Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Small victories

I would just like to congratulate Wiel Maessen. Its amazing what one man, bags of effort, energy, imagination and a funny houseboat can do.
Owners of small pubs in the Netherlands have welcomed the lifting of a smoking ban imposed on the hospitality industry in 2008. The partial scrapping of the measure was announced on Tuesday.
The incoming rightwing government is responding to persistent complaints from one-man businesses who argued that the smoking ban was meant to guarantee staff a smoke-free working environment. Since they had no employees, their small pubs didn't need the smoking ban, the owners claimed.
The ban will remain in force, however, for pubs, restaurants and the like which are run with personnel.
Secretary Wiel Maessen of the 1250 small pubs' umbrella group KHO said "I lit an extra cigarette when I heard the news." He added that despite his satisfaction on behalf of his members, the fight would not be over until the ban was lifted for the entire sector.

God speed to you Sir.

HT EurAlmanac

5 comments:

Dick Puddlecote said...

Wiel is a diamond. How the Dutch antis must hate him. :)

Anonymous said...

If you havent looked lately,the entire political sky has fallen on these rabid anti-smoking groups....

If I had ever been employed in tobacco control,I would surely be looking for a new job and quick!

The obama politcos in federal positions have dumped nearly a billion dollars in the last 6 months in stimulus money in the form of CDC and NIH GRANTS to keep tobacco control and the anti-obesity folks from bankruptcy.......so by next summer those funds will be gone and the nanny staters out of work......

Eddie Douthwaite said...

Well done Wiel, you have shown the true power of the people.

A lesson yet to be learned in the UK.

Spartan said...

Well done that man there. Excellent.

ENGLISHMAN said...

So the future is owner/operator pubs,and freedom from arseholes wandering about with thier dinner and tutting.

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