February 21, 2012

Smoking, Cops, And Gaoling The Innocent

Three separate stories for your perusal today.

Smoking story

Take a look at this utter nonsense and consider this: in the five years before the smoker ban less than 200 pubs (per year) closed their doors for good. In the five years following the ban, around TWO THOUSAND pubs have closed in each year up to 2012. We have lost almost 10,000 pubs and clubs. From a stock of 58,000 in 2006 we are now down to less than 48,000 in the whole of the UK. There is no doubt in my mind that the overwhelming majority closed due to the smoker ban. They forced us outside, where we are ridiculed, harassed, insulted, raped, and even attacked and killed. Still not happy, the anti-smoker* crowd now want to ban smoking outside pubs. Do take a closer look at the "study" they carried out. But before you do, consider that the very best study would involve questioning all 1.2 billion smokers. The very worst study would question just one smoker. This study interviewed.....13 people. It is less than useless.

*Please be aware that there is a world of difference between a non-smoker and an anti-smoker.

Cop story

This is really about lack of justice. Take a look at the poor fragile thieving copper in this tale. Then tell me, genuinely, that if it had been YOU that stole £70,000 from banks you would have walked free from court. I know that cops are not superhuman. I know they have the same flaws as the rest of us, but the very least I expect is for them NOT to run around stealing money. If you ever doubted that the cops and the judiciary enjoyed a "special relationship", lose that doubt today. All are NOT equal before the law.

Gaoling the innocent story

We all make mistakes, (as the blind dalek said, climbing off the dustbin), but most of us will try our best to rectify the mistake as quickly as possible. If you are the judiciary, you have some sort of special right to take your sweet time over it. Particularly when the poor sap is banged up in Strangeways. Read THIS and then try and convince me that our court service is fit for purpose. Put aside the fact that the guy is seeking asylum because that is not the issue. He did nothing wrong, and ended up in gaol for 16 weeks. If I were him, I'd pick another country to seek asylum in. This one is badly broken.

Three tales, discovered randomly, and the common denominator? Stupidity.

God help us.

CR.

7 comments:

Leg-iron said...

All those stories are just a sample of stupidity and all just from today.

Every day there is more and every day seems to produce something even more stupid than the day before.

One day soon, newspapers will be a single sheet with 'Duuuuuhhh' scrawled across it in crayon.

Nick said...

Story 1. Statistically insignificant, the phrase doesn't apply to this study. It is worthless, but the foaming antis and M.S.M. present it as a medical truth. Experts eh, we know the are drips under pressure.

Story 2. Equates to your story of the oil guy of yesterday, they look after their own. Even the Mail's comments don't have one in support of this judgement!

Story 3. 20 years ago this wouldn't have even been in court! At that time a prospective policeman would have to demonstrate a modicum of intelligence. Now the ptb need unquestioning Numpties to carry out all of their diktats. I'm almost glad I spend so little time in the U.K. now.

I could weep!

William said...

Odd I think not. Deliberately placed stories in the MSM definitely. Their purpose to spread confusion and ensure the peeps are well aware of their place 'in society'.

The thing is though although the mindless drones are reluctant to give up the tellybox they are at least deserting the papes in their thousands so there is positive change taking place. It just needs a kick up the arse.

Captain Ranty said...

Thanks lads.

I thought it was just me....

William, I don't think they will ever wake up. They don't want to. They think everything is alright.

CR.

Anonymous said...

When I quit smoking about 7 years ago, it was a little time before all these bans came in, my pub days slid away.
It wasn't just the smoking ban in pubs that reduced me going, as I didn't smoke any more, but drinking without smoking has a different effect, more potent. On me, maybe not for all.
Plus, the overriding factor was the smell of these places after the ban came in. Every pub was simultaneously forced to redecorate and practically fumigate their establishments. Some I entered were so bad without the cigarettes to cover up the smell of years of spilled drink on wooden floorboards, as well as the ingrained stale smoke, that it almost induced the gagging.
The other big change is that these social places are now just short evenings of interruption. If only a few of the party smoke, they will be up and outside like yo-yos, completely breaking up the flow of an evening. What's the point of going to a pub if you aren't comfortable there, really?
So, this triple whammy crashes down on the pubs, and they shut due to lack of custom, unless they turn into horrible, bright, modern coffee and food places instead!
My other half still smokes in the house, it doesn't bother me at all!

Captain Ranty said...

Anon,

Thanks for that.

Smokers are lucky in that support comes from so many that don't smoke. There may well be around 12-15 million smokers in the UK (no-one knows for certain) but with our tolerant friends we probably number around 30 million.

I did try the "smoke-free" pubs but I couldn't stand the smell of pee, vomit, B.O and cheap perfumes.

Plus, I vowed never to support a business that did not support me. I have deliberately not spent thousands of pounds in pubs over the last six years. They should have defended my right to smoke (even if it meant separation or better ventilation) and then I, and millions of others, would have carried on spending. Very few pubs would now be closed down.

You are bang on about the conversation disruption.

CR.

Anonymous said...

Mornin' Capn'..

I actually disagree with your view that smoking is not dangerous… After 40 years of smoking, I don't have any sign of COPD, I don't have any sign of lung cancer, but I do have circulatory problems which are starting to affect my feet… and I am still bloody smoking…

Anyway it is (as they say) my problem… Not the fu**in' government's…

But the reason for my comment here is related to a BBC programme the other night from Alastair Campbell (he of Tony Blair fame), apparently he is an alcoholic, and he was being interviewed on R4 about the upcoming programme… He lamented the closing of the pubs, because he thought that they had their own checks and balances regarding drinking… But he (of course) failed to join the dots… Ban smoking and you immediately discourage most of the people that want to go to them… So now they drink and smoke at home or at "shebeens", where the booze is acquired at much better prices, and (as you point out) the pubs go out of business.

Apart from the fact that the pubs are actually closing (isn't that evidence enough?), one could witness this effect in Spain, where they had two kinds of bar… The empty ones, that had a red "no smoking" sign on the door, and the full ones that had a green, "you make smoke" sign on the door.

So the choice for government, is to (if interested in serving, rather than controlling), repeal the smoking legislation… Or (if the latter), going after drinking. ( No doubt, it will be the porkers next).

mmm…

Can't wait for the utopia that our glorious leaders are creating for us.

I don't suppose they will re-criminalise suicide, so that we can all enjoy it together.