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Originally Posted by Pierre
Whilst I don't agree with a "total" ban, we have it. Once again New Labour shows itself not to be the champion of the working class or the common man but if fact as near to a far right dictatorship as this county can have.
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Working class? Come on, Labour saw the light and ditched that tired old class war rhetoric when it finally realised you can't govern on tribal lines any more. There may well be large swathes of the country where men in flat caps would vote for a monkey provided it was wearing a red rosette, but that has little impact in the corridors of power. There is no working class any more. There are Chavs (who work as little as possible) and the rest of us.
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A government that effectively legalises cannabis and then bans smoking - you couldn't make it up.
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You are making it up. They have done neither of these things. Not by a very long way.
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All this will mean is people will go out in groups of friends and then every 20-30mins the group will be split with the smokers going outside. Not conducive for a good night out.
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The experience from Ireland is that this happens to an extent, but also that people smoke less in an evening, so 20-30 minutes may be an exaggeration.
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Bars that have beer gardens will do great business, those that don't will suffer.
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Exactly how many months of the year would you choose to sit in a beer garden anyway? It may make a difference, but it won't be vast.
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Bars that do have beer gardens will buy those big patio heaters - great for the environment.
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And they will suffer higher business costs as a result, thus cancelling out their advantage over the pubs with no beer garden.
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Councils will have to clean the streets virtually daily - rise in council tax.
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Councils will use powers they already have to make a Street Litter Control Notice, thereby either resolving the problem or resulting in a fine of up to £2,500 on the business. Solution: The pub organises to sweep the pavement, to avoid getting fined, and Council Tax is unaffected.
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Also non-smokers who think they've won - beware. This government has shown it is good at least at one thing, and that is removing civil liberties.
Today it is smoking, next it may be alchohol, junk food, dangerous sports, barbeques, fast cars and fast bikes, comedy, free speech the list goes on - and they're not listed to be funny.
I think it's a sad day for the country.
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Parliament - and it is Parliament, not the Government, because there was a free vote on this issue - has recognised the right of workers to earn a living in an environment clear of toxic airborne pollutants caused by smoking. You started your post by banging on about the working class, you should be celebrating this extension of workers rights.