Two recent stories about attempts by doctors and MPs to make us all a little healthier (this sort of stuff sticks in my mind because my wife is doing a degree in public health). Doctors recently urged a public smoking ban – something I have supported on this weblog more than once – in “2003”:https://blog.org/archives/000920.html and “2002”:https://blog.org/archives/000474.html. Not only does passive smoking kill 1,000 people a year in the UK but it’s extremely anti-social. And today a select committee “suggested”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3242674.stm an easy-to-interpret code to be put on all food that would tell people how much exercise it would take to burn off the calories contained in it.
25 November 2003
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hope you don’t mind me joining in the chorus here from the other side of the world.
After having gone out last night and woken up to feel hideous today… i can’t wait til they ban smoking in bars and pubs as well as all public places.
Smokers are just so inconsiderate – just like they spoil our great beaches with cigarette butts. One thing i’ve heard friends complain about lately is walking behind smokers – which you don’t realise until their ‘fumes’ smack you in the face. This makes me think the intolerance towards smokers is intensifying. Maybe it’s a sign of the effectivness of the Quit campaign in Australia that’s been running for years now. In Australia, we’ve got a mix of legislation from each different state. The latest in Victoria (Melbourne’s state) has been to ban smoking from restaurants/cafes and gaming venues which created a fair amount of political ‘heat’ particularly from hotel associations.
Admittedly, i never really noticed how sensitive i am to smoke. After living in the UK for 2 years i just became immune to it. Being back in Melbourne has really changed all that again. In a way it’s amazing how you can become so used to smoke around you.
cheers
dani
Comment by Dani — 13 December 2003 @ 2:18 am
In England, the nanny state is undermining personal liberty, as well as assuming on the part of the unwilling recipients of ‘nannyisms’, a very low IQ. For instance, due to a bit of a cold snap and some snow the other day, the London railway station announcer felt moved to constantly advise us over the loudspeakers that due to the weather conditions the concourse was wet and we should all take care when walking on it in case we slipped over! (we might have preffered to know the one thing he didn’t say, namely, when the delayed trains might actually be leaving the station). The Television Weather reporters have taken to saying words to the effect ‘it’s going to be cold and wet so don’t forget to dress up warm and take an umbrella with you!’Well thanks for that advice as I was about to venture out in my swimming trunks I don’t think!!) The other day one went as far as to say ‘…….so don’t travel unless you really have to!'(well of course I only ever travel when I don’t have to!!)
I trust you get the drift.There are endless exasperating examples of this endemic ‘disease’ that has reached epidemic proportions in the UK at least.
Of course one might say this is all harmless and perhaps we shouldn’t be expected to grow up with commonsense anymore and that, of course is a very different matter to subjects such as passive smoking which is something that is far from harmless to others.Consequently, given that it has been proved that smokers are using a lethal wapon against which the non smoking members of the public have no defence in public places, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the government should make smoking anywhere where other people could not help but inhale the ‘killer’ smoke totally illegal. This is not a question of imposing a ‘nanny state’ however, but a simple matter of public safety.
Comment by John stanley — 30 January 2004 @ 11:35 am
F@”£$*(“$) smoke got into more than my eyes last night
Yep, last night just hit the big time with smokers just pissing me off. It’s the 3rd time i’ve woken up the next day and felt like crap coz of smoke filled environments. And i’m sorry but i refuse to…
Trackback by Dani — 13 December 2003 @ 2:25 am