Yeah, TBC...thoroughly entertaining post. I had a good laugh, but I'm with Hasbeen (for once).

My pappy smoked, drank and gambled to excess. Two of those three contributed to making our early childhoods a misery....and it wasn't the smoking.

TBC, love you to.

The plain fact is that your style of thinking is better suited to countries that dictate what and when people can do something, thankfully, we don't live in one of this countries.

As a non smokers myself, I quite admire smokers, as they, along with gamblers account for billions in taxes each and every year that takes preasure of tax payers like myself.

If they are stupid enough to smoke, then that's their choice.

It's the plain ackaging that is a dumb idea.

It will.cause a lot of confusion to retailers, something that will lead to frustration and cost increases that, in a sector that is already struggling, will go down like a lead balloon.

Proof.
If a kid goes to school and sells cigarettes, do you think the other kid who buys it cares what brand it is.

Answer, No!

Now considering this is the group they are trying to protect, what do ya recon, another flop hey!

Yes indeed,a quick look at those opposing it says it must be a good idea.
Further evidence will come as the world follows.
And the best out come, well for some here it is but another stone to throw at the government.
Fortunately most think and end to the habit, and its toll, is worth the insults.
And wait, there indeed is more.
The free set of kitchen knives is in this case evidence, while every one has every right to an opinion.
The opinions of some are quite marginal.

On yers Belly.

There is nothing good or worthwhile about smoking chaps and esses.

It stinks, is intrusive, expensive for all of us, and is a danger we could easily do without.

I have no doubt people whinged about ending Guy Fawkes night too, with gripes about 'freedom of choice' as loud as now.

Seatbelts and airbags in cars. I recall the outrgaed truckies who moaned about safety belts in the cab, and passengers in coaches who still refuse to wear a belt.

True, we cannot expects to save all the Drongos in this world from themselves but how about a bit of neoliberal eceonomics?

Smokers cause untold cost in the health system and fail to pay their way. Spongers on society, selfish people who seek only to impose themselves on others in the public square.

I am unmoved by those who wave a white flag, Poirot, and look forward to the day we rid our air of this worthless expensive ugly blight on us all.

I have been in to a fag factory, seen the bales of weed sitting under plastic tarps, and noted the many hoses going to the Rentokill cylinders that lay alongside, with various brews of toxic killers being pumped in to the next billion fags to be smoked by unwitting dupes of the capitalist 'profit at any price' drug dealers.

Why is there no support here for the undoing of the 'illegal' drugs, eh?

Post that one rehctub, seeking support for the undoing of 'illiberal' laws that prevent 'free choice'.

Or would you be happy so long as dope did not come in plain zip bags?

TBC, nice diversion.

But seriously, do you really think plain packaging will turn people away from smoking.

Do they demand a label on their pot of beer, pulled at the bar.of cause not. They simply choose thei beer of their choice, in most cases.

Now if all beer labels were removed from beer, do you think drinkers would drink less.

Of cause not.

S I say, it's yet another wasteful useless exercise by this incompetent government.

Belly, it is my understanding that in Argo tibia there is only one brand of cigaretes. They see heaps because they are cheap.

Now as for drugs TBC
Well, if you want my view I think they should all be legalized. Remove the money and you remove the crime associated with the drug trade.

If people are stupid enough to take drugs, then that's their choice.

I think they are just thinking of the little guy.

It will now be harder for the average punter to distinguish fake products.

Look forward to an astounding range of fake smokes, all in khaki packs. Some will be better than the commercial brands.

"give us a green, will you, luv?"

Only the authorities will have convenient scanners for ultraviolet watermarks, DNA taggants, spectroscopic databases of inks, enabling them to "catch" retailers of fake product, even though such retailers and their customers will have no convenient way to check and thus circumvent such fraud pre-emptively and in good faith.

Rusty