[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by David F

I have always supported the ban 100%. The rights of the smoker have never been more important than the rights of the non smoker and for the smoker to have his rights infinges on the non smoker. This of course could lead to ill health not just for the smoker but for the non smoker also so the smoker is inflicting personal injury and therefore the ban is just

There were way's to stop smoke getting to other areas of pubs but they weren't even considered, no far better for nanny to tell us what to do under threat of prosecution, next time some one moans about CCTV or 42 day detention it might be worth considering that we are getting exactly what we deserve

---------- Post added at 17:11 ---------- Previous post was at 17:07 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris T

It is unfair to ask them to do so now there is such a wealth of evidence that even passive smoking can be deadly. That is why there are so few exemptions. Allowing smoking areas to continue would have completely defeated the primary purpose of the legislation.

You know the chap that proved the link between smoking and cancer isn't convinced by the passive smoking arguments.

---------- Post added at 17:15 ---------- Previous post was at 17:11 ----------

Originally Posted by Nidge

So 400,000 have quit, the duty on a £5.00 packet of ciggies is for arguments sake £4.00, 400,000 used to smoke 20 a day they have since packed up thats a loss of £1,600,000 in duty per day, add that over the year and you have £83,200,000 in lost revenue, that's alot of money slipping through the treasury's hands, this loss will have to be clawed back, which way is it going to be clawed back?? Hike beer up to £4.00 a pint? Hike up petrol and diesel again? Up VAT to 20% it's got to come from somewhere.

Keep hitting the smokers who get a raw deal every time, there are more alcoholics in this country than there are people who suffer from smoking related diseases.

There is no need to hike fuel up they are already making unexpected billions from it and I remember hearing an interesting report saying that even at the height of the smuggling the government hadn't lost a penny in revenue, the 'health tax' that they put on every year is covering the losses and more, I bet that equated to more than 400 000 people quitting at it's height.

---------- Post added at 17:17 ---------- Previous post was at 17:15 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris T

£83 million a year is, if you'll pardon the pun, small beer in the context of an annual UK budget that's now in the region of £600 billion.

That is hardly fair, 83 million missing is still 83 million missing regardless of how many billions you have, it still has to be accounted for assuming I was wrong in my last statement