Petition group meets Welsh licensees

Members of the group behind a petition to overturn the smoking ban took their message to Wales yesterday.

As the Welsh Assembly prepares to introduce a smoking ban Freedom to Choose was invited to talk to members of the Rhonda Licensed Victuallers' Association.

The message appeared to go down well with LVA secretary John Price handing out over 400 petitions to his members.

Freedom to Choose spokesman Robert Feal-Martinez, said: "We had a very productive meeting.

"I think it's worth pointing out that the majority of Welsh rural and community pubs only open from 5 pm to reduce overheads.

"Speaking to licensees most have 90% smoking trade and the majority I met were wet led. A smoking ban will really be a disaster for them. They now realise they need to fight for their survival and are happy to align with Freedom to Choose."

Feal-Martinez added: "I was impressed with the sense of Community in the Valleys but that sense of community will be destroyed by a smoking ban, the vast majority of customers I saw, male, female, young and old were smokers. The general view seems to be no smoking, no going to pub or club, the very strength of these small and sometimes remote communities will be snatched from them by an Assembly that has taken no notice of their concerns."

To download a copy of the petition click here​.To visit the Big Debate website click here​.

Your Comments​Robert Feal-Martinez​ via email 05/04/2006"Following my visit to The Rhonda yesterday, I came back. with a sense of despair but at the same time a renewed vigour to get this abuse of Democracy overturned. The people I met in Wales were genuine hard working, down to earth people, who enjoy the simple things of life. That includes a pint and a cigarette. I sensed that their worlds would be irretreaveably destroyed if we allow an un amended Health Bill to go ahead giving the Welsh Assembly the power to ban smoking. It is truely Perverse that the AM's want to beat England to the ban. It is almost like the rivalry between our Nations on the sporting fields, but this not a game. This is peoples lives, and their livelyhoods, the anti smoking zealots, and the smug and pious Politicians can convince themselves that they are acting in the Public good, they are not, they are destroying communities. They were elected to serve the people not control them. As Lord Stoddart rightly said, that is facism and would never have happened in his day as a Labour MP and certainly would never happened when the mines were at their peak in the valleys. Any politician then would have been lynched, perhaps the AM's would do well to remember that, afterall they will probably join the jobless masses if they impose a ban in Wales, 'just to win the game'."

Alastair Elliot​ via email 05/04/2006"I take my hat off to you Bob and to the Morning advertiser. Bob for doing the hard work to get the voice heard to the Welsh communities who would be absolutley devastated by an all out ban and to the Morning Advertiser for reporting the true facts as they are hot off the press. Well done to both, everyone keep up the good work."

Ellie​ via email 05/04/2006"This is the same type of posturing which we in Scotland saw from our MSP's. In such a hurry to gain some political kudos, they were tripping over each other to sign up to the smoking ban and 'lead the way in Britain'.

Never mind what the Scottish public thought, never mind the flukey science, never mind waiting to find out the results from Ireland......just bash on, get the ban in, so their names can go down in some kind of 'dictators' history.

Can only hope that the people who can see through the smokescreen, such as Mr Feal-Martinez and his freedom fighters on the Big Debate, will be able to stop the ban in its tracks and have a return to common sense in the UK. Well done folks."

Alison Piearce​ via email 06/04/2006"I'm so pleased that Mr Feal-Martinez visited Wales and has got publicans here interested in fighting the proposed smoking ban. Having spoken to the landlord at my local, he's a worried man and believes that a full smoking ban would be the last nail in the coffin of his business. Rural pubs here certainly are the focus of their local communities and will be an irreplaceable loss if bankrupted by such ill advised legislation."

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