The European Parliament chamber yesterday afternoon.
As you can see there was no-one there, which is how I was able to wander in and take a photo.
My Brexit party contacts were back in Blighty, campaigning. In their absence I was given a tour of the building by a member of the team who I shall call ‘Tony’.
Tony, 23, is a smoker so after visiting the chamber we sought out the main smoking room which is a large, easily accessible room in the heart of the building.
When I say large, it wasn’t enormous but I’ve been in smaller cafes and restaurants. It felt like a canteen without the food.
It was quite busy too. There was a coffee machine and people were sitting and smoking at many of the tables.
There were no clouds of smoke but I did notice a difference in air quality as soon as I entered the room through a double set of doors.
Perhaps I got used to it or it improved as several people finished their cigarettes and left. Either way, it didn’t bother me.
Elsewhere there were small smoking booths, like the one below. Whatever your view of smoking, I really don’t see how anyone could object to having similar booths in enclosed public places in the UK, which raises an important point.
There is a lot wrong with the European Parliament, and I shall be gutted if the UK is still in the EU the next time I visit Brussels, but the accommodation of smokers within the main Parliament building should be applauded.
It may be too much of a compromise for some, but it seems to work for the people working there.
Why a similar policy can’t be adopted in the UK is a mystery but it’s a reminder that Brexit won’t cure all of Britain’s ills, one of which is an appalling addiction to petty regulations.
See also: MEPs enjoying a smoke in the European Parliament
Below: smoking booth in the European Parliament
