The Labour Government

[BrianW]

Public sector paybill is current £240bn, a third of spending on public services and 12% of all government spending.
Neglected?

I'm surprised it's as low as that.

Most public services are people-heavy by their very nature. For example, who wants their kids taught by a robot? Who wants their gran's arse wiped by a robot? Who wants hospital wards staffed by robots? Even if such technology existed.

There simply isn't the same scope for automation as in manufacturing.

Where jobs can be automated they largely have been. When I started at the Council in 1971 there were legions of clerks. One guy, for example, kept the accounts in a massive ledger, all done with pen and ink. There were vast typing pools. All those kinds of jobs have gone. They were gone 20 years ago and had been for years. I'm pretty certain that the Civil Service, NHS and any other organisation you can think of will have done the same.

 

[Blue and true]

This is ver pick-apartable.

Pick it apart then.

 

[Ifwecouldjust.......]

around 75k deaths per year are a result of smoking tobacco - one person dies every five minutes - not my figures they are from CRUK. Imagine if cigarettes had just been invented and someone proposed to sell something that killed 75k of its consumers annually there would be outcry.

Remember there has been outcries over vapes and possible harm so I don't get what is going on other than because its a Labour Govt proposition its a bad one. Many seem to forget Sunak's proposals on smoking - in the manifesto - was an ultimate phasing out of smoking aiming for a smoke free Britain by 2030. Don't recall Tories outrage at that plan - probably because it came from "their side"

Smoking costs the NHS £17bn per year.

Tories managed double that with their Universal credit cuts and sanctions

 

[Blue and true]

There are a lot less pubs nowadays mate, not a little a lot. Anyhow you ban smoking in beer gardens, when does the beer garden start and finish, say there is also a car park there? You can't smoke outside of the pub door, is that 1 foot away 2 foot 10 foot?
Say smokers have to congregate away from the pub somewhat. Let's say like spoons sometimes make you do. So those walking past on the pavement may get the dreaded waft of smoke. Let's say they don't drop dead on the spot:-) and then go into the pub. What's the point.
Hell you might not even have been going in the pub anyhow.

I quit smoking over a decade ago, i don't like the smell anymore and if I'm honest I prefer to avoid temptation even after this long. I can honestly say people smoking in a beer garden or outside a pub has never interfered with me. There is a limit on how much we should interfere in people's lives before the world becomes a very boring sterile place.

People seriously need to get some common sense, they're actual real world problems to worry about.

I agree there is a limit to how much we should interfere with people's liberties. But stopping them smoking in beer gardens is hardly authoritarian tyranny; banning smoking altogether? That shouldn't happen. Nor should banning alcohol consumption, despite the almighty strain it puts on the health service. Smokers can still enjoy their cigarettes without needing to light up next to others who don't want to destroy their lungs. I don't have children, but if I did and someone lit up next to them while they were eating their lunch I'd consider that person to a thoughtless wanker.

My gran, bless her, used to smoke two packs a day; but she would always go into the garden to smoke away from her grandkids.

 

[Blue and true]

It will be far harder to enforce than the current law on smoking which is actually pretty straightforward.

It would be incredibly hard to enforce. But then you could say the same about many laws. Shoplifting is a blight but we can't station an officer outside every corner shop in the country.

Besides, were it to come into effect I don't think it would be rigid; more akin to the fox-hunring ban. Some knobheads will turn a blind eye but most will abide by it.

 

[mosssideblue]

Whatever next

What’s wrong with this? Great idea

 

[Phil1]

Is trying, albeit clumsily atm, to put the nation on a healthy track deemed a bad thing these days over there?

 

[stonerblue]

Pick it apart then.

working mate. will get back to ou

 

[stonerblue]

I agree there is a limit to how much we should interfere with people's liberties. But stopping them smoking in beer gardens is hardly authoritarian tyranny; banning smoking altogether? That shouldn't happen. Nor should banning alcohol consumption, despite the almighty strain it puts on the health service. Smokers can still enjoy their cigarettes without needing to light up next to others who don't want to destroy their lungs. I don't have children, but if I did and someone lit up next to them while they were eating their lunch I'd consider that person to a thoughtless wanker.

My gran, bless her, used to smoke two packs a day; but she would always go into the garden to smoke away from her grandkids.

Did she (our Gran) fight for her right to paaarrrrrrtee.....?

 

[kaz7]

Of course it’s bad health wise, but the knock on effect could be enormous. Lots of pubs, restaurants and cafe may end up closing because of this.

Rusholme for instance is full of outdoor shisha bars.

But then how on earth do they enforce it? Large numbers of younger people like to vape now, how do you stop someone using that outside a pub or similar.

Really we should have a choice.

When smoking was banned indoors we had this crap about every where shutting down , it is nonsense , cigs are cancer sticks and a disgusting habit , smokers are as selfish as fuck , butts on the floor and infecting other people is was sets it apart from alcohol ,it can give you cancer , copd , which costs the nhs billions to look after

Ban it ,it is time