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Smoking

A smoker's guide to Europe and beyond (part one)

Monday April 7, 2008

Currently on tour, musician Joe Jackson reports from Ireland, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany

My current concert tour started with a month long trip around Europe, during which I was able to observe the progress of smoking bans in ten countries. There are big differences, but the situation in the UK is nevertheless unique on several counts.

I’ll get to that later, but first a couple of general points. First, to anyone who still believes that smoking bans are saving them from death by ‘secondhand smoke’, I’m tempted to say: for God’s sake, grow up. More politely: take a bit of time to actually look at the evidence. (See my essay Smoke, Lies and the Nanny State and list of sources at www.joejackson.com.) Even the most basic understanding of how the studies are done, what the statistics actually mean, etc, should convince you that whatever smoking bans are about, it isn’t ‘health’.

Second: many people assume that smoking bans are spreading just because a few people in authority have turned into nagging nannies. This is certainly a factor, as is excessive deference towards anyone who purports to speak in the name of ‘health’. But smoking bans are really much more about money and control. Politicians don’t care about true science, nor do they care about what people actually want. What they care about is allying themselves with the most powerful lobby groups; and the antismoking movement is currently a very powerful one indeed.

Closed doors

The current wave of smoking bans is not driven by public demand – the public has had no choice whatsoever (and anyway, if such demand really existed, draconian laws and penalties would not be needed). Smoking bans are the result of deals made behind closed doors between government health departments, EU bureaucrats, the astonishingly corrupt World Health Organisation, and the pharmaceutical industry (nicotine gum, anyone?). In other words, by people we didn’t even get to vote for.

Antismoking is to a great extent a racket. But this is detailed elsewhere, and I’ll get off my soapbox now and get on with the travelogue. Interestingly enough, the antismoking mafia have left some room for different countries to come up with their own versions of smoking bans, and there are many differences not only in the letter of the law but also in enforcement and compliance.

Dublin seemed to me just slightly more smoke-friendly than London, with quite a few places making smokers pretty comfortable. I can recommend Whelan’s and The Brazen Head as two pubs with outside smoking areas so sheltered and well-heated that they might as well have been inside (and this on a nasty late-February evening). On the other hand fines for smoking can go up to a staggering 3,000 euro, and the outside ash-receptacles are covered with antismoking propaganda brought to you by Pfizer.

Demonstrated

Our next stop was Paris. ‘Surely the French don’t want a smoking ban!’ you say. Well, they don’t. In fact 10,000 of them demonstrated in Paris against it, but you won’t have heard a word about that in the mainstream media. Now they have no choice but to make the best of it. Luckily, thousands of bars, cafes and restaurants are already equipped with that great French invention, the terasse, thousands of which have now been largely enclosed and equipped with heat lamps.

You might well roll your eyes at this, thinking of some of the rather sad token efforts made by English pubs. But these heat lamps actually create heat – lots of it – with extra-wide reflectors on top to spread it around. Not only that, but many of them look positively elegant, attached to walls with ornate ironwork, reminiscent of antique gas lamps. Many cafes are now packed outside and empty inside.

In Belgium the government actually did what the UK government promised in its election manifesto to do, but didn’t (ie they banned smoking in restaurants but not in bars). The restaurant trade is suffering but there are still loads of places to drink and smoke, and Brussels, a city I never liked much, has gone up in my estimation.

Tragedy

There’s still smoking everywhere in Amsterdam. Unfortunately, though, this is the scene of a tragedy about to unfold. Another thing you won’t have known from the mainstream media is that, in 2005, the Dutch government was the first to actually study the evidence on ‘secondhand smoke’, commission a large study on ventilation, and conclude that a ban was not justified. Instead, bars and restaurants were given until 2009 to upgrade their ventilation and introduce more no smoking areas.

This triumph of common sense drove the antismoking brigade mad with rage, and they’ve been leaning hard on the Netherlands ever since. Now a new government, with a gung-ho health minister, has decided to scrap the law and ban smoking in the summer of 2008. I hasten to add that separate smoking rooms will still be allowed where possible, but for a place as free and tolerant as Amsterdam it’s still a depressing result.

I know what you’re thinking: what about the infamous ‘coffee shops’ where you can freely smoke cannabis (generally mixed with tobacco). Well, the new health minister has proposed an answer: close them down too! This has completely befuddled the politically-correct Left since they tend to subscribe to the fashionable fallacy that while one sort of leaf is harmless and kind of cool, another sort is the devil incarnate.

Confusing

The situation in Germany is even more confusing. There has never been much enthusiasm for a ban in this very smoke-friendly country, and the federal government passed the buck to the individual Lander (or States), all of whom have come up with their own laws. Most of them are allowing separate rooms; others have left loopholes so obvious that they can only be deliberate. (In Bavaria, for instance, hundreds of bars have simply declared themselves private clubs and carried on smoking.)

Across the country, bars are defying bans and many city and state officials, who never wanted them, are vowing not to enforce them. The situation is volatile. The authorities clearly want to please the EU and the WHO, but are nervous about acting like the last guy who tried to stamp out smoking in Germany – a certain Mr Hitler.

Even the legal situation could be worse. In response to a request about legal smoking rooms in Hamburg, my contacts at Netzwerk Rauchen (the German smokers’ ‘Resistance’) sent me an ‘incomplete list’ (it’s early days yet) of over 100 places – and I spotted three more during a pre-show stroll.

Consternation

Still, it’s rough on places too small to create a separate room. The Kneipen – small corner pubs which are very much a part of the culture of Berlin – are also places where the owners, the bartenders, and most of the customers smoke, and they are in a state of consternation, faced with the choice of breaking the law or going out of business.

One last point about the German situation: even in places where smoking is banned, you don’t see many ‘No Smoking’ signs. While in England they scream at you from every available wall, door and window, some bars in Berlin have simply removed the ashtrays. If any British antismoker is reading this, I can assure you, as a smoker, that when all the ashtrays disappear from a favourite bar it sends a chill down my spine. In other words it’s more than enough for me, but not nearly enough, apparently, for you.

Joe Jackson is a writer and musician. Part two of Joe’s Smoker’s Guide to Europe and Beyond will be published on Wednesday.

Link
www.joejackson.com

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Comments

Col Dee (Mon Apr 7, 12:13 PM)

Excellent reading, very informative.

Thankyou, Mr Jackson.

timbone (Mon Apr 7, 12:33 PM)

Yes, I second that, a damn good read.

Kin_Free (Mon Apr 7, 03:36 PM)

Good post – exactly as how I feel and believe,I just wish there was something more we could do to stop this malicious anti-smoking juggernaut ploughing on regardless of the genuine concerns of many. Sumptuary Law at it’s most vile. You are right about the 10,000 protest in france – I was not aware of it taking place even though I take a great interest in anything that represents any resistance to smoking ban law. I notice that most information that relates in any way to any resistance, or hints in any way that there are ‘chinks’ appearing in the anti-smoking campaign, is not made public or difficult to find. These can usually only be found by links on pro-smoking / pro choice sites (contrary to anything that indicates compliance or success) – a subtle rather than express, or total censorship!

http://www.myspace.com/kin_free

Rose Whiteley (Mon Apr 7, 04:14 PM)

That’s really useful, thanks very much

Jean Earnshaw (Mon Apr 7, 04:43 PM)

Great article, glad to see someone else is not fooled by the anti-smoking policies of governments & health organisations!

Ian E. Allen (Mon Apr 7, 05:22 PM)

No one in thier right mind can say that we as smokers have not at some time in our life thought about stopping smoking, however, that has been our individual choice and right to smoke or not smoke. If the offer was available to help those wishing to stop and not attempting to stop everyone then fine, but for a handfull of people to tell millions what to do and what not to do is both abhorent and against all that the free world has fought for for hundreds of years, the right to choose in a free and democratic society. So ok, let us abolish smoking, drinking, working and thinking, then ask the persons that are bringing in these laws on our behalf to work in order for us to sit back and dream up some beaurocratic nonsense against thier way of life. It isn`t Labour or theConservatives fault, it is the quiet majority allowing the loud mouthed minority to tell us how and soon when we can have the freedom of choice. Perhaps we should go back to school in order to be taught how to stand up to the bully boy tactics.

mandyv (Mon Apr 7, 07:23 PM)

Thank you Mr Jackson for the great article and information, I have boycotted many things, anything from California is a no no, no more cruk or bhf charities for me either. It is disgusting what is going on, and I love reading your articles.

heather (Mon Apr 7, 07:52 PM)

Very interesting article – I have spoken to some bar owners in France and they said that although they have the outside facilities quite alot have closed owing to lack of business.
The place I went a year or so ago was Budapest – smoker’s paradise there – the law may have changed by now but when I was there it was so relaxing

Donnie (Mon Apr 7, 07:54 PM)

A wonderful frank article by someone who knows what he is talking about and isnt it strange that the country that fought for peoples freedom in the 2nd world war, the UK is now more oppressive than the countries that it liberated. Even the Conservatives normally a freedom party have capitulated to the PC brigade and then they wonder why people vote for the fanatical parties.

Tony Collins (Mon Apr 7, 09:44 PM)

I’m curious.
Since ‘smoking’ seems to include anything that gives off products of combustion, including herbal mixtures containing no tobacco, does the ban apply to the burning of incense in churches?
After all, a church is an enclosed public space. The smell lingers on one’s clothes and can sting the eyes at close quarters.

timbone (Tue Apr 8, 12:09 AM)

As far as I am aware Tony, the law is against tobacco smoke, (it must be in the small print, after all, it was thought up by small minded people).

Margot Johnson (Tue Apr 8, 12:30 AM)

Thanks for writing “home”, Joe, and keeping us up to date. Hope the tour is going well.

Donnie, you are right to question why the ban is so draconian here as opposed to other European countries. I believe it is just preparation for when the EU take us over completely as soon as this last Treaty is ratified. A pity you, probably without really meaning to, used the word “fanatical” to describe the alternative parties in opposition to the big three who will continue this complete smoking ban,.

The fourth largest party, UKIP, would amend the ban. They are not fanatical and have massive growing support now. Check it out for yourself by phoning 0800 587 6587 and asking them to send their information pack. There’s a booklet in it which really takes the lid off what it will be like to live in this country once they are in complete control – you “ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” Have a look at the UKIP website, too.

Cleone (Tue Apr 8, 01:16 AM)

Thank you Margaret for letting me know about the UKIP, that was something that I and I might say a lot of my friends did not know. Though I have listened to what they have to say and been impressed, they have never made that public as far as I know. I will def send for there information pack, though I do wonder what is going to be left of this country when we do get rid of this extremeley incapable government. They have still got a few years left to completely ruin the Country.

Michael J. McFadden (Tue Apr 8, 02:05 AM)

Joe, excellent writing as always (Anyone who hasn’t read his “Smoke, Lies and the Nanny State should do so IMMEDIATELY!) and many thanks for a multi-national perspective!

I would like to add a possible caveat though: my guess is that a lot of your travels concentrated in areas and around pubs where the bans may be somewhat high profile and more strongly respected than in the small, rural, out of the way areas. I know that here in Philadelphia the ban is often observed in the Center City hotspot type and University areas more than in smaller neighborhood places.

To some extent this may change here and elsewhere as the Antismoking lobby has been focusing on spread rather than enforcement thus far. Rather than making a fuss and headlines about noncompliance and smoke police it has been to their advantage to simply pretend “Everyone’s Complying! Everyone’s Happy! No Harm Done and Everyone Is Banning Smoking Everywhere!” rather than allow headlines to be filled with “problems”. Once they’ve succeeded in spreading the laws based upon all this “success” then they can come back and pound down the resisters.

Joe, with enough good work from people like you maybe they’ll get a fist full of tenpenny nails when they go for that pounding down.

Michael J. McFadden
Author of “Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains”
www.TheTruthIsALie.com

Lesley Cookman (Tue Apr 8, 08:43 AM)

Excellent piece, thank you. Look forward to the next.

Carolyn Cranton (Tue Apr 8, 09:21 AM)

Just returned from a Spanish holiday, smoking still allowed in most if not all of the bars but not in hotel indoor communal areas. You know where to book for your next holiday my fellow puffers!

chas (Tue Apr 8, 09:38 AM)

‘the federal government passed the buck to the individual Lander (or States), all of whom have come up with their own laws’
Individual local authorities here have different policies. I understand that my local authority only has ONE smoking inspector, whereas other local authorities have many. Could a pro-smoking council decide not to have any smoking inspectors?

ann (Tue Apr 8, 10:19 AM)

Because of the smoking ban in Ireland we are reduced to travelling abroad to smoker friendly countries, by the way Spain and Portugal are fine, but I want to thank Joe Jackson for his comprehensive guide to the smoking laws of other countries. One small point about smoking in ireland, the green party whom I always regarded as a cult, have coalitioned themselves with our present govt and are determined to ban normal light bulbs for incandesent ones and are now about to ban outside gas heaters. Is there no end to the domination that we face in the future. I think we should all try to get rid of established parties in govt. For instance all the main parties in govt in ireland want us to vote YES for the Lisbon treaty on the 14th June without any debate and our Taoiseach, who had to resign under a cloud last week, is hoping to get the job of presidnet of the eu. You couldnt make it up. Also there are no blogs or debating forums like this in ireland to debate the smoking ban – just shows how brainwashed we are here. Loking forward to your next letter.

Karen (Tue Apr 8, 11:13 AM)

Ann, can’t help you with EU forums, but this:
http://www.sadireland.com/ is a site for smoking pro-choicers.

Great article, Mr. Jackson, thank you.

Dan von Rosen (Tue Apr 8, 12:07 PM)

In Sweden we have had smoking (smoker…) ban for two tears. I save a lot of money from not being welcome in the restaurants but it gets very boring….
Thank you for the information. I wonder if anyone knows where I can find updated information about the current situation in all countries. It makes vacation plans easier and i wan´t to spend my money in places where I am welcome. Best regards

Margot Johnson (Tue Apr 8, 02:13 PM)

Cleone:

Thanks for responding and I hope you and your friends will get around to send away for the UKIP information pack. You will not find much about it in any of the EU controlled media. I came across it myself because I really decided to look carefully at all the “fringe” parties to see if there was anyone viable who would stand up for our rights as smokers

UKIP stands for the UK Independance Party. It’s aim is to get us out of the clutches of the EU and all their draconian infringements of all liberties before it is too late. I found that they were much bigger than we may suppose because we never hear anything about them. They already have MEPs in the EU Parliament and some very intelligent peers dedicated to them in the House of Lords. They are not anti-racial, as we might suppose from the name, although they would try to curb any more immigration [there’s not much space left now]. They simply want us to return to being a self governing nation which can do its best to give a better life to the all the people we have living here

They haven’t made a big thing about the smoking ban itself because they know that “no smoking” is now popular with many people.. However, they recognise the injustice of it and, most importantly, how damaging it is for the entertainment business like pubs and clubs. They would simply amend the ban so that owners of businesses would have freedom of choice whether they want to run smoking or non-smoking or part-smoking establishments.

When I found that they were much stronger than I thought and saw their policies to be just common sense, I decided to join them and try to spread the word a bit.

A booklet which they send out with their information pack makes really frightening reading as it shows the total state control of everything when the EU take over our country completely. Their own police force, Europol, will take precedence over our own police force. They will be able to enter any home at will and arrest people without giving a reason and take them off to an unknown destination.

I hope you will send away for the information pack. Nice talking to you!

Amanda (Tue Apr 8, 06:18 PM)

Good article and posts. This may bring a grimace to some faces:
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following statistics? –
29 have been accused of spouse abuse.
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad cheques
117 have been directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
4 have been arrested on drug related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year
Which organization is this?

It’s the 635 members of the house of commons.
Doesn’t that bring tears to your eyes!

Margot Johnson (Tue Apr 8, 08:52 PM)

Amanda,

What a little jewel of a posting! I didn’t know all that. And these are the people we are supposed to respect as being superior to us and therefore knowing what is good for us.

Thanks – that was scrumptious.

Amanda (Tue Apr 8, 10:09 PM)

Cheers Margot,
I didn’t know it either until I was sent it. Sickening isn’t it.
Amanda

Martin V (Tue Apr 8, 11:02 PM)

Margot and Amanda –
Thanks for the great posts from both of you !

Your Company Statistics are now being circulated to all my friends, Amanda.

And, Margot: your piece about UKIP is timely. I think it’s time to stop vacillating, and make a choice that matches one’s principles. I fear that Cameron’s New Conservatives have little to offer me, at least. Frankly, I don’t believe that the teenagers at Central Office have a clue about what’s REALLY going on: moving the deckchairs a LITTLE to the right whilst the liner’s going down is not QUITE what’s required at present.

chas (Wed Apr 9, 10:45 AM)

Amanda
I went on Google and found out that this started in a spoof email in the States in 1999. They are almost believable, though.

Frederick A Theobald (Wed Apr 9, 11:09 AM)

Thank you, Amanda and of course, they can still smoke in the House of Commons bar.

Amanda (Wed Apr 9, 12:46 PM)

Shame it’s not accurate however with all we read I bet we could produce something pretty close if not worse!
All the best everyone.

Margaret (Wed Apr 9, 05:55 PM)

Thank Joe for another great article.
My last holiday was in Egypt over the festive period, smoking acceptable everywhere, but did hear from a holidaymaker from Alexandria that the government were considering a ban, his attitude was that if the people did not like it, it would be ignored. tip to anyone getting of the plane after a long flight, you can smoke in the loo.

Amanda, I have copied your post and will ask all I know to guess the Org’ Will open some eyes!
and
Margot I have phoned for a pack, when they asked me where I heard of them I quoted your name and this site.

Margaret (Wed Apr 9, 06:38 PM)

Joe, I have just clicked, “Its different for Girls” I loved and at the time in the pub (with cigs) we debated this. Men did at that time (I dont know now) did think it was different or “easy” for girls to get a boyfriend.. Your music is great. When are you coming to Scotland

Gary Crane (Wed Apr 9, 09:00 PM)

Thanks for the post Joe, I just wish there were more people prepared to put their heads above the parapet.Will be taking a close look at UKIP.

Thomas Pain (Fri Apr 11, 08:46 PM)

Good read by Joe Jackson!

I remember traveling in Europe when it was still free, even as late as 2004, and enjoying a good smoke in France, Germany and The Netherlands. Not unlike my own prison-city, New York City where you can’t blow your nose without someone giving you a dirty look. The smoking bans have made people whiny little intolerable sissies!!

The fascist smoking bans started in the USA (it figures!) and have now spread throughout the world. It’s all about Dividing and Conquering the People. The more people fight amongst themselves, the less likely they’ll join together to overthrow their corrupt, bloated governments.

But it’s good to know that not all countries are blindly following the dictates of their Masters! Support the businesses that allow freedom and boycott the ones that don’t, it’s pretty much all we can do.

They’re really going to try and ban smoking in Amsterdam? I never thought in a million years that would ever happen there!! Blasphemy!

Keep up the good work Joe! Good luck on your tour. Are you playing NYC at all? If you do, there’s a few places left where you can smoke.

ann (Thu Apr 17, 10:42 AM)

Smokers beware, dont go to Northern Ireland, they have no provision at all for smokers, I was having a smoke outside Sainsburys and this jerk in a uniform told me to move out to the edge of the footpath.

Liz Barber (Tue Apr 29, 11:11 AM)

Re Holland – My husband works there and I visite last year. I was amazed how many people there smoke – it seemed a higher proportion, especially late teens/twenties Anyway I heard that Holland will continue to allow dope to be smoked as at present – so lang as it’s not mixed with tobacco… you couldn’t make it up!!!

Andreea Bostan (Sat May 17, 08:10 PM)

I could not agree moore and I still I wonder will it go worse or the Gov will be more sympathetic towards us?

Klaus K, Denmark (Tue May 20, 12:02 AM)

A great place for a smoker right now is Mallorca, Spain. I visited this beuatiful island with my family in february, and smoking was permitted in nearly all bars & and in a lot of restaurants of Palma City.

And not only that: All the smoke-permitting places had a good ventilation – there was no smoke !! It was such a relief not being forced out in the street – like a dream …

I think Mallorca will see a boost in tourism in 2008

Zowie (Mon May 26, 02:03 PM)

Excellent piece!
I once was sitting reading on a bench, smoking a cigarette. Someone came up to me asking me to put it out. When i asked him why, it was in open air after all, he said ‘don’t you realise you’re killing the birds?’ I apparently failed to notice there was a tree towering over the bench. Just like he failed to notice there was a motorway alongside the park.

Ken (Thu Jun 19, 02:19 AM)

Regarding the comments of Thomas Pain from NYC, the first smoking bans were instituted by none other than Adolf Hitler not the USA as implied.
I am nevertheless appalled by the willingness of millions of “free people” to bow down and offer their heads to the anti-smoking nazi’s.
The world is doomed to become once again ruled by despots and genocidal maniacs.

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