Anti-smoking initiative gets right up my nose

People in Brighton could soon be stopped from smoking on the beach.

The city's council met yesterday (Tuesday, July 21) to decide whether there should be a public consultation on making parks and beaches smoke-free zones.

At the moment, there's already a voluntary ban on smoking in children's playgrounds in Brighton.

One of the local councillors, Daniel Yates said: "We're keen to keep people safe from the effects of smoking in public areas, especially children who are most vulnerable."

Good. So how about going the whole hog and keeping us all safe from loud music, eating, drinking or children wailing?

Or maybe a compromise is segregated beaches – social lepers left, on that 20 foot by 20 foot bit of sand by the sewage outlet, all others to the right?

Yes, I am a smoker but one who tries to be understanding of other people.

I even have two small pocket ashtrays that mean if I go outside someone’s house/ pub/ village hall etc. I can puff away without leaving a butt.

Clearly we smokers have a duty to be considerate. None of us can deny the harmful effects.

But a whiff of smoke on a windy day at Brighton beach? Come on, get real.

We used to be such a tolerant society but if we are not careful we’ll be homogenised and pasteurised into a bunch of clones.

Then the do-gooders will start on books (just watch them burn, children), dvds (anyone for a game of Frisbee?) etc.

Still, I’ll be able to continue smoking in my house. That is until the day the trucks screech into my road and the booted local council officials march up our drive to take me away to that nice holiday camp in Thetford Forest.

PS – what a bunch of amateurs in this year’s Open at St. Andrews. I finished the four rounds at 76 under, having posted scores of 54 (-18) on Thursday, 55 (-17) on Friday, 51 (-21) on Saturday/ Sunday (the wind did affect my round a little early on but conditions improved when I closed the kitchen window) and 52 (-20) on Monday. I love my iPad.