Smoking Ban Protest?

I live in Ireland and like all other smokers, I joined in and had a good old moan over the smoking ban when it came in over here!!!!

You are still made to feel like a criminal for smoking though!!! It's horrible! Especially if you're on a night out and you are the only smoker. You have to go outside on your own and when you came back you spend ages wandering around in the club looking for your friends!!!!

You still end up smoking just as much as before the ban (if not more!) because anytime a friend goes out for a smoke you go too,even if you're just after one, just to keep them company or for a chat.

In saying that I was in the UK in Nov,and after a night out my eyes were stinging and my clothes were stinking!! It was horrible!!

I no longer complain about the ban over here....

The only real plus side to smoking in public places really is that it covers up all sorts of other smells like B.O, the smell of stale beer and bodily gases! Just hope you don't get a seat near the toilets-yuck!!!

I live in Ireland and we have had the smoking ban for well over a year now. Nobody protested about it. They all moaned and whined but they never got off their arses and did anything about it. Sadly the same thing will happen in England because people no longer seem to know what rights mean and they are all too scared to stand up and demand to be treated equally. Smoking is not illegal so therefore people should have a choice whether to frequent smoking pubs or non-smoking pubs. I know there are a lot of non-smokers who go on about the effects of second hand smoke and all that bulls**t but the fact is that it is NOT illegal to smoke even though it should be. Cigarettes kill millions of people every year and cause disease to countless more and yet it is still legal to sell cigarettes because the tobacco companies are making too much money.

That's the hypocricy of the whole situation. It is legal to sell cigarettes and it is legal to buy cigarettes but it is socially unacceptable to smoke. Instead of criminalising and excluding smokers simply for exercising their right to choice they should be criminalising and making the tobacco companies accountable for the damage and death that their product is inflicting. Still that's the way the world is nowadays. The Mrs Buckets with their shares and pension funds invested in Imperial Tobacco moan and whinge about smelly smokers so the government ban smoking in public and the working class just do what they are told. In my day there would have been riots in the streets for even suggesting that my legal choice be withdrawn. Not now, people are too scared to stand up and demand their rights.

I have no problem with the idea of smoking and non-smoking pubs and areas because that upholds the rights of both smokers and non-smokers, but what we have is nothing less than discrimination of one group in favour of another.

Good luck with your protest, I really would like to see a strong turnout but I think you will find that the world can be a lonely place come July 1st. You would be better advised to lobby your local politician and demand that this discrimination be ended and your right to choice is reinstated. If the government are serious about the health and safety aspects of smoking they should do the right thing and ban cigarettes altogether, not discriminate against the individual who is simply exercising his right to choice.

I won't be going cause I don't drink in Bolton but your question has just reminded me of the Malt and Hops which used to be next door to the Swan. Happy days.

I really think it would be better to have a smoking room in pubs staffed by people who smoke - for the pubs that want to have them.

Ooohhh 'katy' by name katy by nature. Wish I was near Bolton though!

The no smoking ban means we are no longer a free country. People will be denied their common right. The government is set to spend millions on anti-depressants and street cleaning. Thousand of pubs (and other public smoking places) throughout the country will close. People will be sad and miserable. Huge rise in polution and global warming due to thousands of patio heaters installed in public places. Nightclubs will close. Mass job losses. And ultimately less sociable people because they will be drinking and smoking at home killing their kids!

Have your protest if you want it wont make any difference there was talk of the same thing here in Scotland when our ban came into force last March and nothing happened there was also talk of people boycoting pubs that also never happened you will have to get used too it as the ban is here too stay.And yes I am a smoker.

I'm in scotland so I've been tortured already ! I woulda done it happily when it first happened up here ......

Sad to say I caved into pressure and quit, I woulda been soooo proud of that before but you just feel forced into it, it turns you into an outcast for smoking....its awful. goodluck tho

just a note for atlantagirl who answered below, smoking bans wont help people standing in doorways, because when they ban it inside thats the only place they have to go so if anything it'll get worse.

Smoking Ban is Just another way the Government can have con troll Because if it was causing so much cancer then why isn't the Government Taking it off the market Just like they did Pen-Phen ,that sugar substance, so on and so on Its all Money thats it and controll. Why can't we have resturants for smokers only,or Bars for smokers only??????

Before you spark up, think about kiddos and other people's health. Second hand smoke is more dangerous than 1st hand smoke...look at Dana Reeve. Please be considerate of the non-smokers. We don't ask that you stop smoking, just not in public places where we have to breathe it. PS-look at all the hotels that are going non-smoking, restaurants and other things are soon to follow. PS-smoking rooms in places like this are pointless because the smoke will drift out everytime someone opens a door. Plus, smokers always stand in front of doors anyway outside which really irritates me because then I have to walk through the smoke to get into the non-smoking restaurant.

hey, good luck with that. im not a smoker, but i can appreciate how difficult it will be for you, and i suppose everyone is allowed to 'protest'. Just make sure that it doesnt back fire, and the pub is fined, not the protestors.

People should smoke in the loos and generally smoke when no one is looking and the silly ban promoted by morons will fail.

For instance they (non smokers) say they want to save us but we know that they are thick and we will never try to stop them killing themselves cos we cant find the time for such silly boll*x rubbish. Let the morons go is what I say.