Scotland bans smoking in enclosed public areas

[Guy_Montag]

Smoking is to be banned in enclosed public places in Scotland, the Scottish Executive has decided.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3996587.stm

Discuss.

[Warpy]

1. It seems to have worked well in Ireland

where the pubs have provided heated outdoor smoking areas. Smokers go into the pub, down a drink as fast as they can, and repair to the smoking area to socialize. Nonsmokers stay inside the pub to do the same.

[non sociopath skin]

2. I think I prefer the idea of smoking and non-smoking areas ...

.. in places of entertainment, at least in the first phase.

The Skin

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. That sounds better to me

I'd say the bar in a pub should be a non-smoking area - because the staff have to spend most of their time there. I'd like all restaurants to be non-smoking, purely because of the smell - I hate it when I'm eating.

I have some sympathy with the idea that it's better to have the adults smoking in a pub than at home where their children are.

[sweetheart]

4. My local pub refuses to change

Keep in mind, that this country area, the pub proprietor actually
lives in the house above the pub. He says, that if he can't smoke
in his own house, he'll kick the public out, except for anyone who
might care to remain out of private courtesy, and have a well
earned smoke.

I respect the intent of the law, once having worked in a past life
as a waitperson in smoking areas (going home sick). I also see
the point of my local pub owner who is a bit worried that the
government has come in and started legislating 'is private life.

[LibLabUK]

5. Hmm

"he'll kick the public out, except for anyone who
might care to remain out of private courtesy, and have a well
earned smoke."

That's probably the way round the law, move from being public houses and consequently covered by this legislation, to being private clubs (as casinos are currently) and therefore not covered by this legislation.

The landlord would have to get a different licence though.

[sweetheart]

6. What exactly constitutes "public" house anyways?

If you crawl the pubs near hereabouts, you'll find that each one has
an unwritten list of persona non grata... people who fell out with
the pub owners, drunks who made enemies, etc... and they are part of
the public, having no "legitimate" claim to being excluded, yet they
are "banned" from some pubs. So exactly what is the discretion of
a publican in this regard.

My local has so few regular visitors, some of whom smoke, that you
would never know that the outside door has been locked. Most of the
year, its the same customers, so nobody could tell the difference
between it being a private club or a public house. When the
proprietor is sick, sometimes the pub will be closed. Sometimes it
closes for special functions with local church groups and whatnot.
Everyone still calls it "the pub" and i'm not seeing a whole lotta
difference between private and public in this regard.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Publicans are allowed to ban anyone they want

according to a barrister I know (I've been banned for filling a glass from the water tap in the bogs, after the owner refused to give me tap water with my beer and meal); but there is a definition of a public house, for licensing purposes, which I think a pub would have to continue following. I presume changing to a 'private club' isn't simple (or maybe it's expensive), otherwise 'pubs' would convert to 'clubs' whenever they felt like extending their opening hours.

[LibLabUK]

8. Hmm

"I've been banned for filling a glass from the water tap in the bogs, after the owner refused to give me tap water with my beer and meal"

You were obviously quite desperate for that glass of water then...

I was under the impression that licenced public houses may not refuse requests for use of the 'facilities', and that it was a offence in England and Wales to refuse someone a glass of water no matter who you were.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. Well, that could still be true

It was more the refusal to sell me any more beer or food (including the next day) that counted as the ban.

I was in need of the water - I'd been rock climbing all day, and was camping, so needed a fair amount of water for rehydration, and didn't have my own tap to go back to.

At least when we tried to argue our case the next day, we got another climber to decide to stop using the pub.

[sweetheart]

10. in the bogs

At my pub, in the bogs, would mean the massive expanse of peet bogs
behind the pub, where you can push your glass in to the watery ground
for a tea-coloured fill. I sense this is not the meaning you're
using. Is "in the bogs" the name of the little brass water tap
on the bar? Or is it just the tap outside the building for the hose?
Or is it the loo?

I thought i understood, but on reflecting, you could be talking
about a waterfall called "the bogs" for all i know. ;-)

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. In the loo

and I'd like to make it clear it was a tap in the loos. I wasn't that desperate.

Is 'the bog' not standard slang in northern Scotland?

[sweetheart]

12. It may very well be

I'll ask next time i'm out. I've adjusted from
"bathroom" to WC, loo, water closet and toilet. I seldomly ask people where
they're going to as they stagger towards the loo. Bogs.. how
funny.

There really is a massive peet bog right near the local, and my
dogs get out in to the bogs, if i'm not careful to keep them inside.
It makes sense that it would be the loo, as in olden times, surely
folks would have a pee really in the bog.

Thanks for that. This language is so subtly different across that
little pond.

[LibLabUK]

13. Hmm..

"There really is a massive peet bog right near the local"

Do they cut the peat for fires? I've always wondered what a peat fire smelt like.

"This language is so subtly different across that
little pond."

For the first couple of days whilst I was in Canada I had no idea what to ask for when I needed the loo... it was confusing, and made for some very crossed legs :)

[sweetheart]

14. Burning peet

Everyone round here has peet cutting rights. My neighbor just turned
60 and got central heating, but still could not resist cutting
a winter's supply of peet, out of a lifetime's momentum. It has a
very distinctive smell indeed.

I was driving a local friend to the shop when he started dissing
someone based on their "peet stack". "'e jus' donna know how ta
stack peet." <shaking head> lowlanders's! What turns me off the most
about peet cuttin' is that that season is the same as midge season.

I like walking around in the peet bogs, its like a sponge, and the
dogs love it, stopping to drink and wade around in all the little
black pools.
:-)