needs to steal and to my knowledge Stephen has been shoplifting for at least three years. As a result he's been in jail four or five times now and the consensus of opinion is that if he spent a prolonged period in prison - two or three years - that would have a material affect on his addiction. Instead shoplifting is classified as a 'misdemeanor' so he only gets four or five months and it's just a vicious spiral of drug taking, offending, imprisonment, re-offending and so on.

Visiting my son in prison was one of the worst things I've had to do as a father. But it seems to be worse for the mothers. They've nurtured them; they've done everything in their power to look after them until they become adults. Even now, when he comes to us for help, the first thing my wife does is cook him a meal because if he's got some food inside him at least he's going to be OK for a day or two.

Basically he's a good lad. In a normal frame of mind he wouldn't steal. It's against his nature to do it. He knows it hurts us and normally he wouldn't want to do that. We've pleased with him to do something about it but none of it works. The drug is more powerful than any other emotion he may have.

Although drugs are easily available in prison my son chooses not to take drugs when he is inside because he wants to get off them and he feels this is one way he can get clean. But as soon as he comes out he starts again. He's tried several times to do cold turkey but it never lasts more than three days. On the third day the craving for the drug is so strong that he just has to go out and get it.

A fortnight ago we told him he could no longer live at home and he has now left. That's the second time we've thrown him out of the house and we've done it because everyone says the only thing you can do with an addict is to leave them to get as low as possible and only when they get to their lowest ebb will they consider doing something about their habit.

My son has brought shame and humiliation on the family. We've got a rather unusual surname so when he gets caught for shoplifting dozens of people who know us see it in the paper. We've been tempted to move house but we've lived in the same town all our lives and we like it here.

Since this began my wife has suffered physically and I fight depression constantly. It's a living nightmare. His brother despises him. His sister feels very much like we do, very sad. You wake up every day and can't forget about it.

A lot of parents in our situation might disown their child but we don't think that's right. You're a parent for life and you want to protect them. We love our children and we love our son and we want to do the best for him.

There will be an end to it, I'm sure, but we're not there yet. The way I look at it, and the way everyone has told me to look at it, is that every time he reoffends we're a step nearer him coming off the drug because they all go through this spiral of re-offending until ultimately they do come off it.

Taking soft drugs is the start of a road to nowhere. You just take stronger and harder drugs. You may think you can handle it but I think there is a certain percentage of people who take drugs who can't cope and if you're one of those people you just go down and down and down.

My son is injecting heroin and that's as bad as it gets. We tell him about Aids, we try and frighten him out of it, but it doesn't do any good. He still carries on. If I could do something to get him off heroin I would do it today. But there's nothing I can do. It's down to him. That is the tragic thing about it.

If we had a choice, though, we would rather live with this than have him die. That would be terrible. That would too much to bear.

Alcoholism, I accept, is no laughing matter but alcohol 'more harmful than heroin'? Not in general, it ain't, especially when consumed in moderation. (Can you consume heroin in moderation? My understanding is that you can't because it is so addictive.)

Of course there have long been claims that nicotine is as addictive as heroin (Independent, 1998) but when was the last time you heard of a nicotine addict stealing to get the money to feed his next 'fix' and ending up in jail or putting his family through the experiences described above?

I rest my case.

Clock off if you want to smoke

Remember Breckland Council in Norfolk? They want to make employees clock off for smoking breaks. Well, today is the day the new policy is implemented and I've been asked by a number of BBC radio stations to give Forest's response.

I've done so many interviews on this subject that I've started to bore myself but this is the quote I gave the Press Association:

"Forcing people to clock off to take a smoking break seems very heavy-handed.

"It's based on the fallacy that smokers work fewer hours than non-smokers. There is no evidence for this but if people are encouraged to believe it employers may decide to employ non-smokers only, and that's a real concern.

"Everyone is entitled to a break at work. Some people have a cup of coffee, others gossip around the water cooler, make personal phone calls or surf the internet. Some choose to smoke a cigarette. Unfortunately, since the smoking ban was introduced in all workplaces smokers are more visible when they are taking a break because they are forced to stand outside.

"People aren't robots. We all work at a different pace and get through the working day in our own way, but if staff abuse their employer's trust by taking too many breaks that's a sign of weak management and employers should look at themselves before imposing more rules and regulations on their employees."

I will be on Radio Cumbria (7:20), Radio Shropshire (8:40), Radio Coventry (9:05), Radio Leeds (10:05), Radio Scotland (13:05), Radio WM (14:15) and various news bulletins throughout the day.

See: Norfolk council workers lose pay to smoke (BBC) and Going for a smoke? Don't forget to clock out (Reuters)
Workers are told to 'clock out' when nicotine calls (Independent)

Update on Monday, November 1, 2010 by Simon Clark

It must be something in the Norfolk air. A few weeks ago I did an interview for Look East (BBC1) in response to a story that "the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital is launching a 'smoke patrol' to remind people that the habit is banned on its grounds".

As it happens, I was in Norfolk at the weekend. We had a late lunch at the The White Horse, the award-winning pub that overlooks the North Norfolk coast at Brancaster Staithe.

Brancaster Staithe is a few miles from Burnham Market (below) which is one of the most stunning villages I have ever seen. (The photo below doesn't really do it justice.) Unfortunately lots of other people share my view because it was heaving with people and cars. Apparently there are a huge number of second home owners attracted to Burnham Market, hence the nickname Chelsea-on-Sea. I recommend a visit, but not at half-term!

PS. This has nothing to do with the original post but it was on my mind so I thought I would mention it!

Halloween: a health warning

From the United States comes a timely warning courtesy of our old friend Professor John Banzhaf of Action on Smoking and Health. Adults should warn their children against visiting, going to parties, or playing in homes where adults smoke, especially in their presence. Full Halloween health warning HERE.

Kind word for Micheál Martin

Forest Eireann's John Mallon (left) has a kind word for Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin following some very sad news. Click HERE.

Thrombosis? Quite possibly, prime minister

It was my son's sixteenth birthday yesterday so, at his request, we went to see the new production of Yes, Prime Minister at the Guielgud Theatre in London. I didn't think it was as sharp as the TV series (it relied too much on farce) but I am in broad agreement with the Telegraph's review HERE. Everyone - including the Russian couple behind us - seemed to enjoy it.

My only complaint was the seating. The Gielgud is a lovely theatre but like most of London's Victorian/Edwardian theatres it was clearly built for people with very short legs. I'm average height (5' 10" on a good day) yet I was very uncomfortable. Goodness know how taller people manage. At the interval I had to move to a seat at the end of the row so I could stretch my legs.

Our tickets in the front row of the dress circle cost £52 each so it's not cheap when you take a family of four. Even "restricted view" tickets are in the region of £30 or so and who wants to be stuck behind a pillar?

Comfortable seats, underground parking facilities and a huge bar for those essential interval drinks are just three reasons why you can't beat the much maligned Barbican.

Update on Sunday, October 31, 2010 by Simon Clark

Oh, and I have just spent the evening watching The Godfather (Part I) because one of my son's other birthday requests was the complete box set. I hope it doesn't give him any ideas.

Now IEA calls for end to state aid for anti-tobacco groups

Following the publication of THIS Forest report on Wednesday, the director of the Institute of Economic Affairs Mark Littlewood has joined the clamour of voices calling for the Government to stop funding anti-smoking campaign groups.

Writing on the IEA blog, Littlewood comments:

No one can object to citizens establishing campaigning groups to draw attention to the potential health risks of tobacco consumption or to pharmaceutical companies aggressively lobbying to promote their alternative nicotine products, such as chewing gum and patches. But for taxpayers’ money to be given over to such causes is wholly unacceptable ...

The problem with taxpayer support of groups such as ASH is not just that it forces people to fund campaign groups they may disagree with, but that there is a danger that the public believe that such groups really are private and completely independent. There may be a debate to be had about what sort of role the Department of Health should play in encouraging or facilitating smoking cessation, but at least when you hear from a health minister you can be reasonably clear where they are coming from.

The government needs to be clear about limiting the scope of the public sector, not merely its size. Removing taxpayer-funded grants to groups such as ASH will not make a substantial impact on the deficit, but it would indicate that the government is opposed to using public funds to “load the dice” in areas of campaigning. The coalition should ensure that anti-tobacco groups are obliged to stand on their own two feet.

Full post HERE.

Update on Friday, October 29, 2010 by Simon Clark

The Forest report - and Mark's comments - have also been noted by a blogger in New Zealand. See Government lobby thyself (Offsetting Behaviour).

Thanks to Dick Puddlecote for the link. DP notes that our call for an end to state aid for anti-tobacco groups has been joined not only by the Institute for Economic Affairs but also the Adam Smith Institute and the TaxPayers Alliance - not a bad little coalition! See:

The anti-smoking boondoggle (ASI)
Lots more taxpayer funded politics (TPA)

See also my previous post for links to other (third party) posts on the subject of our report.

Forest: cut public spending on tobacco control groups

Forest today publishes a new report, Government lobbying government: the case of the UK tobacco control industry. I have written about it on Conservative Home: The state should stop giving anti-smoking groups public money to lobby the Government.

Click HERE to comment.

You can download the 18-page report HERE. I'm not expecting any coverage in the mainstream media (although a press release has been sent to every daily newspaper in England, Scotland and Wales) so I hope the blogosphere can make up for it. Over to you.

Update on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Simon Clark

Related blog posts - please comment:

Let's ban 'lobbying' money to pressure groups (Iain Dale)
Smoking: government lobbying government (Dizzy Thinks)
Cut funding to tobacco control industry (Tea and Cigarettes)
Someone turn that tap off! (Dick Puddlecote)
Oink (Velvet Glove, Iron Fist)
About government lobbying government (Freedom2Choose Scotland)

Update on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 by Simon Clark

From the Adam Smith Institute blog:

Apart from the obvious waste of money involved here – does anybody know what ‘tobacco control studies’ actually is? – today’s report shows the alarming habit the government has of pushing people around to fit its own vision of what ‘good’ habits are ...

If the government is serious about restoring some of the freedoms lost during the Labour years and scaling back the state's presence in our lives, the anti-smoking quangos would be a nice place to start.

Update on Thursday, October 28, 2010 by Simon Clark

Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers Alliance, has this to say:

Simon Clark, from the smokers' lobby group Forest, wrote on ConservativeHome about the amount of money going to anti-smoking campaigns who lobby the Government.

I don't know about some of the groups his research looks at, like No Smoking Day, but ASH are an outright political campaign. They lobby for changes in the law and it is outrageous that taxpayers' money is being spent supporting private political agendas.

Proposals like a ban on displaying cigarettes in shops will create significant costs for small businesses and there should be a fair debate over them, one side can't enjoy a massive advantage funded by taxpayers who may not agree with them.

Link HERE.

Exclusive to Velvet Glove, Iron Fist

... ASH launch new campaign

PS. Good to see Chris Snowdon back from holiday. About time too!!

Cigarette and whisky

Great interview with Forest supporter Jenty Burrill on BBC Radio Kent this morning.

We were asked to provide a smoker who enjoys smoking and has no intention of giving up. Endearingly honest about her health, Jenty, 71, fitted the bill perfectly. Sample quote:

"I hope to die with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of whisky in the other."

Cue laughter from presenter Julia George (an ex-smoker), who added, "Jenty, you're fabulous!".

Click HERE to listen to the four-minute interview. It begins around 1:05:00 minutes in. If I had time to transcribe the whole thing I would.

Update on Monday, October 25, 2010 by Simon Clark

Click HERE to read a transcript of Jenty on Breakfast With Frost, April 4, 2004. Note the contribution by the then Health Secretary John Reid towards the end.

On Newsnight tonight ...

Look out for an item on Newsnight tonight inspired by Nick Clegg's fondness for the occasional cigarette. The programme hopes to feature a high profile yet unrepentant smoker who is not embarrassed to talk about his (or her) habit. I was happy to suggest a few names ...

Update on Monday, October 25, 2010 by Simon Clark

The unrepentant smoker will be Nigel Farage. Sadly they have dropped the proposed studio discussion in favour of a (very) short report. Blink and you might miss it ...

Update on Monday, October 25, 2010 by Simon Clark

I've probably moaned about this before but Newsnight is the one news and current affairs programme that I have never appeared on.

I've been on Newsnight Scotland a couple of times but never the UK version. The closest I came was in June 2004 when I was invited to take part in a studio discussion that was to follow a filmed interview with David Hockney.

The producer asked me to appear opposite Sam Etherington of the British Medical Association and the opportunity was so good that I cancelled plans to catch a train to Liverpool for an early morning interview on BBC Radio Merseyside.

Around 8.00pm the producer rang to say that the studio discussion was off. He didn't give a reason so when I watched the programme and saw Etherington being interviewed on his own by an unusually tame Kirsty Wark I almost hit the roof.

In fact I was so annoyed that I rang Newsnight immediately after the programme and complained bitterly that a whimsical interview with a national treasure followed by an unchallenging interview with a senior member of the BMA did not constitute a balanced report.

My heated protests fell on deaf ears and I have never again been invited to appear on the BBC's flagship news programme.

Update on Monday, October 25, 2010 by Simon Clark

Former landlord Nick Hogan tells me that he is on Five Live (Tony Livesey) from midnight tonight.

Meanwhile Forest supporter Jenty Burrill was featured on BBC Radio Kent this morning (around 1:05:00 minutes in) ... Oh, and I shall be on BBC Radio Jersey at 08:05 tomorrow.