S&G
Member
Hello,
We'd like to begin this thread by thanking everyone who contributed to last weeks thoroughly entertaining (for some people) debate about the forthcoming smoking ban and the Star&Garters' policy regarding smoking outside and joining any queue.
The persons complaining most vocally about the whole thing were few in number and in some cases particularly offensive without any real just cause, but as is the way with the Internet they are free to voice their opinions.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank those people (smokers and non-smokers) who attended the Morrissey Smiths Disco on Friday (1st June) and asked us about the law change and, having had it explained to them, were all in full agreement with our theory that prevention is better than a cure.
So here it is, the glaringly obvious (yet wholly ignored) reason why the smoking/queue rule will work.
It'll cut the queue time by somewhere in the region of 90%.
How? Here's how;
If 10 people stand outside the Star and Garter and queue to get in and of the 200 people inside the building half are smokers then how long do you think the people outside will have to wait once the smoking ban starts?
The queue time for the Moz Disco was up to 2 hours while it was legal to smoke inside the premises. From July 1st it won't be.
If 100 people each pop out for a cigarette twice during the duration of the Morrissey Smiths Disco then theoretically we can allow 200 more people into the night, and that's before we begin to count the people who leave to go home by bus, car, foot or train.
By this process the knock-on will mean shorter queues, less waiting time and an almost revolving door as people leave for a cig and are replaced.
Yes it'll take some getting used to but then again where are the rivers of blood and alcohol which were predicted when 24 hour licensing began?
Anyway, there you have it, the reasoning behind the rule. Maybe we should have outlined it earlier to some people but we clearly made the mistake of assuming everyone would understand how it will work. Unfortunately in some cases there are people who appeared to just envisage themselves stood at the back of a two hour queue while every other smoker in the building decided not to pop out for a cigarette. This whole "me me me" approach is essentially what started the whole sorry tirade of anti-Star&Garter messages from people who took exception to a law which will affect somewhere in the region of 24% of the population of Great Britain and not just the few who want to smoke at the Morrissey Smiths Disco.
We could say "stick it in your pipe and smoke it (outside)" to all of those people who called us, who criticised and slagged Andy, Peter, Sue, David and the other managers and staff at the Star&Garter for "being arsey" and "the crackpot policy" (but still turned up on Friday night). We could say the same thing to the same people who allegedly, as a result of rumour, myspace, email and text messages, are "threatening to boycott" the Morrissey Smiths Disco but we won't, because we've never stooped to such a petty level, which is something we're very proud of.
What we would like to do is direct everyone to the link below and ask them to think again about the subject matter of this and last weeks' thread, and the position the Star&Garter and all other venues (and buildings for that matter) in Manchester and England are about to be put in. This includes everyone who said we/Andy were patronising, treated smokers like criminals or second class citizens, sanctimonious, holier than thou and whatever other insults they could muster. Not forgetting of course the vast majority who, like any reasonable human being has done, accepted that the Star&Garter did not introduce the law and cannot change it to suit whoever shouts loudest, because it's those people who are an absolute credit to themselves, the Morrissey Smiths Disco and to the Star&Garter.
Thank you kindly,
The Star&Garter
http://www.guardian.co.uk/smoking/Story/0,,2094336,00.html
We'd like to begin this thread by thanking everyone who contributed to last weeks thoroughly entertaining (for some people) debate about the forthcoming smoking ban and the Star&Garters' policy regarding smoking outside and joining any queue.
The persons complaining most vocally about the whole thing were few in number and in some cases particularly offensive without any real just cause, but as is the way with the Internet they are free to voice their opinions.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank those people (smokers and non-smokers) who attended the Morrissey Smiths Disco on Friday (1st June) and asked us about the law change and, having had it explained to them, were all in full agreement with our theory that prevention is better than a cure.
So here it is, the glaringly obvious (yet wholly ignored) reason why the smoking/queue rule will work.
It'll cut the queue time by somewhere in the region of 90%.
How? Here's how;
If 10 people stand outside the Star and Garter and queue to get in and of the 200 people inside the building half are smokers then how long do you think the people outside will have to wait once the smoking ban starts?
The queue time for the Moz Disco was up to 2 hours while it was legal to smoke inside the premises. From July 1st it won't be.
If 100 people each pop out for a cigarette twice during the duration of the Morrissey Smiths Disco then theoretically we can allow 200 more people into the night, and that's before we begin to count the people who leave to go home by bus, car, foot or train.
By this process the knock-on will mean shorter queues, less waiting time and an almost revolving door as people leave for a cig and are replaced.
Yes it'll take some getting used to but then again where are the rivers of blood and alcohol which were predicted when 24 hour licensing began?
Anyway, there you have it, the reasoning behind the rule. Maybe we should have outlined it earlier to some people but we clearly made the mistake of assuming everyone would understand how it will work. Unfortunately in some cases there are people who appeared to just envisage themselves stood at the back of a two hour queue while every other smoker in the building decided not to pop out for a cigarette. This whole "me me me" approach is essentially what started the whole sorry tirade of anti-Star&Garter messages from people who took exception to a law which will affect somewhere in the region of 24% of the population of Great Britain and not just the few who want to smoke at the Morrissey Smiths Disco.
We could say "stick it in your pipe and smoke it (outside)" to all of those people who called us, who criticised and slagged Andy, Peter, Sue, David and the other managers and staff at the Star&Garter for "being arsey" and "the crackpot policy" (but still turned up on Friday night). We could say the same thing to the same people who allegedly, as a result of rumour, myspace, email and text messages, are "threatening to boycott" the Morrissey Smiths Disco but we won't, because we've never stooped to such a petty level, which is something we're very proud of.
What we would like to do is direct everyone to the link below and ask them to think again about the subject matter of this and last weeks' thread, and the position the Star&Garter and all other venues (and buildings for that matter) in Manchester and England are about to be put in. This includes everyone who said we/Andy were patronising, treated smokers like criminals or second class citizens, sanctimonious, holier than thou and whatever other insults they could muster. Not forgetting of course the vast majority who, like any reasonable human being has done, accepted that the Star&Garter did not introduce the law and cannot change it to suit whoever shouts loudest, because it's those people who are an absolute credit to themselves, the Morrissey Smiths Disco and to the Star&Garter.
Thank you kindly,
The Star&Garter
http://www.guardian.co.uk/smoking/Story/0,,2094336,00.html
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