SMOKING SPAIN

One of the truly joyful aspects to living in Spain revolves around the general lack of political correctness.  This is obvious in a whole number of ways, most of which are very positive.  The strictures of paranoic UK Health and Safety, for example, often seem like mysterious and alien concepts here.  Indeed, you only need to walk in the middle of a town (day or night) to find huge fireworks exploding, unexpectedly, within inches of you during fiestas or confirmations or a when a winning goal is scored.  This would be simply unthinkable in the UK – where in Spain it is just part of life and life’s natural vibrancy.

Certainly, Spaniards I know tend to be refreshingly straight talking on topics that us Britons tread lightly around for fear of offending someone, somewhere – somehow.  Meanwhile, there is none of the terrifying absurdity of having to be careful of being tactile with children.  Indeed, any Spaniard would be appalled to know how genuinely reticent a British male is of holding the hand, in public, of a lost and distressed child – in case he is immediately condemned as a potential  paedophile.

Spain, in so many ways, is a refreshing place to live for a North European.  It really is. 

The chaotic parking, the lack of political correctness, the scepticism of authority and the sense of freedom add hugely to the overall quality of life here.  Rightly or wrongly, I have always felt a sense of liberation whilst living in Spain – although this may just be me feeling less oppressed by the state apparatus of the UK.  In Britain (am I being a hypersensitive ex-pat?), I felt as though just about everything seemed to be bad for me, too dangerous or politically incorrect.  

However, when it comes to smoking in Spain there are arguments to suggest that the Spanish are a touch too politically incorrect.  At the time of writing, you can still smoke in most bars, for example, despite a 2005 law which attempted to ‘stop’ or at least restrict it.  In fact, the law was was peculiarly ineffective.  Whilst it made it compusory for any bar over 100m2 to have a separate non-smoking area, it allowed smaller bars to elect whether they would allow smoking or not – although it was made mandatory to publicly declare whether they allowed smoking or not.

Predictably, the overwhelming majority of bars allowed smoking.  In fact, it can sometimes be hard to find any bars with a ‘No Está Permitido Fumar’  (or words to that effect) sign.  This, of course, means that eating out or going to bars can be something of pain for non-smokers particularly during the winter when al fresco eating and drinking is restricted by the weather.

Rather more effective has been the smoking ban in Spain applied to public buildings and work places.  This seems to have been applied rigorously, in my experience.  So, if you are a non-smoker you will have no problems in government buildings, airports, offices and so on.

Unfortunately, evidently, some 35% of Spaniards still smoke, as opposed to the European average of 29% – which can in no way be considered a positive thing given the dire health consequences.  The latter, I know all too well – having been a smoker and the sufferer of a huge heart attack at an embarassingly early age.   

The trouble is that a recent survey seems to suggest that some 44.2% (how does anyone come up with such an exact figure?) of Spaniards still oppose strong measures to stop smoking.  So, for the time being, Spain will contine to be ‘soft’ on smoking.  This is borne out by the Spanish Health Minister (Trinidad Jimenez) who said in May 2010 that tougher smoking laws in Spain are unlikely to be in place before the beginning of 2011.

What makes the health minister’s comments interesting are that new ‘tough’ measures were due to come in force during the course of this summer when a complete smoking ban in Spain was due to be imposed on all bars.  This has not happened, primarily because of the economic crisis and the outcry made by bars and cafes who could (rightly) see a huge dimunition in their business should a total ban occur.   

So, what will happen?

In reality, Spain, like everywhere else in Europe, is becoming more politically correct every year and a full scale smoking ban in Spain is inevitable.  As inevitable, sadly, as increased regulation in other parts of daily life which will, no doubt, eventually lead to the hysterical nanny-state control exercised by Northern European countries over their populations.

On a personal basis, I cannot defend smoking any more than than I can oppose stronger smoking laws in Spain.  However, I have an instinctive dislike of state control over the actions of consenting adults and I fear that increasingly that will be the case.  So, in the meantime, I shall revell (whilst I can) in dodging enormous fireworks, smoky bars and a society that has a healthy (if that is quite the right word!) dislike of state intervention!