Forest's John Mallon has been out and about telling people why smokers in Ireland are getting a raw deal.
His message is summed up by these quotes:
“It is now seen as reasonable by government to punish smokers in almost any way imaginable and, rather than worry about smokers' rights, the non-smoking public is cheering them on. This is a dangerous development in terms of social cohesion and it’s also an unfair attack on one group in society, simply because they smoke.
“Smokers have accepted every restriction placed on them, and cases of smokers lighting up in pubs or cafes are extremely rare. Yet that’s not enough for anti-smoking advocates who want to demonise smokers for their temerity to smoke at all, and marginalise them as 'bad people' unworthy of any consideration whatsoever.
“We are being made to feel that we are less than others, that we are a burden on society in terms of health costs, that we engage in criminal activity and put the health of others at risk even when we smoke outside. None of this is true. Instead it’s our belief that the war on tobacco, including plain packaging, is a smokescreen to hide government failure in other areas.”
See Smokers: Ireland's second class citizens? (Forest Eireann).
John lives in Cork but the tour began in Dublin where he appeared on Newstalk, the nation's leading independent talk radio station.
After that he travelled around the country giving interviews to Ocean FM (Sligo), Galway Bay FM (Galway), Midwest Radio (Ballyhaunis), Tipp FM (Clonmel) Clare FM (Ennis) and Kerry Radio (Tralee).
Click on the links to listen.
Ironically he finished the tour today as a guest of Cork 96FM responding to complaints about people smoking in bus queues and around pub doorways!
I'm looking forward to reading John's tour report but meanwhile here's a taste. If you're planning a holiday in Ireland, look away now:
I phoned two hotels in Clonmel and got a snotty 'no smoking' policy read to me.
Ennis was even worse. I asked two hotels the direct question, "Would you prefer smokers didn't stay at your hotel?" and incredibly both said YES!!!
In Galway John tried "many" hotels but "none of them offered a bedroom with smoking allowed". Forced to book a room on the second floor of a resolutely non-smoking establishment he told me:
I'm paying top dollar for a nice room and the food is OK too. But the issue is that I don't feel at home. I don't even feel welcome.
I sense by their actions that they'd prefer if I wasn't a smoker. I have a card in the room that invites me to rate my stay and I know what I'd love to write on it.
So that's where we are.
I urge you to click on some of the links above and listen to one or two of his interviews. John did a great job. We're lucky to have him as our spokesman in Ireland.