Big Brother, Blueshirt Style: Smoking Ban on Beaches

This charming proposal was in most of the newspapers today (taken here from the Irish Times):

SMOKING WILL be banned in public parks, on beaches and boardwalks and in sportsgrounds, if the Minister for Health has his way.

At a conference hosted by the Irish Heart Foundation yesterday, James Reilly said he wanted to “go a step further” than banning smoking in cars with children.

“It is essential that we denormalise smoking,” Dr Reilly said.

“We are getting more support for my plans to ban smoking in cars, but I would like to go further. I would like to do what they’ve done in New York, where smoking is banned in parks and on beaches, where children are likely to be and observe behaviour, because that is where they are and they learn what ‘big’ people do. So, I certainly intend to pursue that at Cabinet.”

If society was determined to tackle issues such as smoking and obesity, “we need to take the critics head on and take the action that is required”.

Those determined to improve the nation’s health must reject the accusations of those, many with vested interests, that the State was behaving as a “nanny state,” Dr Reilly said. “The State has a duty of care to its citizens.”

First off, a confession: I smoke, and do so a lot when I go fishing. I don't like the fact that I smoke, and if I can I'll give up (just not today ...). And I've no problem with people, especially kids, being discouraged from smoking. I'd even go along with smoking being banned at any youth events (angling competitions included). But ...

I deeply resent any government goon outfit deciding that they know better than me when it comes to actions that affect no one but myself. In a pub? Yes, the staff are affected, so bad luck for me. Bit a bucking feach? You'd need to travel to the moon to find an environment where fag smoke is less likely to impact on anyone. Even if you flick a mountain of fag butts into the tide (which I don't advocate), the things are biodegradable and decay within days. Another stroke of genius involves banning smoking in cars for the protection of children. Not necessarily cars with children in them, mind--cars in general. Sure, you'll never bate those kids: climbing in and out of cars all the while, without the drivers even knowing they're inside. It only makes sense to ban the smoking for the kids' sake, just in case fifteen of them are hiding behind the driver's seat and you never saw them get in. Less a stroke of genius than just a stroke, if you ask me.

So, I cordially invite gardaí, power freaks and members of the general public who don't know a civil liberty from a civil request to go ***k yourself to arrest me when I light up on the beach. All they'll have to do is find the cliff path, get the right state of the tide, cross the waist-deep stream, hop over fifty-odd jagged rocks and they might find me.

Only by then, I'll probably have packed up and gone back to the car, where I'll be enjoying one of Cuba's finest ...

I think its a good idea on highly populated beaches during the summer. Some cork beaches are so busy you can find it hard to leave without tripping over someone but it shouldnt be a blanket ban . Winter months or after six it should be back to normal

Ridiculous idea, sounds like a late April fools joke, just another example of personal freedom going down in unison with the boom. What's next

Ridiculous idea, sounds like a late April fools joke, just another example of personal freedom going down in unison with the boom. What's next

[1]your right to fish for free in the ocean [2]the right to flush your loo twice if it needs it without cosulting your wallet.[3]t he right to vote the way you want to not the way your directed too.[4]the right to water in your home that you paid for with every tax they could hit you with. jayus martyn ,we could fill this page

Don't give them any more bright ideas Derek, you only forgot to mention getting denied access to free air for breathing .
Fortunately though, even if it should be established as a law, I doubt it would be enforceable. Wild West business everywhere in the country when cop shops display their all too obvious 'closed for business' signature.
Can't imagine anyone really could be bothered checking up on angling marks, apart from the cost and manpower this would involve.

[quote="The Austrian"]Don't give them any more bright ideas Derek, you only forgot to mention getting denied access to free air for breathing . no thats not coming in till 2014 eu bottle air tax. the only good thing with it is you will be able to wade out and drop your hooks no more having to cast

Lads will you get back on topic. Water charges and other grievances-du-jour have nothing to do with the issue being discussed.

There might be a case for it in bathing areas between life guard flags, but pretty unenforceable here otherwise I'd guess.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/nyreg ... oking.html

Vetoed by the governor in Ca.
http://www.californiality.com/2010/05/c ... g-ban.html

There might be a case for it in bathing areas between life guard flags, but pretty unenforceable here otherwise I'd guess.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/nyreg ... oking.html

Vetoed by the governor in Ca.
http://www.californiality.com/2010/05/c ... g-ban.html

Exactly my point. A law to cover a practice that affects no one and which is unenforceable. What exactly is the point of this? Let's hope big Arnie's precedent in California is what happens here too.

Doesnt suprise me... as in my other non-fishing life im involved with a protest group via facebook, some of the stuff these boyos have done and are trying to get away with is plain ridiclous! gotten sick of them a month after they came into power, by the way Dr Reilly lives in a nice 18th century mansion so he is a mere common man like the rest of us as for smoking and fishing, anybody that has the pleasure of fishing with me will know i smoke like a trooper, its one of lifes simple pleasures that when I am out away from the kids, lines in the water and all the gear set out I can then just sit on my tackle box and have a smoke! This government everyday trys to pass something ridiculous in front of the Irish People yet behind the scenes they are pushing more serious issues, half the times i wonder if they are purposely doing stuff like this to act as a smoke screen..........."Loook folks what this hand is doing...dont mind my other hand in your pocket... its merely just resting there!!"

[nicefish]

They should use Dollymount as a test case.Imagine on a sunny day in June going up to a group of lads and telling them to put out their cigarettes that they are not allowed to smoke , well if you were tired of living you would.

Last edited by nicefish on Mon Apr 23, 2012 10:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

Considering that most marks I fish you would be lucky to see a couple of other anglers I would like to see who is going to enforce these proposed new regualtions, smacks of regulation for regulations sake, typical blueshirt reactionary bullsh*t, you would think that they would have a lot more pressing issues to deal with.

its like been back in school but if the school couldent stop you behind the bike shed and think of all the practice you have had hiding your smoke if it is passed they will have the same fines for smoking in a prohibited area which is 500 euros. and can be easily inforced by a park warden or council employee with a camera.and have them working on commission and so goes another one of our basic rights.when the litter laws for chewing gum and cigerette butts was passed no one thought it was inforcable. i was done about two weeks after it was passed. dropped a cigerette butt out the window of the car in traffic and a letter to the house fixed fine of 150 euros.not one to take it lying down i rang the office gave my details.the nice lady told me we can go to court but we have the cigerette butt with your dna on it. if you go to court and its proved its your butt you pay all the costs for the dna test which stood at 2000.they also use traffic cameras at lights .it turned out in my case the litter warden was standing on the pavement beside my car when i dropped it.and took photos of my reg and of the butt smoldering on the road and i dident see a bit of him

If I had my way I'd ban it on all freshwater lakes and rivers. I'm sick of catching trout on any sort of stockie lake which is full of fag butts from them mixing them up with the pellets they were raised on.

If I had my way I'd ban it on all freshwater lakes and rivers. I'm sick of catching trout on any sort of stockie lake which is full of fag butts from them mixing them up with the pellets they were raised on.

there problably isint that much in the difference

If I had my way I'd ban it on all freshwater lakes and rivers. I'm sick of catching trout on any sort of stockie lake which is full of fag butts from them mixing them up with the pellets they were raised on.

there problably isint that much in the difference

There is one huge difference in that at least a pellet can be digested unlike a fagbutt with just sits in their stomach until they starve to death.

Anyone ever notice how the government always announces some stupid big brother law just before a big vote?

Last year they talked about banning smoking in private cars, now its in public..

Smoke and mirrors to distract people from whats really happening.
Today the papers released an article on how the government has spent 17 mill on crap like letter openers and bikkies.

Distraction!

Anyone ever notice how the government always announces some stupid big brother law just before a big vote?

Last year they talked about banning smoking in private cars, now its in public..

Smoke and mirrors to distract people from whats really happening.
Today the papers released an article on how the government has spent 17 mill on crap like letter openers and bikkies.

Distraction!

yes always a smoke screen excuse the pun politics is never 100% honest always half truths, inflate the first statement and then reduce it, so the gullible public will think they have done well to get away with what ever they end up paying for, even though it was free to them all along. like the medical cards a few years back release a statment announcing a charge of 2 euros per item on perscriptions,wait for the outcry and then settle for 50 cent.and the people think agh thats not so bad. or launch a new marine bill and tell everyone they need to be involved that this great for the future of angling and hit them with a new sea rod license and permit system

whatever about fishing and smoking on a beach - cigarette butts are not biodegradable!

they take years to break down, along with the plastic packaging

take your rubbish home

http://archive.blisstree.com/feel/10-th ... tt-litter/

http://lifeguardsireland.blogspot.com/2 ... n-our.html

as regards a ban - ludricous - cant even implement laws in place already

whatever about fishing and smoking on a beach - cigarette butts are not biodegradable!

they take years to break down, along with the plastic packaging

take your rubbish home

http://archive.blisstree.com/feel/10-th ... tt-litter/

http://lifeguardsireland.blogspot.com/2 ... n-our.html

as regards a ban - ludricous - cant even implement laws in place already

i dont know about down your way corby but in dublin they inspect licenced premises quite regular any signs of smoking on the premises ie butts in urinals and they get a large fine.