Does Mat Hayes smoke?

[Andy Macfarlane]

I smoke and I'm quite happy to stand outside, at the back door, out the window..whatever. I also find, the harder it is to have a smoke, the less I'm likely to do it. I don't like sitting in a room full of secondhand smoke. I don't see why non-smokers should either.

[rob.i]

My attitude to where I smoke has changed ,due to my wife packing it in for medical reasons .I did smoke in the house when my wife and I were the only ones there ,now this has changed smoking is banned in the house. As with andy I now nip outside for one or stand in the vestibule ,bit of a bugger when its lagging down.But I have noticed the dramatic drop in the smell of stale smoke.Also Ive noticed a lot of wildlife I havent noticed before due to being outside .

[David Johnson]

Wordbender,

 

Apologies if you took offence, it wasn't meant as personal more a depressing reflection upon the nature of our species. It should be possible to enter into a debate upon a topic without getting personal and abusive. Nothing I said was meant as a personal attack on you, just debate. This is how issues get decided in a democracy - although maybe not in a fishing forum :-) Apologies if you took it as personal.

 

To play a minority victim I must smoke - I don't. Well, actually the only time I smoke is when I fish with one evil smoker friend, so maybe 4 fags every month or so, outdoors, never inside - my choice. I don't hate those who choose otherwise though.

 

There are plenty of other manufacturers that sell products that kill. Car manufacturers, soft drinks with high sugar, fast food outlets, garages etc. Should we hate all those too? I just think we need to get risks into perspective.

 

Why I'm sticking up for smokers when I don't really smoke? Freedom, tolerance I guess. Clearly this is not something I'm getting across though.

 

Diamond Geezer,

 

Interesting - you work on Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons too? Which in particular? Benzo[a]pyrene? Perhaps we could share papers? You then also realise that by standing by a BarbyQ you'll inhale far higher levels of B[a]P than in a smokey pub? Ban BarbyQs!! And Ban toast!!! and what about Diesel/Petrol engines, they emit huge quantities of carcinogens… ban them!! Selfish drivers pumping out carcinogens that kill my kids!! I think we should have smoke free roads myself. What about planes that catalyse Ozone reactions in the upper atmosphere which give my kids life threatening respiratory problems? Ban planes!! What about electricity? It produced by mainly by fossil fuel burning power stations emitting huge amounts of CO2 which is causing global warming (or not according to the non-smoking, non-drinking George Bush). Ban electricity!! Of course this is all silly. The point I'm trying to make is we all damage the environment and harm others by living. It's impossible not too. We have to prioritise risks and be sensible about things. Smoking might kill you, it may even harm those in your immediate vicinity (although the scientific data on passive smoking is less conclusive than you might think). But it WON'T destroy the planet.

 

The point about smokers costing the NHS money is flawed on two counts. First non-smokers die too and also cost the NHS money, but pay far less taxes. But more importantly, in the UK, Smokers actually pay more in tax than they cost the NHS. When smoking is banned, taxes will actually have to be raised to make up for the drop in government income.

 

The irony is while we all sit around demonising smokers, enough CO2 is being realised into the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels to raise the average global temperature by at least 5 C in the next 100 years. Perhaps far more. This will kill more people than smoking has in the history of humanity (oh and Peter, you'll be underwater in East Anglia so it'll be hard for smokers to light up anyway, problem solved)

 

Anyway, I hope we can at least debate issues, sensibly and maturely. Then perhaps we have a chance of long term survival as a species.

 

With Respect,

 

Dave

[MARKYMARK]

yes he smokes rothmans 20 a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

mark

[Peter M]

As a smoker I wish they would ban smoking, it would help me stop, the only winners in this are the fag mkers.

[Jon Hedges]

Some comments (as a smoker who hates smoke in any buildings and smokes outside my own back door even in the middle of winter)

Re NHS funding .... The government takes over £3.50 for EVERY packet of fags purchased. So a 20 a day smoker contributes £24.50 a week, or £1274 EXTRA tax per year to the NHS. More than covers the cost. Consider the fact that exhaust fumes contribute more toxins to the air than smoke and you begin to see why it is impossible to directly state that "smoking caused lung cancer" in any one case. It is HIGHLY LIKELY but cannot be blamed.

If you ban cigs, you have to ban cars.

Also ... if governments did not rely so heavily on taxes from cigs they would have been banned years ago. Any government wishing to eradicate smoking can do so by upping the cost to £50 per packet. They won't because it funds the NHS.

If tabs cost £50 I would have to give up (and I would like to !!).

For anyone losing a relative to cancer, my sympathies are extended. I have been there. My grandad died of stomach cancer. He smoked and gave up. He was 65. My other granded died recently. He was 82. Smoked for 60+ years.

If smokers were more considerate to non-smokers then there wouldn't need to be any bans.

From an angling perspective (finally !!!) ... isn't tobacco smell proven to put fish off somewhat if it taints the bait ?

[The Diamond Geezer]

quote:

---

Originally posted by David Johnson:

 

Diamond Geezer,

 

Interesting - you work on Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons too? Which in particular? Benzo[a]pyrene? Perhaps we could share Papers?

 

With Respect,

 

Dave

---

DJ

 

Yup, worked ... and here are the first 5 pages of 133 of one, to get you started. Let me know (a) if you want the Biblio refs and ( when you want the next 5 -> 133 pages

 

DG

 

 

quote:

---

Originally posted by David Johnson:

 

Diamond Geezer,

 

Ban BarbyQs!! And Ban toast!!!

 

With Respect,

 

Dave

---

DJ

 

And where, pray, in my posting did I use the word ban? :mad: Read my text! Be aware, yes. Cut the carp, yes.

 

DG {FRSC }

 

[ 24. April 2004, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: The Diamond Geezer ]

[The Diamond Geezer]

quote:

---

Originally posted by David Johnson:

 

With Respect,

 

Dave

---

Exactly!

_________

[Snatcher]

To anyone who wants to pack in recommend coming down with bronchitis, it worked a treat 4 me. Been off them 1 year now. Feel much better 4 it but wedged on 2 stone of ballast!

 

Crabs - you swine! Snatcher

[Dick Dastardly]

I had real bad sinusitus.Went three days without a fag and just carried on!