No smoking? What does that mean?

The smoking ban has again ended up causing stupid things to happen. There are several hundred used London Underground “No Smoking” signs for sale in an Islington antiques shop. A notice next to them explained that every sign on the Tube has had to be changed as the old ones no longer comply with the new law.

Transport for London confirms that the old signs had to be taken down. They now have to say: “It Is Against The Law To Smoke In This Station.” Apparently “No Smoking” just doesn’t do the job anymore.

Doctors: Stop smoking or we will leave you in agony

A builder who broke his ankle in three places has been refused an operation by doctors - because he smokes.

Gutted John Nuttall, 57, fractured his joint while at work but medics have told him he cannot undergo surgery.

They say unless he gives up his 20-a-day habit he will not be eligible for an operation

Why should he have to stop smoking when smoking isn’t the problem? If smoking was the problem I would support it but it isn’t. He should sue the health service for persecuting him.

Smoking is not illegal and as long as it isn’t he should be given the same treatment as anyone else. Smoking never caused his broken ankle so why should he be punished for smoking?

No smoking signs for under cover police

You might think that the smoking ban is barmy and if you do it’s about to go into a whole new level of barmyness. Police will now have to put up no smoking signs in their vehicles. The rule also includes police cars with undercover police inside.

This will of course compromise undercover police work Labour isn’t going to let a little thing like crime fighting get in the way of the nanny state. They would rather let thousands of criminals escape than allow the police to light up a cigarette.

I wonder if organisations like MI5 have to do the same thing. Wouldn’t it be strange if they had to do it while following Islamic fundos that wanted to blow up a few things?

Immigrants could swamp NHS

The Health Service could be "overwhelmed" by cancer sufferers from Eastern Europe, a leading doctor has warned.

There are almost twice as many smokers in Poland and neighbouring countries than the UK, which means they have far higher rates of lung and other cancers.

It comes as a new documents showed the bill for treating health 'tourists' amounts to at least £62 million a year.

This is totally unfair. When Brits are taken ill in Polandthey are deported because the Polish government refuses to take care of them.

While we are spending millions of pounds on making their citizens better they are only willing to pay for a one way ticket to this country. We are getting a bad deal being in the EU.

Scottish smoking ban causes side effects

The smoking ban which is a year old in Scotland is causing some unexpected side effects in Scotland. The smoking ban has caused drinkers to drink outside which has resulted in a sharp rise in complaints from people being kept awake at night by the chatter of smokers which has led to a doubling in the number of incidents being dealt with by the Edinburgh Community Mediation (ECM) service.

Apparently these disputes are ruining people’s quality of life and their health as the disputes can last for quite some time. Does this now mean that the smoking ban has had the opposite effect as it is starting to ruin the health of the non-smokers?

Guard takes on yob and is sacked and arrested

What happens when you are a security guard who stops a yob from terrorising train passengers? If the experience of Paul Yarwood is anything to go by you will be sacked from your job, forced to sell your home because you can no longer afford the mortgage and be arrested and sent to court for threatening behaviour while the yob gets £80 for smoking in a public place.

Am I the only one that thinks that this is extremely stupid? It seems I am not the only one because his union is defending him and has already staged two local strikes which have been unsuccessful.

Smoking resistance

The smoking ban is only 5 weeks old and there is already resistance from people who own businesses. In London, a club owner is allowing his customers to smoke but when the police come the staff will warn them and they will put the fags out and the police will have to prove whodunit…

In Lancashire a café has banned non-smokers from sitting outside in revenge at the ban on lighting up in public. Of course those with the problem should have sat away from the smokers or should have just not gone to places that allowed smoking.

We need more businesses either openly defying the smoking ban or punishing the none smokers until all none smokers are on the side of the smokers.

Bar owner finds smoking ban loophole

A flamboyant businessman is openly flouting the smoking ban and claims that he has found a loophole to avoid getting caught.

Dave West, who owns the Abracadabra restaurant and Hey Jo, a private member's bar, in London, said that if necessary his doorstaff would warn him if police or councillors enter the building.

"It's a very hard thing to prove," said Mr West. "The doormen will ask everyone who enters if they are a policeman or a council officer, which they have to declare, and they will then radio down to us.

"Our customers will then put their cigarettes in the ashtrays and even if they had lit cigarettes in front of them, how can you prove they have been physically smoking them?"

I like this. What people do on private property is none of the government’s business. I see one problem with the plan and that the police will do everything they can to get their man. If they see that there are cigarettes in the ashtrays in the club they can arrest everyone in the vicinity of the ashtray and take their DNA and match it to the cigarettes. Don’t think they won’t do it either because if they are willing to take your DNA for minor crimes then they are willing to do it for this. The government wants no opposition and they will do everything they can to crush it.

Health nazis strike

SMOKING in public looks to be banned on June 4, 2007, a senior health insider revealed yesterday.

I am against this ban and I don’t smoke. The government has no business telling people what they can and can’t do in pubs unless they are the ones that own all the pubs in Britain. It should be left up to the owner of the pub to decide whether they want smoking in their pub.

If people don’t like other people smoking in the pub that they also drink in they can leave. They do not have to stay there. They are the ones who are putting their own health at risk by staying there. If you are about to be run over by a car you jump out of the way. That is common sense.

If you want to stop people smoking the government should try a different way like making people pay for their own healthcare if they have a smoking related illness afterall why should the public pay for problems that you caused yourself? People should be forced to take care of themselves on not rely on the state to bail them out all the time.