They know what is good for us
Grandad November 10th, 2008
There was a little item on the news last week which seems to have slipped under the radar.
Blanchardstown Hospital in Dublin has announced that it is introducing a campus wide ban on smoking, and other hospitals indicate that they too are to follow.
I have a few problems with this.
The first is that patients will now have to walk half a mile to the entrance of the hospital if they want a puff. These are hospital patients we are talking about. These are people wearing pyjamas and dressing gowns, yet they are expected to walk a round trip of a mile in whatever weather pertains, every time they want a quick drag. This means that your average smoker would have to walk ten to twenty miles a day, when presumably he [or she] is not in the best of health to start with.
A lot of you will show little sympathy, and will say that the patients should just quit. But why should they? Smoking is a matter for individual choice. We are supposed to be a free society, yet some feel they have a God given right to impose their wills on others. This is not a health issue. Smoking outdoors does not harm anyone else. There is no law against it. Yet the Holy Joes on the hospital board decide unilaterally that people should give up smoking while resident in their hospital.
A spokesman for the hospital smugly announced that they would be providing free nicotine patches for all patients [Half price for staff. Big fucking deal], but that is entirely beside the point. These people are deciding off their own bat to prevent Joe Public from carrying out a perfectly legitimate pursuit. Is this legal? Is this constitutional?
Oscar Wilde once said that “rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men”. Unfortunately, the people of Ireland miss this and when some little jumped up prick announces a new rule, people fall over themselves to obey it without question. I have seen the smoking ban in operation on the continent where they take a more realistic approach. Their attitude is that the law is a guide to be invoked in extreme cases, which is sensible.
The time could come in the future when I find myself in hospital for some reason. It could be an operation, or the result of an accident. We never know what the future has in store. But I can state quite clearly that I have no intention of bowing to this crazy political correctness. They can go and fuck themselves. What are they going to do about it? Give me a rap over the knuckles? I’ll give as good as I get. Will they try and discharge me? I’ll sue them. Will they try and fine me? I’ll see them in court.
Once again the Nanny State and it’s minions is trying to impose its ‘correctness’ on the population.
They can kiss my smoking arse.
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