The hypocrisy of politicians always finds new ways to amaze me.

Although I don't drink or smoke (but once did and remain very social), I generally dislike 'PC/nanny state' government policies and thus I generally oppose total smoking bans--especially for things like pubs--for various reasons. But, if the politicians insist on telling people what to do in that regard then they should at least put out their own cigarettes. It seems after all their big 'dog and pony' show for banning it at the Parliament, they repealed it after only 43 days because they didn't like it and wanted to go back to lighting up with smoking and non-smoking areas, so they decided to just exempt themselves.

MEPs’ cigarette ban goes up in smoke-News-Politics-TimesOnline

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Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

Wow.
Disgraceful comes to mind.

You bet. And the disgraceful attitude goes across the water too I might add. Living in Pennsylvania, my first time in Philadephia's City Hall and the state's House of Representatives was all the smoking going on. When I inquired, the workers laughed that it was cool to smoke because it was allowed in offices and nobody would complain too much where you lit up anyway. I didn't find the bold hypocrisy amusing, though. Recently, and you probably noticed too, I saw Nancy Pelosi calling a press conference to announce that she banned smoking from a break room lounge at Congress so she could score points with anti-smoking groups/lobbyists. But noticeably, she forget to mention to the cameras that she has no intention of banning it in the offices. Yet, her district San Francisco is where the whole trend of total smoking bans including pubs got started 10 years ago that quickly caught fire with revved-up anti-smoke lobbyists/activists and nanny staters everywhere. It really is disgraceful to impose laws on others with lectures whilst exempting and indulging themselves.

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Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

Thankyou for posting this, I missed this piece of news !!

It just shows how hypocrital and self serving these people are.

You're welcome, and quite appropriate to point out considering the prohibitions are about to start in Wales, England and NI, and with 'antis' in Ireland and Scotland already now calling for bans in cars and homes, this is what they do for themselves.

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Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

Yes, I had seen that there are those who want to ban it, basically, everywhere.

Personally, a no smoking ban in public doesnt affect me anymore, but when I did smoke in public I was always respectful of those around me.

Now, they want to stop me at home!! Heavens. When will the officious meddling stop?

They won't because it is nice for some to have a scapegoat and bogeyman for posing to be health gurus whilst serving and/or scoffing down pints and bags of chips. I do notice that whilst they whip on the smokers that nobody seems to want to ban the product itself, though, to solve the problem at it source, so to speak. Smelling billions in ever-increasing tax revenue of tobacco seems to override the smell (and health concerns) about smoke. They don't seem to care about the side-effects either, like country pubs slowing down or folding, late night loitering and noise and misconduct outside establishments, butts tossed and piling up, increasing the number of smokers overall with new socialising habits, and other side effects as it has in Ireland and Scotland , etc. It's a troublesome side of human nature that some just love to tell others what to do and/or nanny them.

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Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

I agree with you totally. And not wanting to sway the thread toward alcohol, I will merely say that there was only a very small increase on Beer in the last Budget, and one can not deny the amount of damage excessive drinking can do to the community.

We are being inundated with anti-smoking adverts on the TV and one wonders how much they cost. Not unless theyre utilising the tax from cigarettes.

Somehow I dont think so.

This is so misguided, IMHO, that is is almost tragic. These fad bans have taken off so quickly that nobody has properly studied them. The 'antis' say the businesses are not damaged and health is better, but the evidence is clearly showing otherwise. Country pubs have been damaged and closed; it's just that the drinking and pub industry got more consolidated. Smoking rates have gone up because the fun is now the socialising and the flirtation opportunities to be found outside the fronts of the pub and at house parties over a few smokes. People are also partying at home in the afterhours where they can drink and smoke more rapidly. Whilst second hand smoke once turned many off, it is now the unannoying and appealing conversation piece again outside in the open air and at parties and homes. A few who did not like the smoke before have taken seats at the pub to drink as a semi-offset to those smoking outside or elsewhere. Some have even picked up the smoking with the drinking. So, what I am already seeing cumulatively speaking is more smoking, more drinking, more late night noise and loitering, closed small businesses but more tax revenue, more litter, etc. I'd even point out that drug pushers like the new law because it is easier to sell and do drugs outside the pubs than in them. Looking at new proposals, it will get worse. Let's look at pack of 10s for example. They are looking to ban them in Ireland. So what will people do? Quit? No. Buy 20s instead.

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Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

Fad, I believe is the operative word here. The Government here seem to exist purely on fads and kneejerk reactions. Whether it is always media driven I dont know, but they certainly seem to like following the lead of a certain "Nannying" newspaper that we have here.

Banning packs of 10's is totally ridiculous as I know people who use that pack size in order to reduce the amount they smoke.

So what is it that they want people to do, fill the coffers of the Nicotine patch manufactures perhaps ?

I don't know exactly but I have some suspicions why. First, these fads are great because it makes politicians look like they are doing a wonderful job for society when often they are not and it distracts the people's attention from other issues where they ought to be looking. Smokers make easy targets for that purpose. Second, 'anti's/nanny staters tend to be vocal minorities who vote and scream loudly, so politicians cater to them because they are panderers and spineless. Third, business lobbies indeed lurk behind these moves, such as new trendy and powerful restaurants and pubs--especially chains--looking to rid themselves of competition from small operations like country pubs. For example, a trendy bar in Swansea would be more likely to keep his business given the local population than a country pub would and likely also get people into them from closed pubs in the country that became boring and dingy due to losing their social 'pint and fag' character due to the ban. Fourth--taxes. By whipping on smokers, they can keep raising taxes on cigarettes under the guise of the overall 'health measures.' More smoking, as seen with these bans, also means more taxes. Yet, they can look like they are doing the right thing by health as a cover. The Big Lie is that if health were the issue, they would outlaw tobacco, let smokers withdraw over a few days or so, and it would die much quicker as a habit considering that tobacco is not an intoxicant like alcohol and most drugs. I've never seen a crazed smoker rob anyone to get their B&Hs for example.

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Around 200,000 Irish immigrants served in the Union and Confederate armies in the American Civil War, often forming their own regiments and, at times, fought each other. At Fredericksburg, the Union’s Irish Brigade faced the Irish McMillan's Guards of Cobb's 24th Georgia entrenched in a sunken road behind a stone wall. Ordered to make a suicidal charge, it became one of the most famous events of the Civil War. The re-enactment portrayed in the movie Gods and Generals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qVCxEupPag

It's pretty much the same situation down here in Belgium. As of Jan, 1st 2007, a smoking prohibition is in order in restaurants and pubs (although there are exceptions for these according to criteria such as square metres and whether certain foods are on the menu).
The same hypocrisy exists regarding members of the numerous parliaments, and other VIP's. For instance, soccer fans cannot smoke in the open air seats but the affluent in the business lodges can.

Much like Ireland, Belgium has an acclaimed pub and restaurant culture which is now rapidly dwindling. The number of pubs closing down is in free fall. It's quite ridiculous. While it's true that 70% of the population doesn't smoke -at least if you include babies and pre-teens- at least 70% of those that frequent pubs are smokers. There's no way these people will visit non-smoking pubs. Instead, there is already a strong tendency to have alternating 'pubs' in private homes where a quantity of drinks is provided through a common fund.
The end result will be a zero decrease in smoking and thousands of pubs put out of business. But at least the non-smoking, non-pub-frequenting 'vinegar pissers' as they are called here, will be comfortable that no one else enjoys the social life they're alien to.

I don't think that banning tobacco altogether would decrease smoking though. It would simply become an item such as heroin or cocaine. Nicotine is in fact more addictive than alcohol. I know.

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"Say not, 'When I have free time I shall study'; for you may perhaps never have any free time"
Hillel the Elder

Ohio recently passed a statewide ban on smoking in all public indoor places. I believe it also applies to open-air stadiums and similar venues. The ban went into effect in January. In the Cincinnati area, it's the best thing that could have happened...for the restuarants, bars, and bowling alleys across the river in Kentucky.

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There you are!

I agree completely, and no, Ive never seen a crazed smoker. Although they might get a tad grumpy.