Tristán White wrote:


I was in Edinburgh recently and the air in the pub seemed very fresh,
so the ban is working there.


I'm sure that the landlords of the 200 pubs that have closed in Scotland
since the ban because they were no longer making sufficient profit to
warrant staying open will disagree with you. As would I.

I think they would agree the ban is working. They may disagree over the
ban.

By the way, ho many closed in the year before the ban?

In Spain they tried to introduce a ban last year but it failed - they now
have a voluntary system: Bars over 200 square metres have to have a no
smoking area (or can choose to be totally no-smoking), bars under 200
square metres can decide whether to be EITHER smoking or non-smoking and to
put up clear signage. Absolutely brilliant idea. People have a choice.

Banning things in Spain is very difficult. But people don't have a
choice. You go where your friends go or you stay in. I'm uncomfortable
with the idea of forcing people to not smoke in pubs, though from a
personal point of view I'm much more likely to frequent a pub where I
don't smell of other people's cigarettes when I get home.

Because children are no longer (meant to be) able to go to them if they're
all smoking, this has meant that there have been plenty of pubs and bars in
Spain that cater for non-smokers (normally ones that have always been
popular with families) and plenty that cater for smokers (normally ones
where the landlord is also a smoker, or ones where kids don't tend to
frequent).

Children are accepted in many bars late at night in Spain, but not in
the UK.

Which is excellent, as it also means that smokers can enjoy pubs and bars
without screaming kids making a nuisance of themselves. I dare say some
non-smokers will start coming to the smoking bars for a quiet drink! :-))

I doubt it - any non smoker will prefer the noise of kids, and even the
smell of nappies to the smell of cigarettes. Besides - we don't have
the option here.

I don't think it will be anywhere near as well observed here in England as
it has been in Scotland and Ireland...

I really don't know. Why do you think that?