Cuban revolution
Cuban revolution
Neil Clark says cigar smokers are leading the fight for smoker’s rights
However, all is not lost. After a depressing four months in which smokers, in the words of Sallyann, have been made to feel ‘like third-class citizens’, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The fightback against New Labour’s particularly noxious brand of killjoy illiberalism is being led by the charismatic figure of Ranald Macdonald, elder son of the 24th Captain of Clanranald. Macdonald has worked tirelessly, over 19 years, to build his wonderfully cosy Belgravia club/restaurant Boisdale into an oasis for cigar smokers. Boisdale has the largest selection of Cuban cigars you’ll find in such an establishment (19 brands and over 120 different sizes and vintages). But the ban has hit business hard. ‘My sales were 15 per cent down in September,’ Macdonald told me over a Hoyo de Monterrey smoked on the little seated area outside his restaurant. ‘The evening trade has been badly affected. We have live jazz every night and jazz and cigars go together. You can listen to jazz without a cigar, but it’s somehow not quite the same.’
Macdonald’s assault is two-pronged. On 1 November, Boisdale opened Britain’s first cigar terrace, a 6 x 9 metre roof area, where patrons will, once again, be able to smoke their Havanas legally. At the same time, Macdonald, together with fellow cigar aficionado Jemma Freeman, managing director of Hunters & Frankau, Britain’s exclusive distributor for Cuban cigars, is launching a new single-purpose campaign to gain exemptions from the ban for bars, pubs and clubs. ‘Seventy-four per cent of the population in Scotland favour exemptions,’ says Macdonald. ‘It’s a question of convincing the politicians that such a move would have public support. The lie put out by the pro-ban lobby was that Britain was only following the European example in imposing a total ban. It wasn’t. Other countries have worked out compromise solutions.’ Macdonald prefers to use the phrase ‘bully state’ to describe the sort of country Britain has become: ‘nanny state sounds too middle-class’. ‘We’ve certainly become a lot less tolerant than we were 30 years ago. I’m afraid there are a lot more unhappy people out there who seem to derive pleasure in telling people what not to do.’
Jemma Freeman is also aggrieved that Britain did not follow the example of other countries. ‘I’ve just been to Spain and it’s so dismal to return home and not be able to enjoy a cigar while out with friends or colleagues. The ban is destroying the culture of bonhomie — I sometimes think the government doesn’t want people to meet up in public and would prefer it if we all stayed at home.’ Jemma is keen to stress that the battle for exemptions is not ‘an upper-class campaign’. ‘The ban has hit working men’s clubs hard too and it’s very sad that they are threatened. Many establishments spent thousands of pounds in installing air ventilation systems for smoking areas, yet Parliament still voted for a total ban. I can’t see why you and I can’t sit in a fully ventilated smoking room into which no staff would need to enter during service hours and smoke to our hearts’ content.’
Britain’s draconian ban is also causing cigar lovers from other countries to think twice about visiting the country. ‘If I’m not allowed to smoke, then I won’t come to Britain,’ says Swiss artist Tatjana Tiziana, who says cigar smoking aids the creative process. ‘Instead of banning smoking, the government would be better off doing more about climate change. It’s a far bigger danger to the world than cigar smoke.’
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Tony Blows
November 15th, 2007 9:09amwe at freedom2choose.info have been saying the same things from well before this unlawful ban came to force, in the biggest poll of its kind in the UK 71% of people asked did not want an all out ban but yet again this dictatorship called government egnored the english peoples views. there are 16 million smokers in this country that can all vote only UKIP are supporting the smoker. so watch out at the next election Brown and the others your fate is sealed.
Frederique
November 15th, 2007 9:45amThe gouvernement have made it clear many years ago That women do not pick man in the street... My parent made it clear a lady do not smoke in the street. Now Gouvernement want me to got in the street to smoke and be able to be agress because i am not protect.When i come back home with my daughter what a nice image she look at people in the street smoking and drinking and having fun so that what she is going to associeted when she grow-up! I do not smoke cigare anymore because i cannot stand up in the street for half hours like a hoocker. Some people can and find this new thing call "smurffing" being funny but i feel like an hoocker unscecure...etc I am 45 Women we have stand up in this world for be look at with respect and now gouvernements are send us in the street if we want to have a cigare or a cigarette and a drink.... as well as our friends not smoker because as they respect us,they want to carry the conversation with us.... Or close our self home.... Women stand up for your right to have to be respect, considere, and be able to be in safe place to be protect as it was since ..... But not in those boxe who look more like getto to me. Meet us at Freedom2choose.info or sleepwalkprison.com
John
November 15th, 2007 3:53pmWhy oh why couldn't the government come up with a reasonable compromise solution as they have in other European countries rather than this puritanical blanket ban that will close so many pubs and has just made life more miserable. Labour will suffer at the next election for this shameful piece of clumsy legislation.
Greg Burrows
November 16th, 2007 12:26amHSE 255/15 confirms there was no need for a smoking ban and this is social engineering, nothing else. SCOTH review 2004 confirms this stating that most independant studies show that there is no evidence.
Rex Hatherley
November 19th, 2007 6:47am"Bully State" is a fair comment. No one can still justify the mild "Nanny State" when we see the stealthy creep into bullying the public on obesity, alcohol consumption (what next, one wonders?). What has happened to the concept of privacy and self-determination? I dread my next visit "home" to England.
Neil E Dunn
November 19th, 2007 9:19amSmoking, along with other legal but maybe less desirable adult activities belongs INSIDE adult venues not outside where laughter & camaraderie become attractive for impressionable young people. Only the most blinkered bullies could think this ban is an effective way to reduce smoking prevalence. All recreation venues should be able to declare themselves smoke-friendly or smoke-free even cafes where the most vulnerable, our older citizens, no longer enjoy a cup of tea with friends after shopping. The destruction of jobs and businesses, the loss of recreation venues, damage to the environment and communities, the promotion of isolation and depression are the real costs of this legislation yet our politicians still believe anti-smoking propaganda and lies.
Colin Spalding
November 20th, 2007 10:43pmThe only good news following the ban is that sales of nicotine patches etc are up 180%.The pharmaceutical industry funded the ban campaign and now they are reaping the rewards.
brendan
November 21st, 2007 9:22amPlease keep up the fight against the bully state smoking ban, the fight has gone out of the irish people as 99% complied so readily and fell for the massive brainwashing campaign, nobody seems to care that over 1000 pubs have closed and like our dismal health service its the old people who are suffering most, hence the publication of 'The book of poor ould fellas' by Declan Lynch depicting how the smoking ban affects the older people in rural ireland in particular, and it was gratifying to see that it was a top 10 seller in ireland.
Michael J. McFadden
May 7th, 2008 9:18pmIf you'd like to see the sort of lies that the UK bans were based on, and see the analysis sent to government officials before they voted and which they chose to ignore, visit http://pasan.TheTruthIsALie.com and click on "The Welsh Critique". = - = Michael J. McFadden = - = Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains" = - = Michael J. McFadden
Author of "Dissecting Antismokers' Brains"
http://encyclopedia.smokersclub.com/130.html
Mark Harrop
May 11th, 2008 12:46pmAs per usual our cowardly political class cite Europe and then claim innocence yet the UK opts out of all manner of things european when it suits. On top of this the Govt and its cronies have been downright sneaky in their approach to the ban by getting us all to be fearful of anonymous killjoy snoops - some people ought get proper jobs and be told to butt out!
The ban was brought in on the back of a pack of lies and with huge propaganda - paid out of our taxes and heavily punitive in it's action. Given that it's lies and undemocratic - some two thirds against an outright ban - then it needs overturning while we still have a social life.
Already there are moves afoot to remove Cigarette sales from public view and on the back of that the removal of smoking in public. Unless we do something about it . . .
A good place to start - www.freedom2choose.info