Yeah, you're probably right . It appears to be full of hypocrites anyway.

ta so much.

No it just means your neighbour should enroll in a cooking course

My reasoning is followed by all family members. We do not smoke in front of small children. Pretty normal thing to do, I would think. We also don't get drunk, leave hot cups of coffee or the BBQ unattended. We play, read the same books over and over, teach the eldest one new words - next task for me is to speak to them in French!! Just a normal family.

Their parents decided this. If we want to see the kids - bide by their rules. And most smokers can manage without their hit for a couple of hours!!

That comes into the love and respect category, too!!

We don't all come into the category of sitting in a smoke filled room, with the windows closed!! Alot of smokers have banned smoking in their own homes, and go outside. For me it is a pain -I live on the seventh floor with no balcony. But the windows are open 24/7 and my fan is on full blast.

This is turning into a never ending argument. That pops it's head up at least once a year!! I respect your views, but you will never respect mine.

And calling me a racist is one of the worst things anyone has ever said to me.

Sorry I didn't answer you yesterday. I am not glued to EF all day. Too busy out and about, puffing away on terraces!!

Why ever not?

Is it just your own family's small children or do you show the same respect to other peoples' children too such as those on a restaurant terrace or station platform?

One Swiss mother, with concern for the health of her own children, got up from her table where she was sitting with her children, walked across the restaurant and sat next to my children, who were eating and lit up.

Can't you see that if you have strict rules for your own family's children, you're being a bit hypocritical by not applying them to all children?

Or, looking at it the other way, perhaps other people have thoughts about the health of their own children and perhaps would prefer to have a restaurant meal on a smoke-free terrace or wait for a train on a smoke-free platform?

Smoking rates are going down in other countries as it's no longer seen as a normal activity or rite of passage for young people - because it's not 'in your face' the whole time.

That's the real health benefit to a community and not any minimal danger from passive smoking.

That did not happen in Zürich. People here smoke only in rooms reserved for smokers. More FAKE news!

Be careful in winter that you don't catch a cold

Always!

But wait, does that mean that that someone who is in a smoky environment but doesn't inhale the cigarette smoke is NOT a passive smoker?

Tom

Normally, I don't smoke but if I have a day that would fancy some tobacco aroma, I stand near the smoking cabin(s) until I am fully satisfied. The only thing that I feel guilty about, is that I don't pay royalties to those who buy cigarettes to please my short-term indulgence.

Tom1234.....think about a bit of string..............jerk,jerk !

For as long as they can hold their breath....yes

So you've never seen anyone smoking on an open air restaurant terrace? A railway platform? The street?

right

Oh dear Tom1234, of course I respect other small children!! And adults.

You really must think I am some sort of wild ogre!! I'm quite a nice, respectful person!!

Stop jerking the string

I don't understand the notion that all outside areas in restaurants should be big ashtrays. I was at one of the few places I go to in Geneva a few days ago, outside because there was no choice, they close their indoor eating area in summer. Somebody was smoking a cigar a few feet away. Why is it allowed? I don't get it.

Why are you so interested?

Do you think you have some kind of official capacity on this forum?

Your interruptions and pathetic comments are getting a little tedious.

Because the vote went that way and the Swiss are very proud of their direct democracy and respect the laws they make with it. Whether it's the morally right thing to do on a particular occasion neither here nor there.
(ashtrays on tables for a primary school sports day I attended for example so the parents could smoke whilst the children ate their fruit and cake and Swiss non-smokers defending the rights to smoke there too).

My personal view is that rules and regulations surrounding public health should be made by a panel of experts and not by Joe public in a referendum.
Getting a bunch of addicts to vote on whether their drug habit should be restricted seems a little bit of a stupid thing to do.

There's no real anti-smoking lobby here either (there is but it's very small and, for example, has almost no money so there is no advertising). It's not such a big deal to most of the Swiss (like it wasn't in other countries twenty years ago or so).

Yes, sorry, I was really only being petulant. In winter it doesn't matter because at least one group can be out and another in, but in summer we are all lumped in together perforce.

And of course, most countries don't have Switzerland's affinity for the cigar, which is particularly challenging, even for an ex-smoker like me.

Personally I don't understand the way of thinking.

Arriving at the terrace of a mountain restaurant last week (after walking up, lungs full of clean, fresh, mountain air), we were greeted with clouds of smoke (people were smoking at every table).

We had planned to stop there but didn't bother. Sure, people like Stlemans may find it pleasant but we didn't.

I may moan about it on this forum but in real life I do nothing.
You just have to accept that in Switzerland, public outside spaces are like one big smelly ashtray - even places designed specifically for children.

What I don't understand is that on this forum, there are people who argue against that and say it isn't true.
When I mentioned that Italian railway stations were much cleaner, the retort was that the trains weren't on time in Italy.
Wouldn't it be great to have clean stations and trains on time?

Of course if I don't like it here, I can go back to my own country. The trouble is, my children are much more Swiss that they are English (on paper too), they live here and it's their future health I care about.