When I was 11 years old and nearing the end of my time in primary school, I remember our headmaster, Mr Brown, gathering both Year 5 and Year 6 in the school hall each week for what he called a 'debating session'. What he proposed was something which was done more frequently in schools in the mid twentieth century and across the Atlantic. A controversial topic was chosen and two people were told to research one side of the argument, whilst another two pupils were asked to argue the other side. After a week to prepare, they would then be asked to present their arguments to the rest of the class and take any questions about their viewpoint. Then our headmaster would take a vote and the pupils who argued their points most elequently by grabbing the most votes would win the debate. It was a great opportunity to talk about current events which the curriculum would not cover and I guess its something you develop, and you cannot simply teach. When the floor was open for topics for discussion, I remember suggesting as an example something like Northern Ireland (the question resembled 'should we give it back to the Irish' or something along those lines). On the very first occasion however, the topic was centred on whether or not everyone should be able to own guns, and depaite the topic I was chuffed to bits to be asked along with my good friend Chris to argue the case for uninhibited public gun use. My reservations were felt as I had no real conviction in this argument. I knew Chris more pro-gun than I was, so I knew he had a better idea of why people needed guns. To be honest I cant remember what we argued, but I bet it was something along the lines of they gave people a greater sense of security if used properly, or that they can be good fun within the limits of the law. I can't remember who won the debate either, but again I could probably guess we lost because let's face it, despite the male vote and the bravado which comes with guns in popular culture, we had to fight the glaringly grim fact that guns actually kill people; a fact not blurred even when you're ten or eleven years old.
What makes me think about this moment in short history is that this is a time long before the tragic school shooting of Columbine and more recently, the Virginia Tech massacre last week. But it wasn't too far away from a recent gun tragedy. As primary school children we argued the cases for and against general gun use in 1995, and then in the following year, Dunblane happened. I was in high school when that happened, and it rocked our world. It then became obvious how easy it is for someone to do that in schools up and down the country. As a result of the shooting in Scotland, that very primary school where I spent my years now resembles Fort Knox; complete with bars on the windows, on all the doors, and an intercom system at the main entrance. On a visit back to see the teachers one time, I remembered how easy it was to walk in and out of the school compared to when I returned, dear old Mr Brown was even apprehensive over letting me through the doors to the place where I learned my right from wrong.
But here I digress - I only mean to show here that Dunblane did have an impact on our lives, just like the other school shootings of Columbine and Beslan did. What happened in Virginia will certainly do the same; It will make us run the same debate that we argued back in primary school. It will make us think about whether we should have guns in public hands, whether our schools are doing enough to protect our children, whether we should be banning all kinds of potentially lethal objects from their pockets. If we take the guns away, we may solve the problem. But before that, isn't there an underlying issue which everyone is forgetting? Why do these maniacs carry out these heinous acts in the first place? If they are mentally unstable, why are they being allowed to purchase guns? I am not ruling out the role of guns completely here, but it is clear that something else is at work here which makes America the school shooting capital of the world.
It is not a strictly an American phenomenon, but it is certainly one which America has to accept a particular unwanted monopoly of. Critics have now placed much emphasis on the effects Columbine has had on a generation of gun-toting teenagers and because it keeps happening and gets notoriety in the press, it will keep happening. Britain isn't a gun-free paradise itself as gang warfare is on the rise, but here it just doesn't happen to the same scale as it does in the States. The most disturbing thing about these shootings is that kids are often the shooters - at kids, by kids. Whe Dunblane happened, we made sure we took steps to rid our streets of guns so another massacre like that could ever happen again, by appealing to everyone to simply give up their guns. In the States, that just isn't going to happen.
For me its the complete arrogance of the Americans when it comes to the issue. In the States, the very notion of not having a gun is just uncomprehendable. They argue it is pretty much their God-given right to have one, to protect their interests and their property. If that argument fails, they wave the Constitution in your face like a wet fish stating that gives them total justification to have that Gloch in their back pocket. The debate I experienced in school would just not happen, because the law gives the right and sets it firmly in stone. For Americans who love their guns, their conscience is eased, or never even envoked by a law made over 200 years ago. And to think 200 years ago, we thought slavery was great for the economy. But slavery soon became to be considered inhumane and wrong. Why? Because it felt wrong. If a piece of paper said it was right, they knew in their hearts deep down that something wasn't right about it. Their moral conscience spoke up and overturned any law that was in place. So why should Americans hide behind their piece of paper - if they can prove that they can have guns, they should do it not by saying "But the Constitution says we can". One excuse was that some people would rather take things into their own hands because they don't trust the government or the police. Maybe more energy should be placed into making the public trust their government and the poilce force. Easier said than done, but a step nonetheless.
To some, this problem is just about getting rid of all the guns - no guns, no way kids can massacre other adolescent teens. Guns do of course represent a large part of the problem, but underneath, we seem to forget that these people shoot for a reason, and in addition, because they can. Family problems, broken homes, kids who don't fit in - yeah they all have their role in this too. But their regular, usual and unordinary raging hormones are given a real chance to flourish into a horrid evil with immense power at their fingertips. A British kid may beat up some poor sod who walks down the street, an American kid pops into K-mart with a fraudulent ID and soon has a rifle to play 'cops and robbers' with. It is a moral question which Americans do not understand - in a land where liberty often overrules the ethical and the right, no real intention will be paid to gun control unless the Bush adminstration act upon it. And with financial incentives in consideration (see Bowling for Columbine for further details), I'm sure it will be a long time before America wakes up.
Giving It Both Barrels
One of the greatest comedians of our time, Al Murray here displays his loud and British proud alterego, The Landlord, in good form during his recent Giving It Both Barrels tour. You have to love his hatred towards students, the French (and everyone else non-British really) and everything else which interferes with his traditional view of a British society. He just loves the Welsh as you will find out! Here he talks about the wonder of the Scots, the Geordies and the Scousers, and the concept of how we as the British are not confined to a single identity. In fact we are Brit....iiiiiisssssssh!!!
Every Little Helps (build your supermarket empire)
There was no surprise that this week when it was announced that Tesco has now amassed profits as large of £2.55 billion. There is no sign of it stopping either as they look to expand the business and go multinational, supposedly in Japan and the States. Tesco is now the UK's biggest retailer and their market share dwarfs the share that Asda, Morrison and Sainsbury's have, despite a small increase for them. If you are vigilant in watching supermarkets pop up all over the place the Tesco revolution will be familiar to you. What I consider to be more interesting is the meteoric rise of Tesco and how they have proven to be a lot more ruthless in what resembles a quest for world domination.
It is not just this announcement which has provoked a post from me today. The Echo recently featured a piece on how two Tesco shops (one Express and one Metro, supposedly makes all the difference) which are no more than a mile apart charge different prices on certain items like bread and milk. This aspect is not new news to me - I once watched a Trevor McDonald 'Tonight' programme on the rise of the supermarket juggernaut on how Tesco says local, smaller shops have to charge more money for some goods due to different costs in running the stores, i.e. lighting, rent, etc.. Which means that even though you may have a Tesco Express near your doorstep, don't necessarily think you will get Tesco prices. But what worries me is the sheer monopoly Tesco has this Western area of Cardiff - where three stores operate, in addition to two of those stores being on the same street. Is there any point of having these stores so close together? No - it is just complete exploitation of the area and will surely have an effect on the small businesses which strive so hard to survive despite already tough competition from Somerfield. On a national scale other examples of Tesco's choice of location have been known to have giant superstores closer together, which again borders on the region of pure greed. The reason why £1 out of every £7 pounds you spend on the high street goes into Tesco's piggy bank is that they have now conquered the superstores, but they make sure they stay dominant in the towns and recently, in the suburbs and mini shopping centres in the likes of Grangetown and Whithchurch.
Some might say fair gain. If there is an empty space in the high street which could be better off giving the locals their morning paper, then why should anyone object to it? Tesco in competition with the other supermarkets will always give the customer the benefits - as they play off each other we stand to gain from the price war carnage in the shopping aisles. So why do I have a problem with Tesco? There is something very cold about shopping in a Tesco, which is a feeling I get and I find hard to explain. But here goes: Tesco can assure me a bargain, but the whole shopping experience is marred by the fact that 9/10 times I shop there I am treated like a moronic ghost at the checkouts. For me, Tesco is not about being 'happy to help' at all - I think as a whole the company could do more for customer relations. Maybe I'm being incredibly biased because of my Argos loyalties here, but its what I see, what I think and I know others have agreed with me.
And yet, I still go back. Shopping in Tesco is too often a guilty pleasure for me, one which I feel wrong for doing but its something I do anyway. Call it an addiction, call it chocolate cake, call it a drug; I just can't help but be pulled in by the ease of parking, location, convenience and choice. Yes I am a 21st century boy - spoiled and captivated with 24 hour shopping and I have a 'I want it now' attitude. I know what Tesco does to farmers and how it hurts the rural community. I know how Tesco really couldn't give a damn about me and just wants my money then wants me to leave and then come back again. I guess I shouldn't moan - after all, its only a shop, providing a service which the average consumer certainly enjoys. If everyone else thinks its ok, surely it must be fine? With a mentality like that you could fit right at home in Nazi Germany.....
It is not just this announcement which has provoked a post from me today. The Echo recently featured a piece on how two Tesco shops (one Express and one Metro, supposedly makes all the difference) which are no more than a mile apart charge different prices on certain items like bread and milk. This aspect is not new news to me - I once watched a Trevor McDonald 'Tonight' programme on the rise of the supermarket juggernaut on how Tesco says local, smaller shops have to charge more money for some goods due to different costs in running the stores, i.e. lighting, rent, etc.. Which means that even though you may have a Tesco Express near your doorstep, don't necessarily think you will get Tesco prices. But what worries me is the sheer monopoly Tesco has this Western area of Cardiff - where three stores operate, in addition to two of those stores being on the same street. Is there any point of having these stores so close together? No - it is just complete exploitation of the area and will surely have an effect on the small businesses which strive so hard to survive despite already tough competition from Somerfield. On a national scale other examples of Tesco's choice of location have been known to have giant superstores closer together, which again borders on the region of pure greed. The reason why £1 out of every £7 pounds you spend on the high street goes into Tesco's piggy bank is that they have now conquered the superstores, but they make sure they stay dominant in the towns and recently, in the suburbs and mini shopping centres in the likes of Grangetown and Whithchurch.
Some might say fair gain. If there is an empty space in the high street which could be better off giving the locals their morning paper, then why should anyone object to it? Tesco in competition with the other supermarkets will always give the customer the benefits - as they play off each other we stand to gain from the price war carnage in the shopping aisles. So why do I have a problem with Tesco? There is something very cold about shopping in a Tesco, which is a feeling I get and I find hard to explain. But here goes: Tesco can assure me a bargain, but the whole shopping experience is marred by the fact that 9/10 times I shop there I am treated like a moronic ghost at the checkouts. For me, Tesco is not about being 'happy to help' at all - I think as a whole the company could do more for customer relations. Maybe I'm being incredibly biased because of my Argos loyalties here, but its what I see, what I think and I know others have agreed with me.
And yet, I still go back. Shopping in Tesco is too often a guilty pleasure for me, one which I feel wrong for doing but its something I do anyway. Call it an addiction, call it chocolate cake, call it a drug; I just can't help but be pulled in by the ease of parking, location, convenience and choice. Yes I am a 21st century boy - spoiled and captivated with 24 hour shopping and I have a 'I want it now' attitude. I know what Tesco does to farmers and how it hurts the rural community. I know how Tesco really couldn't give a damn about me and just wants my money then wants me to leave and then come back again. I guess I shouldn't moan - after all, its only a shop, providing a service which the average consumer certainly enjoys. If everyone else thinks its ok, surely it must be fine? With a mentality like that you could fit right at home in Nazi Germany.....
[spunge]
I failed to mention in my last post that on Easter Sunday I went to see the ska-punk legends [spunge] in Cardiff Barfly with Plasmo, Mike and Dave. It was great and all....
Now you know me by now. I can't leave a post like that!
This gig was a great reminder of some awesome gigs I went to in the year in which I blown all my earnings just to see any glimmer of live music. 2002 was a great year muscially for me, I went to Ozzfest in Donnington Parkand notably saw System of a Down, to the Reading festival and saw my punk legends The Offspring, and I had the chance to see Green Day in Coopers Field, which at the time was totally mind blowing for our generation. People stepped back in disbelief at the very thought of Billie Joe, Tre and Mike coming to Britain, let alone Wales! On that sunny July day it was [spunge] who had the honour of opening up, and I only caught a small bit of their set because we had problems getting in at the gate. But I'm sure I saw them before hand as I ended up going to good few ska punk gigs around the time and I sure they did a few shows in the circuit. They had the world at their feet in regards to the rock media, interviews, music videos on Kerrang and of course, the chance to support on the world's most popular and talented punk bands.
Fast forward to 2007, and I admit, I haven't given [spunge] much of sniff as I have branched out into other types of music, mainly indie. In fact, it wasn't really until I was living with Plasmo last year I really remembered how good they were. I even dug out my old 'Compunktion' CD complete with Britain's finest ska-punk bands - the likes of King Prawn, Capdown and Farse, and not forgetting local talent like Shooting Goon. To avoid any disappointment therefore, I went along with an open mind and no real pre-conceptions of what these gigs were like.
When we arrived it was clear that the scene hasn't really changed; tipsy adolescent kids with Carling lager cans at hand, dressing up as alternative as possible complete with makeup and badges on their baggy jeans, and toking on pristine rolled-up cigarettes they all made in avid preparation. In fact, despite being known for complete randomness and spontenaeity, the formula of a punk rock show is incredibly preditable. If the bill has 3 bands it goes like this - the first band, pretty much unknown, probably young, will also probably suck and try to work the crowd unsuccessfully, but they will never be short on effort. The second band in support will be a bit better, will possibly get a good pit going at the front, will work the crowd much better and will most likely be a more 'experienced' band - a bunch of 30 year olds who live off touring all the time. And of course, the headline act will be the real reason everyone is there. There was no surprises in this gig. If there were any eye-brow raisers at all it was the quality of the second band, who really got the crowd fired up.
However there was outstaging [spunge] themselves, who played a good set and certainly set the place on fire. They had so many songs to choose they couldn't fail to disappoint - Kicking Pigeons, Jump on Demand, Ego, Skanking Song, Roots.. the list goes on. The pit in front was also really electric too. Their famous cover versions of Down Under (Men at Work) and No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley) were also pretty good. The only drawback that both Plasmo and I agreed on was the fact that the newer stuff was not as good, which suggests to me maybe (only maybe) that their heyday is in the past. Yet despite our thoughts and the very suggestion that [spunge] are reaching their rock and roll retirement, this gig was a sellout with ticketless people being promptly pushed away at the door. Are [spunge] still fresh in the hearts and minds of the rock proletariat, despite having gone underground and kept a low profile for many years?
But on reflection of the evening, maybe this massive rapport is not about the band. I mean I have seen some crummy bands in my time but I have still been up for going to a gig based on the type of music being played. Half of the people in that gig (mainly kids or over 14's as I should specify) probably only heard a few songs by the headline act or no songs at all, but like the genre. And looking at the swarms of people who go in groups, its most likely more to do with the social aspect of the gig - making new friends, seeing old ones, seeing ones which you wouldn't see anywhere else other than that type of gig. Its about getting drunk, having a good skank, but most of all and I can very much vouch for this, they are about growing up. This fact sometimes holds me back from wanting to clamp some unruly 17 year old who is throwing his water into the air - he is only growing up and he is finding his sanctuary in the world which mocks him for wearing the 'wrong' clothes.
So if theses type of gigs are about growing up, in retrospect it should have been no surprise that the people I used to see at these gigs were no longer skanking hard. Whether they went to uni and whether or not they changed their music types, you know above all that they have matured and simply have grown up. I think that's one thing which shocked me the most, but perhaps was the most obvious fact after all these years - everyone grows up.
But don't get me wrong - I still moan about 'mini-moshers' and 'teenboppers' alike. For one thing they sure made me feel old!
Now you know me by now. I can't leave a post like that!
This gig was a great reminder of some awesome gigs I went to in the year in which I blown all my earnings just to see any glimmer of live music. 2002 was a great year muscially for me, I went to Ozzfest in Donnington Parkand notably saw System of a Down, to the Reading festival and saw my punk legends The Offspring, and I had the chance to see Green Day in Coopers Field, which at the time was totally mind blowing for our generation. People stepped back in disbelief at the very thought of Billie Joe, Tre and Mike coming to Britain, let alone Wales! On that sunny July day it was [spunge] who had the honour of opening up, and I only caught a small bit of their set because we had problems getting in at the gate. But I'm sure I saw them before hand as I ended up going to good few ska punk gigs around the time and I sure they did a few shows in the circuit. They had the world at their feet in regards to the rock media, interviews, music videos on Kerrang and of course, the chance to support on the world's most popular and talented punk bands.
Fast forward to 2007, and I admit, I haven't given [spunge] much of sniff as I have branched out into other types of music, mainly indie. In fact, it wasn't really until I was living with Plasmo last year I really remembered how good they were. I even dug out my old 'Compunktion' CD complete with Britain's finest ska-punk bands - the likes of King Prawn, Capdown and Farse, and not forgetting local talent like Shooting Goon. To avoid any disappointment therefore, I went along with an open mind and no real pre-conceptions of what these gigs were like.
When we arrived it was clear that the scene hasn't really changed; tipsy adolescent kids with Carling lager cans at hand, dressing up as alternative as possible complete with makeup and badges on their baggy jeans, and toking on pristine rolled-up cigarettes they all made in avid preparation. In fact, despite being known for complete randomness and spontenaeity, the formula of a punk rock show is incredibly preditable. If the bill has 3 bands it goes like this - the first band, pretty much unknown, probably young, will also probably suck and try to work the crowd unsuccessfully, but they will never be short on effort. The second band in support will be a bit better, will possibly get a good pit going at the front, will work the crowd much better and will most likely be a more 'experienced' band - a bunch of 30 year olds who live off touring all the time. And of course, the headline act will be the real reason everyone is there. There was no surprises in this gig. If there were any eye-brow raisers at all it was the quality of the second band, who really got the crowd fired up.
However there was outstaging [spunge] themselves, who played a good set and certainly set the place on fire. They had so many songs to choose they couldn't fail to disappoint - Kicking Pigeons, Jump on Demand, Ego, Skanking Song, Roots.. the list goes on. The pit in front was also really electric too. Their famous cover versions of Down Under (Men at Work) and No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley) were also pretty good. The only drawback that both Plasmo and I agreed on was the fact that the newer stuff was not as good, which suggests to me maybe (only maybe) that their heyday is in the past. Yet despite our thoughts and the very suggestion that [spunge] are reaching their rock and roll retirement, this gig was a sellout with ticketless people being promptly pushed away at the door. Are [spunge] still fresh in the hearts and minds of the rock proletariat, despite having gone underground and kept a low profile for many years?
But on reflection of the evening, maybe this massive rapport is not about the band. I mean I have seen some crummy bands in my time but I have still been up for going to a gig based on the type of music being played. Half of the people in that gig (mainly kids or over 14's as I should specify) probably only heard a few songs by the headline act or no songs at all, but like the genre. And looking at the swarms of people who go in groups, its most likely more to do with the social aspect of the gig - making new friends, seeing old ones, seeing ones which you wouldn't see anywhere else other than that type of gig. Its about getting drunk, having a good skank, but most of all and I can very much vouch for this, they are about growing up. This fact sometimes holds me back from wanting to clamp some unruly 17 year old who is throwing his water into the air - he is only growing up and he is finding his sanctuary in the world which mocks him for wearing the 'wrong' clothes.
So if theses type of gigs are about growing up, in retrospect it should have been no surprise that the people I used to see at these gigs were no longer skanking hard. Whether they went to uni and whether or not they changed their music types, you know above all that they have matured and simply have grown up. I think that's one thing which shocked me the most, but perhaps was the most obvious fact after all these years - everyone grows up.
But don't get me wrong - I still moan about 'mini-moshers' and 'teenboppers' alike. For one thing they sure made me feel old!
An Easter Post
Easter - a time for rest, a time for reflection, a time for eating ridiculous amounts of chocolate. But for me, only the last of those activities is carried out as I regularly undertake a work-a-thon over the Easter weekend. This year it was even more important to me, considering that I am still in the hunt of a full time job; the interview I mentioned on a previous post went well, but ultimately unsuccessful. I am still pumping out application after application, and now I have arranged an assessment session with CardiffWorks, the council's 'temping agency'. So hopefully things are on the up in the employment front.
But back to Easter, and I decided to work Easter Sunday and Easter Monday this year. Good Friday was fully booked staff wise, so I bummed around and waited to go out with Jen on a night out scheduled by Nathan. It was full of good pub food (although Jen was convinced her chicken meal made her sick, and notably took its toll on her over the whole weekend, poor princess!), a good old natter and Lithuanian beer. On Easter Sunday the store was closed, so the 8 of us who decided to work (and get paid, instead of having it off as one of our holiday days or having it unpaid) were given cleaning duties. Namely, buffering the stockroom floors - all day. Therefore the glory of Christ's ascension was not the only thing was rising for me on this most holy of days (take that as sexual innuendo if you must), but I was also worshipping of the ascension of the deeply encrusted dirt which inhabited within the filthy tiled floor. Jen, who also decided to work, was just as unimpressed by the day as I was, as it proved to be a complete waste of time the following day. Already our hard work seemed to be fading away, becoming blackened with the dirt of the day. It was okay though, as the Steed Unit was in on Easter Monday and his diligence and hard work re-energised me and made the day go that little bit quicker.
I hate bank holidays. Yeah they pay well, but they just throw my week. Before I know it after a bank holiday weekend, my week is cut short and already I'm sorting out the QVR team for Tuesday. We suffered a dreadful defeat also last night, which may have cost us promotion into Division Three. In a quick nutshell, with all that and a glimpse of the new Doctor Who (hmm still undecided) that was my Easter 2007.
But back to Easter, and I decided to work Easter Sunday and Easter Monday this year. Good Friday was fully booked staff wise, so I bummed around and waited to go out with Jen on a night out scheduled by Nathan. It was full of good pub food (although Jen was convinced her chicken meal made her sick, and notably took its toll on her over the whole weekend, poor princess!), a good old natter and Lithuanian beer. On Easter Sunday the store was closed, so the 8 of us who decided to work (and get paid, instead of having it off as one of our holiday days or having it unpaid) were given cleaning duties. Namely, buffering the stockroom floors - all day. Therefore the glory of Christ's ascension was not the only thing was rising for me on this most holy of days (take that as sexual innuendo if you must), but I was also worshipping of the ascension of the deeply encrusted dirt which inhabited within the filthy tiled floor. Jen, who also decided to work, was just as unimpressed by the day as I was, as it proved to be a complete waste of time the following day. Already our hard work seemed to be fading away, becoming blackened with the dirt of the day. It was okay though, as the Steed Unit was in on Easter Monday and his diligence and hard work re-energised me and made the day go that little bit quicker.
I hate bank holidays. Yeah they pay well, but they just throw my week. Before I know it after a bank holiday weekend, my week is cut short and already I'm sorting out the QVR team for Tuesday. We suffered a dreadful defeat also last night, which may have cost us promotion into Division Three. In a quick nutshell, with all that and a glimpse of the new Doctor Who (hmm still undecided) that was my Easter 2007.
Fags' Last Night out
Our pub quiz team, appropriately titled 'Fags' Last Night Out', had just lost the weekly Deri Inn pub quiz by a good 16 points in what was perhaps one of our most forgettable performances. Yet this night will not be quickly forgotten by us all because of this dismal score. For myself, Jen, Tom, Emma, James and Leighton, witnessed history in the making in a simple Rhiwbinian pub. For Sunday April 1st, was the final day in which people can legally smoke in public places here in Wales.
For those hardened draggers who may have been living under a rock over the past few years and had returned on that very day, they would not be wrong in insisting that this ban was a cruelly played April Fools joke. I say this because it even baffles me how attitudes towards smoking in public have changed in the 21st century. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that now everytime I go out into a pub I can now escape the heavy blankets of smokey filth, which was slowly destroying my lungs and making me smell like an ashtray. But it was not long ago that smoking was considered to be cool, a bit rebellious and was a major staple in establishing the social order. If you didn't smoke, you were a square. The dangerous effects of cigarettes and tobacco were not being explained properly and people had continued to suffer the effects of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. It wasn't too long ago that tobacco advertising was banned in this country, and that all fag packets had to have clearer warnings on them to explain the danger. Yet we were still well behind the likes of California where smoking bans had confidently been put in place, and we dismissed it as an excessive idea. Truth was that Britain had, and still has, a real love affair with the cigarette. It has always been revered as the appropriate partner to a cup of coffee, or a pint of lager. Its a British tradition which no-one was willing to separate.
And yet today, the Parisians have now started to call time on open smoking in their own public places. Paris was certainly another place where cigarettes where commonplace in bars and cafes - I'm sure if you had to conjure up a French stereotypical bloke in your mind, he or she would have onions around his neck, a french loaf in one hand and an unfiltered cigarette firmly between his lips. Scotland have had their ban in place since last year, we have followed suit, whilst England will make the Great Britain smoke free in July.
So why the change in attitudes? Perhaps because more people are waking up to the silent killer which they have no control over. Passive smoking is being proven to be almost as deadly as direct smoking itself and quite rightfully, the public doesn't like this fact. I know as a passive smoker for 23 years that my life may be significantly shortened as a result and that it is now I've started to take a stand when I am around my mum and dad, who both smoke. I don't want to be near them when they smoke, I blatantly open windows even when its pouring down or freezing cold, I make bellowing gestures with my hands and other types of resistance. I do anything to convey my utter disgust at the habit, since reasoning through science had no effect. I did the old-breathe-into-a-cotton-wool-ball trick and it had no effect whatsoever. And although I realise its tough to quit or cut down, the fact is that those sticks are playing around with people's health around you. It is just plain disrespectful. Im glad to say something has gotten through however, my mum will now leave the room when she lights up and even if she is watching something on TV, she will stand by the door and smoke.
Sadly there are bound to be people in society who aren't so considerate, who are too selfish and still live in the stone age to see that smoking has an effect on everyone else. I've met them - and I'm glad to say that their defiance is just the perfect example of their stupidity. These people will continue to light up in pubs, because its what they do, its what they always done and no-one will tell them otherwise. But this ban and the attitude of the majority of the people of Wales shows quite clearly that YOU are a dying breed. In more ways than one.
This ban will be hard to enforce now, but its clear that this is a measure for the future. It will teach the next generation that smoking in pubs and other public places is something we were ashamed of, and we want them to turn up their noses in disgust at the very idea. We want them to stay healthy, we want them to live without the worry of one particular type of cancer lingering over them. Not that its too late for us of course - I can now enjoy a pint without having to worry about my breathing.
As we quizzed on that joyous evening, it was ironic that a couple smoked quite happily next to us. Smoke filled the air and it was thick as fog, and they seemed as though they were smoking to save their lives considering the rate they were puffing away. And yet, I wonder if tomorrow, or indeed next week when we quiz again at the Deri, they will be there with Marlboro's at hand. I wonder whether they will be feigning ignornance or expressing utter defiance just to continue their dirty habit. I wonder if they will be dinosaurs trying to outlive their time.
For those hardened draggers who may have been living under a rock over the past few years and had returned on that very day, they would not be wrong in insisting that this ban was a cruelly played April Fools joke. I say this because it even baffles me how attitudes towards smoking in public have changed in the 21st century. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that now everytime I go out into a pub I can now escape the heavy blankets of smokey filth, which was slowly destroying my lungs and making me smell like an ashtray. But it was not long ago that smoking was considered to be cool, a bit rebellious and was a major staple in establishing the social order. If you didn't smoke, you were a square. The dangerous effects of cigarettes and tobacco were not being explained properly and people had continued to suffer the effects of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases. It wasn't too long ago that tobacco advertising was banned in this country, and that all fag packets had to have clearer warnings on them to explain the danger. Yet we were still well behind the likes of California where smoking bans had confidently been put in place, and we dismissed it as an excessive idea. Truth was that Britain had, and still has, a real love affair with the cigarette. It has always been revered as the appropriate partner to a cup of coffee, or a pint of lager. Its a British tradition which no-one was willing to separate.
And yet today, the Parisians have now started to call time on open smoking in their own public places. Paris was certainly another place where cigarettes where commonplace in bars and cafes - I'm sure if you had to conjure up a French stereotypical bloke in your mind, he or she would have onions around his neck, a french loaf in one hand and an unfiltered cigarette firmly between his lips. Scotland have had their ban in place since last year, we have followed suit, whilst England will make the Great Britain smoke free in July.
So why the change in attitudes? Perhaps because more people are waking up to the silent killer which they have no control over. Passive smoking is being proven to be almost as deadly as direct smoking itself and quite rightfully, the public doesn't like this fact. I know as a passive smoker for 23 years that my life may be significantly shortened as a result and that it is now I've started to take a stand when I am around my mum and dad, who both smoke. I don't want to be near them when they smoke, I blatantly open windows even when its pouring down or freezing cold, I make bellowing gestures with my hands and other types of resistance. I do anything to convey my utter disgust at the habit, since reasoning through science had no effect. I did the old-breathe-into-a-cotton-wool-ball trick and it had no effect whatsoever. And although I realise its tough to quit or cut down, the fact is that those sticks are playing around with people's health around you. It is just plain disrespectful. Im glad to say something has gotten through however, my mum will now leave the room when she lights up and even if she is watching something on TV, she will stand by the door and smoke.
Sadly there are bound to be people in society who aren't so considerate, who are too selfish and still live in the stone age to see that smoking has an effect on everyone else. I've met them - and I'm glad to say that their defiance is just the perfect example of their stupidity. These people will continue to light up in pubs, because its what they do, its what they always done and no-one will tell them otherwise. But this ban and the attitude of the majority of the people of Wales shows quite clearly that YOU are a dying breed. In more ways than one.
This ban will be hard to enforce now, but its clear that this is a measure for the future. It will teach the next generation that smoking in pubs and other public places is something we were ashamed of, and we want them to turn up their noses in disgust at the very idea. We want them to stay healthy, we want them to live without the worry of one particular type of cancer lingering over them. Not that its too late for us of course - I can now enjoy a pint without having to worry about my breathing.
As we quizzed on that joyous evening, it was ironic that a couple smoked quite happily next to us. Smoke filled the air and it was thick as fog, and they seemed as though they were smoking to save their lives considering the rate they were puffing away. And yet, I wonder if tomorrow, or indeed next week when we quiz again at the Deri, they will be there with Marlboro's at hand. I wonder whether they will be feigning ignornance or expressing utter defiance just to continue their dirty habit. I wonder if they will be dinosaurs trying to outlive their time.
