Ahhhh - OK. Apology accepted although none was necessary.

Bear with me on this though, please. There is so much wrong with your last paragraph, that I have addressed before, I am begining to wonder if we are speaking the same language. Please forgive any previous confusion and let me try again.

Firstly. "should have been the landlords choice to allow one smoking bar & one none". This has been the choice for as many years a I have been drinking. And that is far too many! NONE OF THE LANDLORDS IN MY AREA MADE THIS CHOICE. Every single one of the 30+ pubs in my hometown allowed smoking EVERYWHERE. The landlords and the licensed trade in general have ALWAYS had the choice to have smoking and non smoking areas. The vast majority could not be bothered which is why their hands are now being forced. Although, to be honest, without the investment in proper airflow equipment having a smoking area in a no smoking building building is like having a pissing area in a public swimming pool!

Second. "Many old pubs" are already being lost. They are closing at a rate of 50 a month. Nothing at all to do with the smoking ban. No-one can accurately predict if this will go up, down or stay the same and how, if at all, the smoking laws will affect this. Anything telling you otherwise is pure speculation.

Third. "many livelyhoods gone" is far prefereable to the alternative of many lives gone, which is what was happening when non-smoking bar staff and pub goers were forced to breath your second-hand smoke day after day.

Fourth "The facts are there to be read for Scotland" are NOT facts. Look back up the thread and you will find at least two links disputing that claim. One of which is from CAMRA - Who do you expect me to believe? The breweries who wanted me to drink Watneys Red Barrel or the most sucessful consumer rights group in the world?

Finaly, no-one at all is "pushing you to give up". Many are in fact bending over backwards to provide you areas and shelters where you can smoke in a warm and dry environment with like mided individuals, without inflicting your waste products on others. How is this forcing you to give up?

So, one last time. Where is your problem?

Cheers

Dave