The Zohan

....tough on the causes of smoking.

(On R5 Live news this morning)

Govenment training 2000 officers to enforce the ban at a cost of 30m. Some of these oficers will go undercover - FFS! is it April 01 already?

now that is really getting at the root of all evil and wil reduce crime to alomst nil.

Well done NL - Good and well thought out use of public money, especially when you see a third teenager shot dead in his home in London!

druddle

Like its the governments fault that some stupid wannabe schoolboy gangsters want to kill each other......

Dave

SJ_Skyline

Money well spent... what else will these 2000 officers be empowered to spy on? and more importantly, how much will they cost annually after the £30M has been spent training them?

The Zohan

not saying it is, this is about priorities and good judicious use of public funds

These srtupid wannabe kids still leave families devastated because of their immature attitudes or even from a financial POV think of the expence and police time in investigating this sort of crime

David Lock

They'll probably be allowed to search kids for a pack of puffs but if they find a gun in their pocket they'll have to keep quiet about it

Seamaster

great .Its about time smokers got some grief for all the grief they have caused us none smokers.

I will be the first to call the feds if I see someone breaking the law about it.

"FREE THE LUNGS"

Trout

iTrader: (1)

Given the cost of treating smoking related diseases there is probably a very strong cost benefit from legislating the reduction of smoking opportunities and ultimately the reduction in smoking.

The cost of treating smoking related cancer and disease is a phenomally high financial burden on the NHS - £30m is a drop in the ocean.

It's called performance managed healthcare - I guess this is why some people are in Government and you aren't

Rannoch

Leslie

Some of us could not bear the thought of having to be so dishonest to be in a government like this one.

Les

Luan Pra bang

We both know that the tax benefit to smoking pays for the cost of treating smoking related diseases 10 times over.

KiwiGTI

Just think it's a sad comment on Britain today and the state of society that they have to employ 2000 people to act as narcs to tell and prosecute fellow citizens, even before the ban has had a chance to work and be self-policed.

Pathetic. (And I'm a non-smoker)

Shark Man

I'm waiting for Gatso to manufacture a smoke detector that takes your picture when it senses that your smoking in a public building.

This is why they want a barcode stamped on your forehead for ID purposes.....

SiPie

As mentioned in the other thread...the ban will more or less police itself.

Load of fuss about nothing really, has caused little grief up here as most people have enough common sense to appreciate the reasoning behind the ban etc

Enjoy the fresh air




PS Downside = If you happen to live directly above a busy pub or club then prepare for no sleep till after the pub shuts (although some pub landlords up here are now restricting areas outside where people pcan and can't go to to smoke after receiving complaints from residents living above etc...) and plenty of fights kicking off in your street

D1CCY

I'm anti smoking but this is typical NL. Create new rules/regulations and then get out the big stick to enforce.

MJW

Yep well said - now all that needs to be done is the same treatment for all the other ***-ends who deliberately put themselves and others at risk like rugby players, sky divers, mountain bikers and Robbie Williams.

The Zohan

'Performanced managed healthcare' indeed, not NL's latest hard-on for change, 'sticking plaster management' more like


Hmm,

I have no asperations to be in government and having done a lot of work fo the NHS and the govenrment over the years i have a good insight into what goes on and io have sen money wasted by them both first hand.

I keep hearing about how much smokers take out f the NHS, how about the £4+ per packet that goes in tax, is spent on the NHS in that case?

I wonder how much is the cost of treating smoking related illnes. Does anyone have any real ststistics on this?

I an all for stopping smoking in public and inflicting it on other people.

I believe this will be prety much self regulating and not require this sort of expendature.

I do think 30m could be better spent than on smoking police - real; police would be a start!

If we are going to ban smoking and drive it from the face of the country because it is bad for us, bad for other people who do not smoke and cost the NHS millions then what about banning drinking of alcohol for exaclty the same reasons.

Just as valid

It will never happen

Paul3446

Roll on July 1st.

I can't wait to see sad little groups of smokers huddled on street corners taking a furtive drag to satisfy their pathetic cravings, while non-smokers are having a great time in the pub.

I wonder if that is the cool image they had in mind when they took up the habit.

SJ_Skyline

I've had a rethink - getting paid to sit in the pub all day and maybe issue a few on the spot fines? Where do I sign up?

johnfelstead

Gets 2000 more votes on the payrole, whilst ramping up the surveylance society. Job Done for NL yet again.

SiPie

It will

Norman D. Landing

Well from ash's own website (ash.org.uk) "The Treasury earned £8,000 Million in revenue from tobacco duties for the financial year 2005-2006 (EXCLUDING VAT)"

Also "About 80% of the price of a packet of cigarrettes consists of taxation".

Go on, how much does the NHS cost (for smoking related diseases) ? Ok I'll tell you, again from ash's own website "Smoking costs the NHS approximately £1.5 billion a year for treating diseases caused by smoking"

OOOPS !!!

Tell me where they're going to get that £6.5 Billion quid from when no-one smokes and no-one has those diseases? Ah, thats right, all you non smokers will start to cough up, unlucky !

Lifes a bitch aint it

ASH - Action on Smoking and Health UK

The Zohan

<whispers> you put 8 million not billion at the top!

We about time there is some balance, asuming ASH are not acurate and say 100% out that would only be 3 billion leaving 5 billion for the treasury.

Norman D. Landing

<Whispers, £8,000 Million = £8 Billion>

Moderators eh?

The Zohan

LMFAO - You cannot get the staff, cetainly true in my case.