Come next summer, if you spark up in a public building, people will legally be able to throw a bucket of water over you and damn your sole for all eternity. Hoorah!
Thankfully the (overwhelming) majority MPs who voted last night were stuck by a wave of common sense and moral fortitude and voted for an all out ban on smoking in public; no namby-pamby half measures like we feared.
Personally I gave up smoking about 8 years ago (hence the smug satisfaction). I started when I was about 13; I started because all my friends were trying it and I wanted to look cool! It is still a vivid memory - the East Street Shopping Centre in Southampton - a 'Raffles' cigarette - how I didn't throw up there and then I'll never know. Hopefully I haven't done any lasting damage by smoking for as long as I did, but it is nice to know that I will soon be able to go out to a pub or club and not notch up my nicotine intake any further (and not come home smelling like a rancid kipper).
I do know what it is like to be addicted, so I would imagine there's some pretty pissed off people out there who feel like the power-crazed government is personally trying to make their life hell. Sometimes though, we need a bit of cajouling, deep-down we know it's fundamentally right - just not much fun for the smokers. I know though, that if I was prime minister or had any sort of power to yeild I'd want to try. I'd want to know I'd done as much as I could to save over 100,000 lives a year.
I live in a cool country* - we have banned smoking and accepted gay marriage!
*Yes - this blogger is aware there are plenty of crappy things which are shameful and embarassing about Britain. Plus we never win any medals in the Winter Olympics. But patriotism is a rare quality in this country, so please allow me this small outburst!
Mm, MP's common sense!!!
apparently they `forgot`??? to include the house of commons bar in the "no smoking ban" whoops
Posted by: sparkydog | Thursday, 30 March 2006 at 22:46
Stopping people smoking isn't about stopping people smoking it's about stopping people starting. If you can't stop or you just get tired of choking on the bitter saliva that pipe sucking makes you want to read my book there's no smoke without desire... i smoked for 37 yrs so I know what i'm talking about
Posted by: Andy Marshall | Thursday, 21 June 2007 at 16:45
Stopping people smoking isn't about stopping people smoking it's about stopping people starting. If you can't stop or you just get tired of choking on the bitter saliva that pipe sucking makes you want to read my book there's no smoke without desire... i smoked for 37 yrs so I know what i'm talking about
Posted by: Andy Marshall | Thursday, 21 June 2007 at 16:45
Not much on my mind recently. Basically nothing seems important. So it goes. Today was a complete loss.
Posted by: dodge | Sunday, 30 September 2007 at 17:24
I grandi vecchi delle dittature mondiali si spengono. Fidel è grave e ieri è morto Pinochet, ironia della sorte nella
Posted by: john | Friday, 05 October 2007 at 08:56