Yesterday, I went to an acoustic night where the music has always been good enough to override my dislike of the smoke. The pub has just been redecorated and the landlord decided to bring in a no-smoking rule a couple of weeks ahead of the law.

What I saw was a room as full as normal - in fact, there weren't enough chairs for all who wanted to sing. This morning, I read a comment on a message board from another participant (a smoker) blaming the smoking ban for the fact that the pub was only half full.

Clearly, we each saw what we wanted to see. If we can't even agree on how we interpret the effects of the restriction, any discussion of the rights and wrongs of smoking and the coming law is futile.

DC