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from the all-those-in-favour,-please-cough dept.
Austria has one of the highest rates of smoking and youth smoking among high income countries, and that might not be changing anytime soon:
Many Western countries have banned smoking in bars and restaurants, but Austria is bucking that trend. Under a law passed in 2015, Austria was due to bring in a total ban this May, but now its new government of the conservatives and the far-right Freedom Party have scrapped the plans.
The move was spearheaded by the leader of the Freedom Party, Austria's Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, himself a smoker, who told parliament last month that it was about freedom of choice. He said restaurants should be free to decide if they want to have smoking sections, where "a citizen has the possibility to decide perhaps to enjoy a cigarette or a pipe or a cigar with their coffee".
The move has horrified Austria's medical establishment. Dr Manfred Neuberger, professor emeritus at the Medical University of Vienna, says it is "a public health disaster".
"The decision is irresponsible. It was a victory for the tobacco industry. The new government made Austria into the ashtray of Europe."
Meanwhile, the country is considering buying more jet fighters, recruiting more police, defunding its public broadcaster, and examining its past.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Arik on Friday February 16 2018, @10:07PM (1 child)
Yes, yes you can. Many, many did. What you're telling us is that she's happy because they gave her an excuse to do what she wanted to do while still dishonestly deflecting responsibility for it.
"When the government finally said "no more smoking", it was a huge relief..."
I can see it being a huge relief for someone that wanted to ban smoking in her establishment but was not willing to do so.
However for people that preferred to allow smoking, it obviously was not.
And for people the preferred to ban it, and had in fact already banned it? Not a good thing at all. You see, just as it drove away many smokers it attracted those who were particularly bothered by the smoke, so that gave them a niche, a market that rewarded them for their choice. No longer! No smoking anywhere!
So, I'm sorry, your wife may be a very nice person and you may love her very much, but we should not screw all the people that are doing it right just to make her happy.
If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
(Score: 2) by dry on Friday February 16 2018, @10:55PM
Around here, before the smoking ban, a few establishments tried the smoke free experience and none of them could make a go of it, even with the free advertising from the news.
Perhaps now, a quarter of a century later, with many less smokers and people used to having none smoking establishments they could, but whether things would have got to this state without the law is open to question.