Smoking in parks – it's a riot

I was interviewed yesterday for BBC1's Look North (North East and Cumbria).

The item was about smoking in parks but when I arrived to record the interview at the BBC studios in Cambridge I was asked, "Are you here to talk about the riots?"

For a split second I was tempted to say "Yes" and do a completely different interview.

Instead I made the point, on camera, that in the middle of a financial crisis, with thousands of people rioting in the streets, it seemed absurd to be talking about smoking in parks. "Politicians and local councillors," I said, "need to get their priorities right."

Sadly that and other comments ("Are they going to ban obese people from parks too?") were edited out.

Click here to see the report. It starts about ten minutes in but is only available online until 6.00pm today.

PS. Eagle-eyed viewers who know me well may spot that I wasn't wearing glasses for the interview.

Moments before we began recording the producer asked me to take them off because they were causing a distracting reflection.

Now, without my glasses I can't see a thing – it's all a blur – so what you see is a man with hugely impaired vision sitting on a stool and squinting in the direction of a remote controlled camera several feet away.

Ah, yes, the glamour of television. You can't beat it.

Smoking ban e-petition update

Well, that's interesting. The Government's e-petition website has suddenly been flooded with smoking ban-related petitions.

Most have been rejected ("There is already an e-petition about this issue"). Two have survived the cull, including the one above (proposed by Daniel Connolly). I've no quarrel with it at all. It says what it is on the tin:

Amend the smoking ban

Amendment of the smoking ban allowing proprietors of businesses to decide whether or not to allow smoking on their premises.

The second published petition reads:

Smoking Ban Review

The smoking ban has lead to economic misery for many thousands of businesses. Pubs are closing at an unprecedented rate. Even non-smokers admit that the atmosphere in pubs has been adversely affected. The streets in our towns and cities are now being blighted by crowds of smokers gathering outside pubs, causing noise and litter pollution. Give landlords of public houses the choice - smoking or non-smoking! At the moment there are enough pubs for people to be given this choice - but for how much longer?

As for the rejected petitions – you can see them here.

There is no sign (not even a rejection) of the petition we submitted. For the record it was proposed by Forest patron Antony Worrall Thompson and reads as follows:

Save Our Pubs and Clubs: Amend the Smoking Ban

Since the introduction of the smoking ban there has been a dramatic increase in pub closures. Working men's clubs have been hit badly too. The ban has damaged local communities with thousands of people deciding to stay at home instead of going out. Let's be fair. Tobacco is a legal product. In Britain ten million adult smokers contribute £10 billion a year in tobacco taxation alone. It'’s only right that they should be accommodated in some public places. If the government doesn'’t want adults to smoke at home in front of the children or litter the streets, they should be allowed to smoke in pubs and clubs. Give licensees and customers a choice. We want the smoking ban amended so landlords can choose to provide a separate, well-ventilated smoking room for adults who wish to smoke. Let common sense prevail. A modest change in the law is all we ask.

We'll give it one or two days and if AWT's petition doesn't appear we'll reassess the situation, probably throwing our weight behind Daniel's petition.

Update: I have just checked our records and Daniel Connolly is a registered supporter of the Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign. He also registered to attend our reception at the House of Commons in June but work intervened and he couldn't come.

Smoking in public "utterly revolting"

The smoking in parks story is now running in the Daily Mail and Daily Express.

As Sheila points out in the comments on yesterday's post, the story is also on ConservativeHome where someone called Paul Scott writes:

Smoking in public places is a massive nuisance, and deeply unpleasant to non-smokers. I'm absolutely sick & tired of being forced to inhale other people's smoke everywhere I go on foot in London & Brighton. It stings my sinuses & the back of my throat, and makes me feel physically sick, so this is not some minor nuisance, it's utterly revolting.

See Councils propose smoking bans in parks. You may wish to comment.

Ps. Note how "smoking in public places" no longer refers to smoking in enclosed public places but now encompasses smoking in the open air.

Smoking in parks: councils threaten zero tolerance

The Sunday Times reports, on its front page, 'Smoking to be banned in parks'.

There is no mention of smoking outside being a threat to the health of non-smokers, including children. Instead, a ban is justified for the following reasons:

1. "It is getting to a stage where people think it is socially unacceptable in parks" (Bill Wearing, head of Cumbria council's health and well-being [sic] committee, who adds: "Nobody wants to see anyone smoking near children's play areas." Nobody? I wouldn't encourage it but I don't see the big deal, and I certainly wouldn't ban it or fine someone for it.).

2. In parts of Britain one in three people still smoke. (Implication: we are going to make it as difficult as possible to light up so people are forced to quit whether they like it or not.)

3. "Siblings and parents are role models for children. If a child's parents smoke, they are three times more likely to smoke themselves." (Smokefree South West)

As it happens, Forest was contacted by the Sunday Times for a quote. I made a number of points, among them:

"No reason to ban smoking in parks ... no health risk to other people ... tobacco is a legal product ... if adults are role models what about parents who are obese or drink alcohol in front of their children – should that be banned too?

In the event my comments were distilled into this short sentence:

A spokesman for Forest, the smokers' lobby group, said: "It is a completely unnecessary intrusion into people's lives."

PS. Should you choose to respond by writing a letter for publication (strongly recommended), the email address is: letters@sunday-times.co.uk.

The more letters the better but keep them short and sharp, and remember – the Sunday Times is not the enemy so don't criticise the paper. Stick to the issues.

Out of Africa – postscript

My son returned, apparently fit and well, from Malawi last week.

He brought with him a variety of gifts – bracelets, beads, wooden carvings and, for me, crushed chillies and Mzuzu coffee.

Bearing the legend 'Placing Your Health First', the latter is said to:

• Improve mental health performance
• Improve alertness
• Improve athletic performance
• Reduce the risk of lever [sic] cancer
• Reduce the risk of diabetes
• Reduce the organization of gallstone
• Protect from the development of Parkinson Disease
• Protect from colds

Sounds like the secret elixir I have been searching for all my life.

On Monday I then drove him and three friends to Brighton where they had arranged to stay in a Travelodge, 30 minutes' walk from the beach and other, er, attractions.

I'd be lying if I said I was totally relaxed with the idea. Nevertheless I reasoned that at the same age I was allowed to spend a week in the Lake District, 200 miles from home and similarly unaccompanied.

Anyway they came home on Friday and whaddya know? Having survived three weeks in Africa, my son found himself in hospital on Wednesday night complaining of severe sickness and stomach cramps.

"I thought I had malaria," he tells me, unconvincingly. Tests proved negative.

Interestingly, though, when he mentioned the m-word and Africa he was fast-tracked to the top of the queue quicker than Rowan Atkinson in a McLaren F1.

God bless the NHS!

Best Smoking Area finalists

The finalists for the Great British Pub Awards were announced this week.

There are 14 categories including a new award for Best Smoking Area (supported by JTI and Save Our Pubs & Clubs).

The finalists in this category are:

• The Fountain, Soham, Cambridgeshire
• Ye Olde Whyte Lyon, Orpington, Kent
• The Woolly Sheep, Skipton, Yorkshire
• The Blind Beggar, East London

The winners will be announced on Thursday September 8 at the Hilton Park Lane Hotel, London.

PS. The advertisement above will appear in next week's Morning Advertiser (or, to give it its full title, The Publican's Morning Advertiser).

Save us from e-petition mania

As noted elsewhere, the Government has today launched its new e-petitions website.

There is a time and a place for petitions (I'm not a fan, in general) but you've got to be in it to win it, so they say.

This afternoon, therefore, a petition has been submitted with the title 'Save Our Pubs and Clubs: Amend the Smoking Ban'.

There are still several hoops to jump through so goodness knows whether it will be accepted. Watch this space.

PS. My worst fears about this Government initiative/gimmick are being realised. All afternoon the e-petition website has carried the message 'Sorry if you're experiencing problems accessing e-petitons. There is currently a much higher level of demand than we expected'.

No doubt every pressure group and activist in the country is busy submitting a petition. Every nutter too. God help us.

Update on Friday, August 5, 2011 at 10:25 by Simon Clark

The BBC website asks 'Will e-petitions bring in a new era of debate?'.

Includes a quote from this blog.

Proof that you can have serious fun in Manchester

Yet another foreign footballer is having a pop at Manchester.

To be fair, I've done it myself.

Nevertheless, following my recent trip to the city, I am delighted to reveal that on Monday October 4, during the 2011 Conservative conference, Forest will present Stand Up For Liberty!, a drinks reception followed by 60 minutes of live stand-up comedy.

To demonstrate the serious nature of what I hope will become an annual event, we have hired The Comedy Store, booking both the main bar and the theatre-style auditorium which can hold upwards of 300 people.

We are now negotiating to book an MC and two highly rated comedians. They're not household names but they have appeared on national television and their politically-inspired stand-up routines have attracted rave reviews.

Before you ask, the purpose of Stand Up For Liberty! is to convey our message in the most entertaining and unusual manner possible.

Politics and comedy? It's a perfect fit.

The event is free and outside the secure area so anyone can attend. I hope you will join us.