UK Politics

[Nobody Interesting]

Only 6.4 million adults now smoke according to latest data used by the news channels today.

Why should they dictate the air that we breath to the majority who do not smoke?

Would Farage be happy sat in the pub garden with kids running around screaming? No, cos he has complained about that before. He thinks that should be stopped but smoking should not. Policies based on his own desires then.

I used to smoke. It is a disgusting habit and the more the government and society does to stop it totally the better.

That has always been my thought, even when I smoked. No hindsight used by me to change what I say 😉

[Nobody Interesting]

There are lots of thoughts and 'leaks' about what tax changes there may be.

One is changing council tax to a flat 0.5% annual charge based on the value of your property................. great idea, but how are they going to value everyone's homes every year? Random estimates will end in challenges left right and centre and they will cost so much councils will lose out.

Another change is to alter the tax relief on pension contributions - which I have seen described as a 'wealth tax'.

Is someone working 30 hours a week grossing £18,000 a year and paying 3% to their pension pot wealthy then?

[steviewevie]

shirkers

 

[lazyred]

16 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

There are lots of thoughts and 'leaks' about what tax changes there may be.

One is changing council tax to a flat 0.5% annual charge based on the value of your property................. great idea, but how are they going to value everyone's homes every year? Random estimates will end in challenges left right and centre and they will cost so much councils will lose out.

Another change is to alter the tax relief on pension contributions - which I have seen described as a 'wealth tax'.

Is someone working 30 hours a week grossing £18,000 a year and paying 3% to their pension pot wealthy then?

 

When they valued the houses for Council Tax, they used local estate agents/surveyors who did drive by inspections that were inaccurate even then. Aren't they looking at a Land Value tax instead? That is much easier to implement.

 

The predictions on the pension tax relief are to restrict it to 20% so most people are unaffected. Higher rate tax relief is very generous - £4 for every £6 you put in.

 

 

[lost]

2 minutes ago, lazyred said:

 

When they valued the houses for Council Tax, they used local estate agents/surveyors who did drive by inspections that were inaccurate even then. Aren't they looking at a Land Value tax instead? That is much easier to implement.

 

 

I've seen both rumoured. One a land tax and two rebanding from the early 1990's with a greater weighting on which parts of the country have done well since then and which parts not so well so saw big increases across the south in places like Bristol and reductions in the north in say Sunderland.

[cellar]

17 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Only 6.4 million adults now smoke according to latest data used by the news channels today.

Why should they dictate the air that we breath to the majority who do not smoke?

Would Farage be happy sat in the pub garden with kids running around screaming? No, cos he has complained about that before. He thinks that should be stopped but smoking should not. Policies based on his own desires then.

I used to smoke. It is a disgusting habit and the more the government and society does to stop it totally the better.

That has always been my thought, even when I smoked. No hindsight used by me to change what I say 😉

 

Yep I agree with this too, even as a current smoker. I've been gradually cutting down from around 10-15 a day, to around 3-4 a day on average. Although some days I can manage going with none. Usually boredom, stress or drinking that increases the number (on a night out, I will end up smoking over 20, which is gross).

So yeah, I would welcome a ban on smoking in these areas, as it would definitely help to curb those nights!

[Neil]

18 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

One is changing council tax to a flat 0.5% annual charge based on the value of your property..

that's essentially a return to the old rating system (would be a good thing), the valuations part was what f**ked that up.

[Neil]

1 hour ago, lost said:

so saw big increases across the south in places like Bristol

just signed the papers for my bristol house sale, bought at £125k, sold 12 years later at $355k 🙂 

definitely a big increase.

[Neil]

just sold my soul to we buyanysoul.com 😛 

[philipsteak]

18 hours ago, Nobody Interesting said:

Only 6.4 million adults now smoke according to latest data used by the news channels today.

Why should they dictate the air that we breath to the majority who do not smoke?

Would Farage be happy sat in the pub garden with kids running around screaming? No, cos he has complained about that before. He thinks that should be stopped but smoking should not. Policies based on his own desires then.

I used to smoke. It is a disgusting habit and the more the government and society does to stop it totally the better.

That has always been my thought, even when I smoked. No hindsight used by me to change what I say 😉

 

Seems mad it's still as high as 6.4 million

[kaosmark2]

36 minutes ago, cellar said:

 

Yep I agree with this too, even as a current smoker. I've been gradually cutting down from around 10-15 a day, to around 3-4 a day on average. Although some days I can manage going with none. Usually boredom, stress or drinking that increases the number (on a night out, I will end up smoking over 20, which is gross).

So yeah, I would welcome a ban on smoking in these areas, as it would definitely help to curb those nights!

See, I don't smoke and I hate this proposal. I love the ban on indoor smoking, but the phased ban by birth year felt paternalistic, and this feels like the final thing to bring the death knell on hospitality.

 

The other thing that this'll do, is it'll help the coke dealers. This country already has a HUGE cocaine problem, and by taking away the legal high that people do socially in amidst work drinks/on shift, it'll just perpetuate people doing cocaine instead.

 

I think this is an incredibly short-sighted policy.

[steviewevie]

32 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

See, I don't smoke and I hate this proposal. I love the ban on indoor smoking, but the phased ban by birth year felt paternalistic, and this feels like the final thing to bring the death knell on hospitality.

 

The other thing that this'll do, is it'll help the coke dealers. This country already has a HUGE cocaine problem, and by taking away the legal high that people do socially in amidst work drinks/on shift, it'll just perpetuate people doing cocaine instead.

 

I think this is an incredibly short-sighted policy.

Will it have that big an effect on hospitality? Do people still go to pubs so they can sit outside and smoke? It isn't just smoking bans that have killed pubs, but prices and well... they're just not cool anymore.

Not sure about that coke reason too.. people are driven to cocaine use because they can't smoke in certain places??

In the end, it's an addiction. Do we keep people addicted to something that is bad for them because it was their choice to start, or do we make it harder for them?

Then again I would be extremely against any further booze restrictions because that is my current addiction.

Edited August 30 by steviewevie

[kaosmark2]

6 minutes ago, steviewevie said:

Will it have that big an effect on hospitality? Do people still go to pubs so they can sit outside and smoke? It isn't just smoking bans that have killed pubs, but prices and well... they're just not cool anymore.

Not sure about that coke reason too.. people are driven to cocaine use because they can't smoke in certain places??

In the end, it's an addiction. Do we keep people addicted to something that is bad for them because it was their choice to start, or do we make it harder for them?

Then again I would be extremely against any further booze restrictions because that is my current addiction.

 

I wouldn't say that's why people go, but people nip out for a cigarette, get chatting to friends and/or staff, then someone gets another round and people stay out. The communal aspect of smoking turns 1-drink nights into 4-drink nights.

 

Cocaine is pretty rife in Britain, noone really speaks about it but it's insanely common everywhere. It's also very common in kitchens/hospitality work. Having a high kick on break to keep working is common in a lot of jobs, finance is the most referenced but it happens in a lot of places. But for people who do cocaine every month or few, if their nicotine kick becomes harder to fulfil, then they'll do it coke more often.

 

I knew a guy who worked as a sous chef, then the other 2 smokers left the business, he wasn't smoking socially on break any more, and just started doing coke twice a day instead. 

 

I don't think prohibition works, and while neither smoking nor cocaine are my indulgences of choice, and I'm pretty careful to avoid an alcohol addiction even though I skirt closely to it at times, I think this is a pretty short-sighted policy.

[steviewevie]

Maybe if they sort out that lung cancer vaccine then everyone can get off coke and start smoking again 

 

What they should actually do is legalise opium.

[Nobody Interesting]

57 minutes ago, kaosmark2 said:

See, I don't smoke and I hate this proposal. I love the ban on indoor smoking, but the phased ban by birth year felt paternalistic, and this feels like the final thing to bring the death knell on hospitality.

 

The other thing that this'll do, is it'll help the coke dealers. This country already has a HUGE cocaine problem, and by taking away the legal high that people do socially in amidst work drinks/on shift, it'll just perpetuate people doing cocaine instead.

 

I think this is an incredibly short-sighted policy.

 

The indoor smoking ban was going to kill pubs off so the industry said - but it didn't and until the pandemic they were doing as well as any other old type business.
Since the pandemic prices of food and drink have rocketed - but they insist this has nothing toi do with the decline of custom.

If pubs are going to die they will do so any way if they are going to survive they will do so anyway. A smoking ban that effects arounb=d 10% of their potential customer base is really not the final nail. Last time I went to pubs the majority of customers did not smoke anyway.

[steviewevie]

The deputy PM

 

[lost]

I don't smoke but I've no issue with smoking outdoors. The diesel fumes from the cars going past the beer garden are probably more carcinogenic.

[steviewevie]

1 hour ago, lost said:

I don't smoke but I've no issue with smoking outdoors. The diesel fumes from the cars going past the beer garden are probably more carcinogenic.

They'll be getting rid of them next...bloody woke nanny state fascists.

[steviewevie]

[steviewevie]

 

[steviewevie]

good point jezza

 

[cellar]

6 hours ago, kaosmark2 said:

See, I don't smoke and I hate this proposal. I love the ban on indoor smoking, but the phased ban by birth year felt paternalistic, and this feels like the final thing to bring the death knell on hospitality.

 

The other thing that this'll do, is it'll help the coke dealers. This country already has a HUGE cocaine problem, and by taking away the legal high that people do socially in amidst work drinks/on shift, it'll just perpetuate people doing cocaine instead.

 

I think this is an incredibly short-sighted policy.

 

Maybe it's just selfishness on my part in liking it because it'll help me stop smoking! Or smoking as much at least.

It wouldn't personally stop me going to the pub, or drinking as much as I do. I don't drink because I'm smoking, I smoke because I'm drinking. The ban will just make that harder, but clearly I will just walk to some area that I'm allowed to smoke and do it there, when I need to. It'll just be more hassle to do that, so it'll cut down how often I do it.

I'm not sure I follow the coke thing either... Its still less hassle and risk to find somewhere to smoke than it is to pick up coke, right?

[lost]

Looking like alcohol is going to be targetted too:

 

 

[Nobody Interesting]

45 minutes ago, lost said:

Looking like alcohol is going to be targetted too:

 

 

 

Good job we just had an election where the winners wanted honesty back in politics so had all these policies in their manifesto so folks knew what they were voting for.

 

[steviewevie]