Editorial: government out of touch

Responding to what they say is an unenforceable smoking ban, publicans across Ireland have said they will simply ignore the ban when Minister of Health Micheal Martin makes it law in January 2004.
With equal determination, Martin and his supporters in government said the ban will be enforced regardless.
But this week came disconcerting news, no matter what one thinks of the smoking ban. The Irish Health and Safety Authority, with overall responsibility for the administration and enforcement of health and safety at work in Ireland, said it wants to extend the smoking ban to the home.
This means any household employing a fulltime nurse, carer or au pair must provide a smoke-free atmosphere for the employee.
And, if a plumber or electrician arrives at an Irish home, they would be able to demand a smoke-free atmosphere while making their repairs.
Any extension of the hand of government to enforce rules in the home is a worrying development and this measure certainly seems like a move too far.
But let’s sum up: two arguments have met head-on during the recent debate over the banning of smoking public places.
The first, in favor of banning smoking, is the logic of health: Smoking is unhealthy. Smoking is bad for the smoker and for those around him or her. There is plenty of scientific evidence that secondhand smoke is dangerous, although this itself has been challenged by some.
Secondly, there is the argument of business. In tough economic times, small businesses like bars and restaurants need a smoking ban like a pint of Guinness needs a hole in the bottom of it. That much is clear from anecdotal evidence in New York City.
In the long term, the health argument is likely to win. A survey in Helena, Mont., in 2002 showed a dramatic fall in heart attacks after a smoking prohibition was passed. Heart attacks rose again after the ban was repealed.
But just how enforceable is the ban in a culture like Ireland’s, with the publicans from seven counties already saying they will simply ignore the rule?
The signs are not good for Minister Martin or this government, especially after this unruly proposed extension of the ban into Irish homes. If such measures applied in the United States, the fight would be taken right back to the government.
And that seems to be what Irish publicans are doing to Micheal Martin. An extension of the ban to Irish homes is nakedly arrogant and reveals a government out of touch with the people.