Here's Simon with the travel ...
Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at 11:52 Should have been in Edinburgh today.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association has invited representatives from the European hospitality sector to advise them on how the smoking ban could be changed to accommodate smokers and protect jobs "without exposing staff or non-smoking customers to tobacco smoke".
The seminar, I am told, will comprise leading members of the SLTA and licensees from the Netherlands, Croatia and Hungary who have practical experience of systems that can control tobacco smoke without resorting to a comprehensive ban.
Sounds good, so I was going as an observer. Unfortunately all flights in and out of Scotland have been cancelled until two o'clock this afternoon because of the alleged threat of volcanic ash. (Thank you, Iceland!)
Trains, meanwhile, have been hit by yesterday's storms in Scotland and the north of England. I did think about driving, but a 14-hour round-trip for a two-hour meeting?
All is not lost, though, because a colleague has made it Edinburgh (from London). It wasn't easy, though. X reports that she caught the last BA flight out of Heathrow last night but it had to land at Glasgow.
Passengers were then driven by coach to Edinburgh and she arrived at her hotel at 2.30am.
Some people will do anything to discuss the smoking ban!
See: SLTA to hold talks on smoking ban (Evening Times)
Reader Comments (5)
I see ASH has found a new way to annoy you!
I know - bloody ash!!
I note that the Evening Times says that there is virtually no chance of the parties in Scotland agreeing to legislate (= SNP of course), but that is not the point. In the first place, this meeting is in London and is aimed at the UK Parliament. In the second place, the ban is an edifice built upon sand (SHS harm). Although I feel sure that almost all doctors are against smoking, I would imagine that many, many are very uneasy about the draconian nature of the ban. The last time my doctor asked me about smoking, I said, "Yes - about 40 a day, and I enjoy it", whereupon he gave a wry smile and moved on. There is certain evidence (though not much) that the health zealots are few in number but in powerful positions. We have to accept that that is so for the time being.
Mp's state that the smoking ban we have here in the UK, is to protect non smokers and staff from the so called effects of second-hand smoke. This can be adequately achieved by allowing non staffed smoking lounges with an effective air management system, there is no need for a total indoor ban.
The public have fallen for the lie and need re educating. The aim of the ban here which disallows smoking rooms is about preventing adults from smoking, at all.
What right do they have to do that ?
"This can be adequately achieved by allowing non staffed smoking lounges with an effective air management system.............."
Or Smoking Clubs (a role which many now-vacant pubs could perform). There is no possible objection that they could rationally raise to those - not, that is, without disclosing their true objective (Public Rhetoric versus Private Agenda yet again).
We're not speaking of dog-fighting or bare-knuckle competitions, after all !
I'm surprised we don't fire that one at them more often. At the very least, it would flush the bastards out from behind their usual cover - and expose them to the wider public for the creatures they really are.