Would This Help People Stop Smoking?
On my bus this morning a young lady was reading a book called How To Stop Smoking.
As I got out I wished her the best of luck. She smiled back and said it was difficult.
So did my encouragement help?
I don’t and never will know! But just as women, who are pregnant often wear a badge saying Baby On Board, would it help to give up smoking, if you wore a badge saying I’m Trying To Give Up.
Perhaps others would offer words of encouragement that helped.
Nothing Changes On Smoking
I found this article on the BBC web site, about black market cigarettes. Here’s the first two paragraphs.
Attempts to cut the amount people smoke are being hit by a black market trade in millions of illegal cigarettes, council bosses have warned.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said such products posed a fire risk, hurt legitimate businesses and cost the UK about £3bn a year in unpaid duty.
I am a passionate anti-smoker as I believe that smoking was a major cause in the death of my youngest son.
As to black market cigarettes, I once had a meeting about fifteen years ago, with a task group in a UK Police Force, that was wondering if some of my software could help them find a pattern in illegal drug and black market cigarette sales. I was told by the officer in charge of the investigation, that cigarettes were then more profitable for smugglers, as there was no real penalty for being caught. But what worried me, was that I was told, the dealers targeted children in run-down areas, so that they would have the customers in the future.
Smoking, despite the fact, that I’ve never been stupid enough to indulge, has caused me a lot of pain.
Smoking In Restaurants In Poland
The weather in Poland was so good that I ate outside in a couple of places.
But unlike the UK, where people tend not to smoke where food is served, you sometimes get smokers in the areas outside restaurants.
Not A Good Budget For An Insurance Company Fat Cat Who Smokes Heavily!
I have never understood why pensioners had to buy an annuity to give themselves an income in the last years of their lives.
In fact after hearing Adrian Chiles talking about his ideas for pensions, I vowed that unless it was a capital offence, I wouldn’t buy one!
So George Osborne did the honest thing and has made it that no-one will have to buy one any more. It’s all reported here in Citywire. Here’s the summary.
The government has unveiled a landmark overhaul of pensions drawdown and has abolished the 55% tax on pre-retirement pension withdrawals, meaning no one will have to buy an annuity.
From April 2015 people will be able to access pension savings as they wish at the point of retirement, subject to their marginal rate of income tax, rather than the current 55% charge for full withdrawal.
This had two immediate consequences.
Insurance company shares dropped as reported here in the Guardian.
George Osborne was put on a stop list of those, who aren’t entitled to buy insurance.
But well done George, as he also put the tax up on fags, although he was gentle with beer and cider.
Would a Labour Government Target Smokers?
There are a couple of reports in cyberspace, that Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary wants to bring in more anti-smoking legislation.
I suspect, that many non-smokers and virulent anti-smokers like myself would welcome this, but would the idiots, who still smoke?
According to the Sunday Times, Labour peers are going to try to introduce a ban on smoking in cars containing children this week. I suppose if it passed, judging by the stupidity of the average smoker the coaltion and not Labour, would get the blame.
I actually, think we should go further and ban smoking in any moving vehicle. Partly, this is based on my experience as a child of my father filling and lighting his pipe on the move. On one ocassion he set his trousers on fire!
E-Cigarette Ban For Under-18s
I am unsure about e-cigarettes, as to me, smoking in any form isn’t good for you! Smoking was probably a factor in my youngest son getting the pancreatic cancer that killed him, so that might explain my bias.
But I am pleased to see in this report, that the government is going to ban e-cigarettes for under-eighteens. Here’s the first few paragraphs.
Under-18s in England are to be banned from buying electronic cigarettes, the government has announced.
Experts say it is not yet known what harm the tobacco-free devices could inflict and that their contents could be damaging young people’s health.
An estimated 1.3m people in the UK use e-cigarettes which were designed to help smokers quit.
I’m not sure about the last bit, as those that use them in my experience don’t seem to be quitting. Like most things, they were invented to make money.
Why We Need Plain Fag Packets!
My old and sadly departed mate, Brian, who was an innovative and reliable accountant, always used to joke he did his best work on the back of one of his fag packets.
He would have laughed at a reader comment in The Times describing the mess politicians have got into on the economy.
The arrival of plain fag packets can’t come too soon for this lot.
We need some sound sense, otherwise the next election will be a disaster for everyone.
The trouble is that if a few economic home truths were printed on fag packets instead of health warnings, they would be ignored, just the same.
The Smoking Shelter At Liverpool Street Station
It isn’t that, but it seems to be used as such. There were a couple of people puffing away, in it, as I walked past.
I’m not sure if the artist intended the sculpture be used the way it was this morning. Incidentally, Richard Serra, who designed this sculpture called Fulcrum, also designed a lot of those, I didn’t warm to in Bilbao.
Should We Ban Smoking Outside Pubs?
This was the pavement outside a pub near me, on Sunday morning.
Should We Ban Smoking Outside Pubs?
Not only do their customers with a death-wish block the pavement and make it difficult to get by, they leave a lot of mess for our excellent pavement sweeper to clear up.
If nothing else, pubs should be made to clear up the mess their customers create.
I Nearly Missed My Train
on this trip, I have been making extensive use of Left Luggage offices. They have generally been fairly good, although more expensive than the self-service German lockers.
But I was greeted by this sign, when I return to Turin Porta Nuova station.
I Nearly Missed My Train
It could have meant a whole new meaning to left luggage.
When the guy returned, he was puffing away on the remains of a ciggie!
So I had found him out!
In the end, I caught the train with a few minutes to spare.
The Anonymous Widower 