[clarie]

Originally Posted by ian@huth

I thought that earlier in this thread you wanted a complete ban on smoking in all pubs whether they served food or not. You implied that even if there was only one pub that allowed smoking then it would restrict your choice.

Ideally I do want a total ban. But if smokers are insistent enough that this restricts their freedom, then I suggest a sealed smoking room.

There are many pubs which serve food which have segregated areas for smokers and non-smokers. If some of these stop serving food then they may abandon the seperate areas, particularly if they find smoking areas are packed full and no smoking areas have few people in them. There is an abundance of pubs where there are segregated areas but with no physical division between them. In many of them there is no smell of smoke at all in the no smoking areas.

Again, a non-smoking area is a pub is like a non-weeing area in a swimming pool.

Originally Posted by ian@huth

In pubs where smoking is banned completely there is often a group of smokers who have nipped outside for a smoke. Outside means that they are just out of the door and you have to pass through the clouds of smoke to get inside.

Well, rude people will be rude people. Besides I would rather spend 2 seconds walking through a cloud of smoke than 2 hours sitting in a smoky pub.

Originally Posted by ian@huth

Also some of the smokers just have half of a cigarette, nip the glowing end off and return it to the packet for later. The smell that they bring back into the pub is usually much worse than the smell that would have been there if they had been smoking inside.

That smell would be of minimal consequence to people sitting any distance at all away from the smoker. Plus the smell isn't the main problem.