Fagging Own Goal

I have smoked since I was nine years old, when I was persuaded that smoking was a sign of being a proper grown up man. By the time that I realised that smoking was really a sign of being a proper mug, I was hooked and, as yet, I have failed to beat the addiction.

As the old joke goes giving up smoking is easy - I did it seven times last week. Knowing how addictive smoking is and how difficult it is to stop, having started, I am generally supportive of any measures that encourage today's youngsters not to start the silly habit.

I have never been convinced of the value of warning notices on cigarette packages. I have smoked thousands of packs with the message smoking kills on them without batting an eyelid. If you were to ask which notice is on the pack in my pocket I would have to look at it to answer. So not very effective.

I have noticed that some packs have started to show pictures on them rather than just words. I'm sure that pictures might be a little more effective than just words.

There is one pictures, however, that I feel defeats the object. This one:



My two teenage boys have always hated the idea of smoking, but they loved this joke and begged me not to bin the pack, so that they could take it to school and show it to their mates. This puerile joke is one that appeals to young men and makes the fag packet more attractive!

The medical facts of erectile dysfunction amongst smoking men is based on studies of 50 year old smokers. Apparently 60% of long smoking 50 year olds suffer from the problem in comparison to 12% of those who have never smoked. So a message aimed at young men is based on research on men who most youngsters would consider past it anyway.

The fact is that most smokers in the age group that this picture message is aimed at could provide simple proof positive that the message is not true. And if that message can be proved to be untrue then it weakens all other messages.

An own goal by the health bods! This image and message should be withdrawn from the campaign!

Was it the blogs wot did for him?

Plaid Cymru has taken my advice and sacked Rhodri Glyn after his latest embarrassing gaff. I know that it is as a direct result of my post that Rev Thomas has lost his job, because the main stream media tells it so.

The spin being put on the "resignation" is that it was caused because he had become the butt of jokes on the internet because of his smoking-ban blunder. Vaughan Roderick has also being telling the BBC news programmes that Mr Thomas' position became untenable as a result of blogging comments about his gaff.

But the facts are quite different. Peter Black made a comment on the story yesterday afternoon, but did not name the minister in question. I then posted my comments in which the minister was named at 4.17 this morning. As far as I can see from Google these were the only two posts on the subject in the whole of the blogosphere, until Valley's Mam mentioned the rumour that the minister was about to be sacked at 5:16 this afternoon, a full 13 hours after my post. So the blogospher has not run wild with this story. The spin that it was the blogs wot done for him, just doesn't ring true. I tend to agree with Ms Wagstaf that there's more to the story yet to come to light.

Holy Smoke

Some might think its irrelevant gossip.

Rhodri Glyn Thomas was kicked out of a pub for lighting a cigarette (or possibly a cigar) on Wednesday night

The No Smoking in Pubs rule was made by the Assembly.

It is a law that I support, but one which, we all know, has pissed off a number of Welsh people who enjoyed a fag with a pint. The fact that a senior member of one of the parties that strongly supported the law should have been caught ignoring it is an embarrassment, not a joke.

Rhodri Glyn has been the minister who has ditched the Plaid promise for a Welsh Language newspaper, reneged on the promise for a Federal Welsh Medium Collage, failed to get a Welsh Language LCO before the Assembly, embarrassed himself by announcing the wrong winner in a book prize and has now added to his gaffs by smoking in a pub after voting to ban smoking in pubs.

The man is an imbecile and an embarrassment. Time for a Plaid reshuffle - the man has to go!
UPDATE:
Wales Online now has the story in more detail and with a reaction from Nick Bourne


Cymraeg