Smoking Ban 5 Years On

Overblood

Zayn Chubby Calendar wrote: »

also allows people sneak the odd joint in the smoking areas nowadays.

A massive +1 to that!

marcsignal

Overblood wrote: »

A massive +1 to that!

and A massive +1 to that too!

Agamemnon

Sharpshooter wrote: »

The Smirting area I believe, banquo.:D

I'm in favour of the ban because it's a godsend for this. Chatting up women is easier when you don't have to shout over music or deal with a big gang of their friends.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

jojobrad

I hated the smoking ban when it came out. I had to go outside in the freezing cold to light up :mad: But thankfully I saw sense and gave the stinking things up after a 13 year habit......and it was partly due to the smoking ban. Now I'm delighted, I'd probably still be smoking if it wasn't for the ban

BlitzKrieg

jimmycrackcorm wrote: »

If that was the case then every pub here would choose to be a smoking bar.

If it was something brought in the current economic climate, I expect some sort of extra charge would be added to allow a pub operate as a smoking establishment (in the least a much more extensive health cover for all employees)

Then we'd see how much of an influence smoking has on buisiness, I'd wouldnt expect much.

The prices of pints was always going to rise, and given how greedy most businesses are in this country, they were probably going to rise just as much.

The price of a pint was already up before the smoking ban had even been implemented. I remember because I was hoping back and forth from the UK a year before it was brought in and I could see the difference even with the exchange rate.

Not even the curbing of off licence hours is bringing the business back.

You could blame it on greed, but I cant believe they are still stupid enough to not take a hint by now.

marcsignal

Random wrote: »

I still believe people should be allowed to open a smoking bar if they wish.

What ???!!! Allow freedom of choice ??? No No No No No this is Ireland were talking about.
Besides, the ASH (Anti Smoking Hitlerites) organization simply wouldn't stand for it :pac:

The are 3 pubs in my locality, one (my local) has an excellent, huge, practically fully covered smoking area, with 12 gas heaters belting out lovely warm heat all night, and business is booming. The other 2 pubs don't, and are struggling to survive.

ADTR

Best thing ever!

Flukey

The smoking ban has been a nice scapegoat for the closing of the pubs. As many people in the thread have said, prices are a much bigger factor. There are others too. The biggest being the much tighter laws on drink driving, evidenced in particular in the rural areas. The recession is another obvious reason for the slowdown. The smoking ban may have been a contributory factor to some closures, but it is well down on the list.

As for the ban itself, well it has been great. As people have said, it is great to come home without stinking like an ashtray. As people have also pointed out, the smoking areas themselves have become a sort of social dynamic. Far from the prophets of doom talking about pariahs standing out in the cold, it went completely the other way.

Now that the smoking is gone, the worst thing in pubs is having to shout over music that nobody is listening to in order to have a conversation. When you go to the bar, the staff can't hear you over the music some of the time, and yet they still won't turn it down or off. There is nothing wrong with background music, but in most pubs it is anything but background. It can be annoying when you get in and you are with friends having a conversation and everyone can hear and join in and then for no reason whatsoever, they turn the music on. They'll often have videos showing on TV while the music being played is completely different. Stupid! Turn the music off. Nobody wants it in a pub. We go to clubs for that.

But, getting back on topic, the smoking ban was a great idea and went off a lot better than expected, with all sorts of unexpected positives, like the new social dynamic in smoking areas. With no smoking inside, smokers aren't seeing or smelling cigarettes, which once would have triggered them to have one, or being offered one when someone else lights up. Even without trying, smokers were smoking less because of the ban, and not because of having to go outside. If people are not worried about lung cancer, then a bit of pneumonia or hypothermia certainly wasn't going to bother them. Another great thing: When was the last time you got a cigarette burn, on your clothes or flesh, when inside a pub. Yet another of the unexpected but wonderful benefits. A great 5 years.:)

Terry

Heh. Flukey is getting old.

JC 2K3

I think it's caused smokers to smoke less, but more people to take up social/moderate smoking. So you have more people smoking, but less addicts, probably a good thing really.

I dunno the stats though, that's just my perception of it.

994

Roadend wrote: »

Yes peope are drinking more at home over the smoking ban, and definitely not because of 5 euro upwards pints.(which in a lot of cases are pints of toilet water)

Never mind atrocious pop music at 90 decibels - no wonder "de art of conversation" has died. It's to make people drink quicker, but it also has them leaving quicker...

Squiggle

Smoking still takes place in many rural pubs..........after hours ! Fact.

Flukey

Trinny. wrote: »

Heh. Flukey is getting old.

Well I am older now than I've ever been in my life, and I'll be even older by the time you read this!

Seriously though, I like music, but I like chatting to my friends too. It is not an age thing. You see people of all ages shouting to be heard and doing their best to hear what others are saying. You find yourself nodding or saying "Yeah" in conversations, just to keep it going, although you can't always hear everything being said. For all you know, you may have just agreed to give your friend a million euro and sleep with Margaret Thatcher.

Then as people have to shout, that increases the noise even further, meaning people have to shout even more. When even the staff can barely hear you, when you are almost beside them and they are still straining to hear you, you wonder why they don't turn the music down a bit. Pubs are full of music lovers, but they all like to be able to talk to their friends.

Terry

Flukey wrote: »

Well I am older now than I've ever been in my life, and I'll be even older by the time you read this!

Seriously though, I like music, but I like chatting to my friends too. It is not an age thing. You see people of all ages shouting to be heard and doing their best to hear what others are saying. You find yourself nodding or saying "Yeah" in conversations, just to keep it going, although you can't always hear everything being said. For all you know, you may have just agreed to give your friend a million euro and sleep with Margaret Thatcher.

Then as people have to shout, that increases the noise even further, meaning people have to shout even more. When even the staff can barely hear you, when you are almost beside them and they are still straining to hear you, you wonder why they don't turn the music down a bit. Pubs are full of music lovers, but they all like to be able to talk to their friends.

Dude, I was joking.

I'm 33. I'm well past nightclubs and pubs with loud music and I too like to hold a conversation without shouting.
I'd do Maggie Thatcher though.

BeerWolf

Whosbetter? wrote: »

I look at old programmes on TV that feature smoking inside with nostalgia now.

We didn't know how lucky we were to live in a free world....

Before all the hysterical nonsense about safety & litigation took over.

What hysterical nonsence? Aside from health issues the fecking smell was repulsive in itself that clings to your clothing...

javaboy

Trinny. wrote: »

I'd do Maggie Thatcher though.

She ****ed us for long enough. :pac:

Terry

javaboy wrote: »

She ****ed us for long enough. :pac:

That's the whole idea.

I said what what...

big b

I fecking hated the ban when it first came in.

Gradually hated it less when the weather was ok, still hate it when the weather's ****, cos none of my locals have spent any money on a decent smoking area.

Result- I spend less time & money in the pub when the weather's ****. I drink more at home & smoke as normal.

Loser - local pubs.