pubs

[gibson]

OK, a plug for "my local" the Carpenters Arms, should there be an apostrophe?
Nice place to go for good beer, food and a chat.  Just a regular myself, they have their own web site at http://www.the-carpenters-arms.com/Home.html although the food and drinks menu is not working yet. I'm sure Lynda will offer a warm welcome to anyone and everyone.
Of course the Rising Sun is down the road too, Steve and Doug keeping it alive. 
Important aspect of village life these places, if they aren't used they will disappear forever.
Cheers.

[gibson]

OK time for a little contentious matter! 

Since our loverly government decided that smoking is not allowed in "public" buildings, the smokers who use pubs (and lets be honest there are quite a lot) have to pursue their addiction outside.  At the Carpenter's this means the footpath at the front of the pub (for reasons we will not go into here, smoking is not permitted at the rear of the building).  So now there has to be an ashtray on the footpath.

However it has come to my attention that the Parish Council have objected to the ashtray and want it removed.

Conversely there have also apparently been "complaints" (who to?) about people "having to wade through a sea of cigarette butts".

Bit of a no win situation?  Alright the righteous amongst us may say that people should not smoke and that would solve it all.  However that is not the reality of the world we live in.

Is this symptomatic of the society we seem to live in whereby everybody wants to assert their own rights and sod everyone else?  IMHO We already have far too many rules designed to make us good little citizens and remove any freedom which I understood was a basic tenant of our green and pleasant land.  What happened to tolerance of other people's nasty little habits, and indeed the right to defend another person's point of view however wrong you may think it is.

And for the avoidance of doubt and to declare my self interest, yes I do smoke.

Oh and what happened to the bench that used to be outside the pub?

Good here init! )

Gibson

[Dixon Jones]

So what was wrong with smoking out the back? See,ed to work fine in the past... nice patio... heater... covered area.

Am I stepping into a minefield?

[gibson]

I understand that complaints where received from certain parties who live in the houses "at the back of" the pub, specifically that smoke was blowing into the open bedroom window.
Well, I suppose everyone has their opinions and rights, sometimes they clash.

Word of warning, before the Government banned smoking, they imposed greater taxes and various media campaigns telling everyone how bad it was.  Looks awefully similar to the current campaignes on binge drinking and minimum alcohol unit tax being proposed!

You read it here first, "Alcohol banned in UK, 2010 AD"