Might have to purchase me one of these.
Interesting read given the furore about Angela Rayner’s “I’m working class, I love to dance” trip to Ibiza.
She must have upset Keir!
Her argument is really weak I think.
Fox hunting was banned for good reason nearly 20 years ago. The Tories had 14 years to overturn it and didn’t.
Labours 2007 smoking ban was chided at the time as a war on fun. In fact it has saved billions for the NHS and plenty of lives too. People would never want to go back to the days of smoking indoors. We have fewer pubs because supermarkets sell booze so cheaply and due to a myriad of changing social habits.
Banning smoking in pub gardens is a side issue anyway - the numbers of people smoking declines year on year already and the actual hard hitting policy in that bill will be to raise the smoking age incrementally. If people are that bothered they can nip out for a fag for five minutes and leave their pint. Pubs saying they’ll have to close - I don’t really buy it. Fags stink, going into some pub gardens is horrible. And I say that as a former 20 a day man! Bring it on as far as I’m concerned.
Stopping take away joints from targeting school kids is good policy too. We have a child obesity crisis, it isn’t going to solve itself and this is one way of discouraging consumption.
Anyway, I’m rambling 
.
Fair points. Not a ramble.
Yet to read the article so can’t comment on it but UnHerd is owned by Paul Marshall who also owns such bastions of balance as GB News.
And is in talks to take over the Spectator apparently, yay
Not too sure why people get fixated on who owns a publication. Do you seriously only read an article if you approve of the publication owner? No great secret Unherd has a conservative bias, but sometimes has good articles with more universal appeal. See also The Times, Tortoise, FT
No, but that guy seems to have a habit of using his hedge-fund money to push extreme views & disinformation. Fair point if there’s more sensible stuff on there.
Re: Jo’s point., I agree, I was probably a lot more libertarian on fags n booze in the past but covid made me more aware of how you need the state in health emergencies and ageing populations are also forcing the state’s hand. I guess it gets more complicated when the Chinese take it to the other extreme and suppress all freedoms, so it’s getting the right balance…
I deliberately read broadly to challenge my views inc some of the references you’ve made, I’m not interested in solely existing within echo chambers. However, as @reubenturner mentions below Marshall is pushing an agenda so just worth being conscious of that when imbibing ‘his’ material.
Don’t disagree with either of you there
My guess is GB News won’t last. It’s pitched at old farts who are not the future. Still, did have a chuckle at that mad chat show John Cleese did, with the nuns playing cards in the saloon bar. Surreal wasn’t the half of it
The issue for me is how this might affect nightclubs not pubs.
Yes you can leave your pint in a pub and go for a walk round the block for a fag if the garden is off limits but there are numerous very good reasons why clubs can’t let people do this.
The security issues in allowing people to leave 10 times a night, go 100m up the road for a fag and then allow them back in are a much greater danger to customers than breathing in someone’s 2nd hand smoke when they are already smoking themselves!
I was operations manager for a club when the original ban came in and although we managed to create an outside smoking area at the back I know others whose pavement smoking areas were used as reasons in attempts to revoke licenses. The same would happen if club goers were roaming the streets at all hours.
As @jolyon says smoking is very much in decline anyway so to me this seems like an unnecessarily big stick to use and they’ve not thought it thru esp when it comes to nightclubs.
Very fair point Tim.
Yes agree with your pov on broad reading. I like to know what different people are thinking. The unherd view is not necessarily my own personal view. It’s critical to know where the power / motivation behind the publication lies though.
My frustration with politics/ society is often that I don’t fit easily into one box.
I certainly wouldn’t normally read (or recommend) The S*n, but just stumbled across this; Rocky and Diesel talking about Donald Byrd and Patrick Adams records in a piece about Ashley Beedle!
I hope it helps with the fundraiser, but feels incongruous to say the least!
It will make my week if this man makes it to the final!
Really enjoyed Satsuma Complex and now onto this. Refreshing to read something that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Guess it helps when the author doesn’t identify as one and strive for artistic merit above entertainment value. Which is Bob in a nutshell.
Well, it didn’t work out after five amazing sets, but Fritz will do. Also, unsure of the forum’s interest, but maybe a new thread? Tennis, anyone?