agoreira

Just reading of a bar owner in Madrid that fired an employee after less than two days of the ban, blaming it on loss of trade! As many of the following posts commented, must have been a very shaky business, bet it was a booming business before! How's your bar being doing? Let us know how you get on.

Casa Santo Estevo

Is it only me that has a bit of dilemma about the ability to denounce someone via a web page, which is meant to be for consumers, is fanatical.
This organisation is quite frankly weak; there are many problems facing consumers in Spain, but what do they do about it? Nothing.
This denouncing by proxy means, that possibly, Spain is going back a few decades.

cricketman

What are you talking about?

You can also denounce by the usual ways, by going to your police station. Or by filling in the hoja de reclamaciones.

I dont think making sure bars comply with the no smoking laws is a return to fascism

Casa Santo Estevo

If you fill out a form at teh establishemnt then it proves you have been there. If you do it via a proxy there is no prove.
I said that is the way a person can denounce by proxy not the anti-smoking laws, that makes it seems that Spain is going backwards.
Plus FUCUA has not in the past acted well to protect the consumers interest.

jimenato

Will do. We open tonight after a brief holiday. I'm not too worried about it - If it's not raining I'll open the retractable roof on the terrace.

jimenato

It has been possible to issue a denuncia for whatever reason online for some time - this is nothing new.

agoreira

Filling out a form proves you have been there, but what else? You say they were smoking, the owner says they weren't, along with smoking customers to back him up. Unless you have actual photographs, date stamped with time and date, (I can see them posing for you!) it's your word against the bar owner. Never have been a "chivato" myself, but I don't see a problem with FACUA helping to attempt to bring the people breaking the law to book. Not sure what sucess FACUA have had in the past, but they seem to have been involved in everything, have a look at their site. On this issue alone they have appeared over 1,000 times in the press, more than that on the internet, and given more than 300 interviews on TV and radio, I'd have said they have been pretty active, good for them.

TheLostPhotographer

As a smoker, not living in the milder winter climes of the south coast, I would have found this much easier to stomach if they had introduced the law in summer. Giving me time to aclimatise to outdoor ciggy breaks.

It is effin freezing here at night and only makes me more angry about being told what I can and can't do.

Where was the problem with smoking and non-smoking bars, or smoking rooms? Why isn't everyone being given the choice?

tuk-tuk

Of course all you anti smokers I assume use push bikes, I'm sure you are all so pure you would,nt dream of polluting the atmosphere with exhaust fumes.
Tuk-tuk

cricketman

At least when I use my car I dont come out reeking of petrol

Thats my biggest complaint, smoking stinks, really badly!

Casa Santo Estevo

Lucky for us we have to register all of our guests with the G.C. So we see ID of everyone who enters. It is the bar owners that will have problems. One bar could make trouble for a rival, with no come back.
The law states it is down to the authorities to fine someone under this law. So why are they not patrolling the streets issuing fines? No instead they are relying on the citizens do their work to do the dirty deed? That smacks of a few decades ago.

Casa Santo Estevo

I agree with you, when you are in the city all you can smell are the roses hanging from the balcony and hear the birds sign above in the tress.

cricketman

What rubbish, it depends where you live in a city. If you live on the M25 then yes of course!

I got woken up by the birds in both London and Barcelona and the occasional owl and fox

Chiclanagir

We all are told what we can and can´t do. Some things we agree with some we don´t but you can´t just decide to obey one rule and not another. If you want to smoke do so but do it at home.

TheLostPhotographer

Smoking has been actively promoted by governments for centuries. They have profited from sales. It is perfectly legal to buy. It wasn't until relatively recently that advertising was clamped down on.

I have no problem with abiding by laws that benefit society. I do have a problem with this law. For as long as tobacco remains legal there should be public spaces where smokers can smoke and public spaces which are smoke free. I don't see the problem. Everyone gets a free choice this way.

Whilst I appreciate the health issues and unpleasantness for non-smokers in smokey environments, I don't understand why the ban covers all enclosed public spaces. Non-smokers wouldn't be forced to enter smoking bars.

As for the governments incentives; I have no doubt the US/UK owned tobacco giants have lobbied for very favourable revenue from 'emerging' markets. I'll bet all the vending machines are already on their way to Africa making the corporates rich and collecting tax for European governments.

Granada is surrounded by tobacco fields!