The Big Smoke No Longer

Aline writes: After almost a year of putting up with smoky restaurants, pubs, exhibit halls, etc., Parliament has passed a bill that will ban smoking in all public places in 2007. Yippee! I can’t wait to come back and not have to hang my coat outside because it reeks of smoke. This was seen as quite a slap in the face to Tony Blair, who championed a compromise bill that would allow smoking in pubs that don’t serve food (needless to say, pubs simply threatened to stop serving food). The MPs instead passed a much stronger bill that doesn’t allow the exception. We are doing our part by telling everyone we know how well it works in California, and countering that same tired argument about how it will send pubs out of business (remember those arguments?). I look forward to breathing deeply in the near future!