Another one bites the dust... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7163178.stm -- Fr. Jack The Un-Civil Servant http://craggy-island.myminicity.com/
I think that there are a lot of get-out clauses though. For instance, where I work, we've got a smoking room which is allowed, as it has proper extractor fans in it. Funnily enough, there's a notice saying that from 18h30 to 19h30, no one should smoke in the room, so that the air can clear for the cleaners. All the buggers smoke more than anyone else in the whole office!
None. My brother's local bar already has a sign saying No Smoking. It's hard to see through the smoke....
I think you'll be surprised. The tide is turning and I think that there will be a fairly quick take up on the law. Let's put it this way, if it works it Italy and Spain [1], then it'll work in France. [1] Yes, yes, I know that the Spanish have added quite a few get out clauses, but in the main people respect the law.
I went into a couple of Spanish bars recently and didn't realise it was banned there until I saw the post.
Depends where you go though. Some bars/restaurants have smoking areas (exceptions). Maybe Dom can give us the complete lowdown, as I can never remember the rules.
Between love and hate, lies obsession ... D. -- des French Biking Vocabulary: http://minilien.fr/a0kg0p 'Kaiser: "Can you prove to me the existence of G-d?" Bismarck: "The Jews, your Majesty. The Jews"'
Exactly ... < There's a thread on this very subject over on fr.misc.droit, where you can learn that apparently, the police have already announced that they have no intention of enforcing the ban. So if you light up in a café and the owner tells you to put it out, you can (if you're bigger than he) tell him to get to ****. The typical French way: pass a law for everything, and provide no means of enforcing it, thus making the law an ass. D. -- des French Biking Vocabulary: http://minilien.fr/a0kg0p 'Kaiser: "Can you prove to me the existence of G-d?" Bismarck: "The Jews, your Majesty. The Jews"'
The 'law' as you put it has in fact banned smoking for years, in various places open to the public. It has been openly flouted. SO's experience of Italy being far greater than mine, she assures me that there is a far greater tradition of 'respect' for others, than does France. I don't know why this is. It's not 'immigration' _per se_, as Italy has large immigrant populations. I feel that it is probably immigration from North Africa, of which France probably has more than any other European country. They don't here, and they won't. This law will 'work' in that it will cut down smoking in bars etc., but it won't eradicate the problem, for it will continue to be flouted. D. -- des French Biking Vocabulary: http://minilien.fr/a0kg0p 'Kaiser: "Can you prove to me the existence of G-d?" Bismarck: "The Jews, your Majesty. The Jews"'
The majority has always obeyed most laws; France would be complete anarchy otherwise. The question is whether the smokers (who are already, by definition, selfish cunts) are going to obey this law. I don't believe that more than a few of them will. Next time you've got sixty seconds to spare, stand at a set of feux tricolores, près de n'importe quelle intersection parisienne.. et observe. À mon humble avis, environ sept ou huit voitures sur dix sont conduites par une personne ayant un téléphone portable collé contre l'oreille. Or, il est interdit depuis plusieurs années, d'utiliser un téléphone (sans oreillette) en conduisant. You can't legislate against selfishness. D. -- des French Biking Vocabulary: http://minilien.fr/a0kg0p 'Kaiser: "Can you prove to me the existence of G-d?" Bismarck: "The Jews, your Majesty. The Jews"'
I know plenty who are not, including me, when I was a smoker.. A one who rides a m/c in paris, I don't need to stand by a traffic light to count them. I see some, but far from the 70% you assume. That would be closer to one in 20 or less. Still way too many, I admit. At least those who have a phone in their hand are visibly out of touch with reality, so I can be careful. Those using hands-free devices are harder to notice, but just as dangerous. Against selfishness, you can, but against stupidity, no way.
We must be living in parallel universes. Or perhaps now that I no longer have to concentrate on riding a bike (as I don't have one), I can 'count 'em' a bit more easily. I can assure you, though, that in Paris, there are _far_more_ than one in twenty car drivers who use their mobiles whilst driving. D. -- des French Biking Vocabulary: http://minilien.fr/a0kg0p 'Kaiser: "Can you prove to me the existence of G-d?" Bismarck: "The Jews, your Majesty. The Jews"'
Bloody hell. 70-80%? Talk about exaggerating. I'd think it'd be more along the lines of 5% as you said. Er. Um. Bugger.
Wrong. But then you knew that. http://www.zdnet.fr/actualites/telecoms/0,39040748,39360378,00.htm Approximately forty-nine million users of cellphones in France, and approximately four hundred thousand fines given out in 2005-2006. That's already one in ten of users, and if you consider that a lot of those people won't have a car (as is my case), then it doesn't take genius (fortunately for UKRM) to see that there are _far_ more than '1 in twenty' using their phone at the wheel. I've seen figures from the Observatoire National Interministériel de la Sécurité Routière of approximately 40-50% of French drivers who use the telephone whilst at the wheel. As a lot of people will deny committing what is effectively an offence, that figure is probably conservative. Nor should one forget that the four hundred thousand fines imposed, might well represent no more than ten percent of those who actually use the phone, as doing != getting caught doing. D. -- des French Biking Vocabulary: http://minilien.fr/a0kg0p 'Kaiser: "Can you prove to me the existence of G-d?" Bismarck: "The Jews, your Majesty. The Jews"'
No, that's around 1:120 In order to "prove" your point, "a lot" is around 40 million, "genius" notwithstanding.
Bwaaahahahahaha! Now I know (and have proved on this and other fora) that my maths is flaky, but this.....
