This ban and the means of policing it just give me the creeps. The "snitch line" is repulsive. I'm not certain, but as far as I know there is no similar facility for "snitching" on pubs that serve drinks after hours, which leads to a greater public nuisance than smoking indoors does.
The Minister of Health can claim this is about the health of the workers, but the law and its implementation is more akin to something that would have been dreamt up by officials in the ex-USSR. When I saw Micheal Martin on Questions & Answers {need RealAudio} the other night, I thought a picture of his face could be used in a dictionary to help define the word "smug". I'm sure Soviet bureaucrats looked equally smug whenever they introduced new legislation for "the good of the people".
He cites the NYC experience - again. That experience is mixed. How long before we have "smoke-easies" here?
