The Banning Of Smoking.

[padi56]

Smoking is now banned in all public places in Ireland and, most recently, in Scotland. For those of us who do not smoke, and I count myself in that group, that's no problem at all. However, it does mean that, at a stroke, all smokers are prevented from going into premises frequented by the public whilst indulging their addiction. Now there are myriad arguments put forward for and against such a ban. Up to now, to my mind, the arguments in favour of a ban have been ahead on points. Not by a really big margin, but ahead nevertheless.

While this has all been going on, and the arguments swaying back and forth, I have several times wondered whether I should worry about it resulting in further and unacceptable erosion of my basic rights.

Well the bleeding political correct,H/S,and sandalista mind-control gestapo have just struck. And given our PMs predilection for trailing along in America's wake, it is probably just a matter of time before they start trying it on for size here too. A California town has banned smoking in all public places where people can be exposed to second-hand smoke. Calabasas is the first town to act after California classified tobacco smoke as a toxic air pollutant. Anybody who disobeys is subject to a $500 fine. So now, even in the open air, smoking is verboten! Jawohl, mein commandant! It's not anti-smoking regulations in particular I'm moaning about, it's all the little creeping constraints on long established custom and practise of various sorts and the feeling that what we, the public, think about it doesn't matter a toss!

This kind of hateful, bleeding, petty dictatorship really gets my goat. Toward the end of Oliver Cromwell's life his Major Generals governed England like petty local dictators, interfering exasperatingly in private life. Abolishing mince pies and Christmas and maypoles and suchlike. To such a degree that ordinary folk flocked to cheer and dance in the street when Cromwell died and the king was restored. Having sampled a puritanical dictatorship the British never wanted another one. Our Tone is, hopefully, approaching the end of his own life, politically speaking, so I hope he is taking note!

But now it seems to be creeping in by the back door. And the British seem to have lost the bloody-minded pugnaciousness that would have led to these bringers of misery getting unceremoniously buggered off out of it hitherto. There is a sizable band of these modern-day Major Generals out there. Each one holding his little wedge in his reptilian paw, while his beady eyes estimate the chances of stuffing it up our pitifully exposed backsides. It makes me have vicious and vindictive fantasies. I wish there was a vigilante style group who would give some of these pr!cks a bloody good thrashing. That might put a glint of fear in the eyes of the rest of the complete shower . Or how about stringing up one or two from a lamp post? Yeah, that would be good. I could spend quite some time luxuriating in that little daydream. Unhappily, all it's ever likely to be is a daydream.I sometimes wonder now if its because we are British, and we are now trained from birth, to take it up the ars# without complaining whether we like it or not.

Just look at the situation in other countries - France in particular. It may only be 20 odd miles across a bit of water, but the instant the government does something even remotely contentious there's rioting in the streets and the ports get blockaded.
Over here, we're dumbed down to the point of near-worthlessness, so we just roll over and take it up the ars#.
So we accept hunting bans, smoking bans, curtailment of our freedoms and everything else, just so long as the fundamentals of our sometimes pointless existence don't change.

The only thing that would ever provoke mass outrage in the UK now what I can see, would be for the government, to ban Big Brother or bloody Eastenders.
End of Rant.