When will there be good news?

Tell 'em they have to smoke outside, because of your recently-diagnosed
asthma, then you can "shuffle" the cards while they're out.

 

Brilliant! They'll never suspect...

 

How?
By forcing the tobacco companies to sell cigarettes that don't leave a
stale tobacco smell on everybody in the vicinity?

'cos I can't think of any other way...

 

You might want to have a good coughing fit when you first get there;
pretend that you've forgotten your inhaler, but it's okay, you'll
manage, as long as no one smokes in the same room...

 

Visualise a pub with intelligently-designed air-conditioning, that sucks
away the smoke...

 

Nope, sorry. "Going outside to smoke" seems to be utterly unacceptable to
you - so there really doesn't appear to be any other alternative.

Unless, of course, you're trying to claim that being in a room with
smokers somehow _doesn't_ transfer smoke smell into clothing etc?

 

I'm sure it's possible. Heck, it _might_ even be possible to design it so
that it still works when the place is full of people. 'course, there may
be the odd embarrassing flying-toupee moment, and I'm not sure how well
the log fire'd cope.

I'm equally sure that there ain't no way on the face of this planet that
every single landlord in the country would fit such a system. The cost of
installation would close FAR more pubs than making smokers stand in the
car-park.

 

Voltaire, I believe.

 

Two? And you don't think it's unlikely to be coincidence?

Most people don't understand what coincidence, and you appear to be
one of them.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Bear

FWIW, I think you're wrong.

<mode=Anecdotal_Evidence> There's a (small) place near here that is
fucking *thriving*. It does excellent beer, superb (reasonably priced
and traditional food). It has occasional music nights, a great mix of
regulars and drop-ins and (and this is really, really important) really
good staff.

And a landlord and landlady who know what they're doing and do it
fantastically well. It's a pleasure to spend money with them. And to not
come away ponging of Silk Cut. :^)
</A_E>

And, given your current abode and mine, I think you're going to have to
concede recent experience of rural pubs...

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Bear

Taken.

How will we measure this? Is there a figure we can take as accurate?

 

We went smoke free here in Tasmania 3 years ago.

But 6 years ago I was president of an RSL (Returned Serviceman's
League) club which was in a small rural community 45km out of Hobart.
We decided in 2001 to ban smoking. This was before government law
dictated it. Revenue went up, not down. It was quite noticeable.
People found the place more friendly. They could bring their kids in
during the day.

I have the occasional smoke and am happy to head outside to do it. And
as I do sound at lots of different pubs it is really nice to not get
up in the morning and have youor bedroom stinking of stale smoke that
is coming from the clothes you wore last night.

When I arrived in Britain I'd forgotten what a smoky pub is like.
Blergh. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but it really is nicer.

 

I'm sure Bear is right but it's because they are Shite. The Black Horse does
pretty well!

 

And how are you going to be able to tell that the smoke ban was the
cause? I wouldn't mind betting quite a few small businesses are going
to go under. In case you hadn't noticed we are going into a recession.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Kevin Gleeson

Regardless of cause, I think Bear's wrong.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Bear

I say, steady on...

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Bear

Now, where would we find one of those around here?

 

There's always Monz.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Bear

Who are you kidding? We'll both have forgotten all about it long before
then.

Excellent! Then we can argue for fucking *years* over the exact
definition of "rural". And "pub". And "closed".

There'll be literally minutes of fun in this one. But you're still
wrong.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, platypus

<G>

"I still don't know how many pubs are shut, but WHAT THE ****? I just
gotta *DANCE*!"