[jambutty]

Once again shakermaker you bring into the debate a point that has absolutely no relevance. If you want to discuss the depletion of the o-zone layer that’s fine by me but don’t try and hijack this thread for the purpose. But then that is what people do when they have no further points to make to enhance their argument. They try to drag the thread off topic.

Having a view on someone’s opinion isn’t intolerance garinda.

Indeed junetta, when I joined the navy in 1954 at the age of 16 years and 10 months I was able to buy 300 cigarettes each month for SEVEN SHILLINGS. They were specially made for the navy that we nicknamed ‘Blue Liners’ because each fag had a blue line along its length. In the late fifties I was hospitalised with double pneumonia and during the four weeks stay in hospital I could still buy my Blue Liners and smoke them whilst in bed. I was encouraged to smoke because it helped me cough up the muck in my lungs. The only restriction was no smoking during doctor’s rounds. But times and attitudes change.

Many thanks for your observation on my age Madhatter. I take it that it was made with your tongue firmly in your cheek.

would you pour tar in a glass and drink it?

You need to brush up on your human anatomy. Since when did drinking something send it to the lungs?

when you get smoking related illness's you should be refused treatment.

Now there’s a charitable attitude. I suppose that you would also agree to refusing treatment for drink related injuries or sports related injuries and so on. No? That wouldn’t have anything to do with you liking a pint of something, would it? You really do highlight my accusation that today’s society has got extremely selfish and intolerant of other people’s views and life style.

My point Madhatter is that blaming just smoking for all the ills is not only unfair but grossly inaccurate. I accept that smoking does pollute the atmosphere to a small degree in the open air but the non-smoking, anti-smoking drivers point blank refuse to accept that their vehicular activity causes far greater pollution. They always come back with the argument that because cars etc are necessary it is OK to pollute the air that I breathe. It’s the hypocritical attitude of these people that saddens me.

If your are advocating making tobacco an illegal substance who_eat_all_the_pies then you would also have to say the same about alcohol. Alcohol does far more harm to the imbiber and those around him/her than tobacco. Try any town centre on any weekend night not forgetting the abuse the family gets when the drunk gets home.

For the NHS to refuse treatment to smokers would drive a coach and horses right through the Hippocratic oath and would make it a hypocritical oath pendy.