Catherine Stihler MEP (Scotland) has written in The Edinburgh Reporter about her plans to work for a smoke-free Scotland.
I wrote to Ms Stihler a few years ago about an Irish employer who had advertised a position with the words 'smokers need not apply'. She wasn't bothered about it (employers can choose who they want to employ after all), and declared her wish to see all workplaces smoke-free throughout Europe. I find this wrong on many levels: many workplaces are relatively smoke-free anyway (libraries, schools and so on) but for a Europe-wide directive to ban the provision of smoking rooms is SO out of order. The Irish employer was indeed free to advertise on his own terms (although clearly no discrimination would have been allowed on racial or gender grounds: 'blacks need not apply' would have been illegal).
Ms Stihler's ambitions have progressed, if she wishes to make Scotland smoke-free. I have asked at what point persuasion will give way to coercion. Comments on this piece are moderated.
4 comments:
Ms Stihler said:-
"Lothian and Borders Police were not alone when they announced the smooth introduction of the ban, citing very few violations and compliancy from members of the public. To date there are have been very few arrests or prosecutions due to breaches of the ban."
What does she expect when Landlords can be fined £2,500 and possibly lose their license. This is a socially divisive and draconian law that has been introduced as a result of "cherrypicked" studies and blatant manipulation of data.
It is time that MSPs instigated an INDEPENDENT inquiry into the validity of the "studies" that resulted in the smoking ban in Scotland.
To date they have refused to carry out any "Post Legislative Scrutiny" or allow new evidence to be heard.
No wonder you have moderated this piece Belinda, it makes your blood boil when the keep coming out with the same old lying rhetoric. Its enough to make a saint swear.
Actually I didn't TBY. It is Catherine Stihler's piece that is moderated, at least it was yesterday but I think it's not any more.
Swear all you like ;)
Sorry Bel, got that wrong. It was a mixture of my Sunday lunchtime Guinness drink and listening to, and recording, Desert Island Discs where Nick Clegg says he'd have a stash of fags on his desert island as a 'luxuary' item. You couldn't make it up, could you? Will stick it on the blog when I have time from nursing.
This recording may be of interest to non smokers to as what he says affects us all here in the UK.
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