Way back last Christmas I wrote that the Greeks were revolting, and revolting they have been ever since as their country threatens the collapse of the entire EU bag of tricks (I am very polite sometimes!) Well, I now praise every rebellious Greek who smokes for they have forced a U-Turn from their cash starved government-and about time too!
The smoking ban is to be relaxed – for a price. But, in a country where corruption is rife, from the very top down, we should not be in the least bit surprised. There is mention of ‘x’ euro’s per sq mtr for smoking areas, which is not surprising as the country is past the bankrupt stage and sits with begging bowl offered.
Bringing back smoking or, more correctly, relaxing smoking bans for revenue is not a new innovation but it is certainly something our leadership could contemplate! just think of how many licensees would happily pay the government £10 per week to allow smoking to take place on their own property because that’s how they chose to run their business!
After all, what do ‘call me Dave’ and the ‘schoolboy in long trousers’ know about businesses – apart from eagerly closing over 9,000 of them down!