One Rule For Them ...

Via Guido

The News of the Screws has a fantastic story (with pictures) about Nigel Griffiths at it with a stockings and suspenders wearing brunette in his office. They even have pictures - though they declined to publish one of him reclining naked on his sofa enjoying a post orgasmic cigar. Didn’t Griffiths vote to make it illegal to smoke “in the workplace”?

Indeed he did, the filthy, hypocritical, adulterous cunt.

According to the Health Act 2006, of which he was very much in favour ...

2 (2) Premises are smoke-free if they are used as a place of work—
(a) by more than one person (even if the persons who work there do so at different times, or only intermittently), or
(b) where members of the public might attend for the purpose of seeking or receiving goods or services from the person or persons working there (even if members of the public are not always present).

It was in his office. Check.

7 (2) A person who smokes in a smoke-free place commits an offence.

Check.

Fixed penalties
(1) An authorised officer of an enforcement authority (see section 10) who has reason to believe that a person has committed an offence under section 6(5) or 7(2) on premises, or in a place or vehicle, in relation to which the authorised officer has functions may give him a penalty notice in respect of the offence.

Off you trot then, Westminster Council. The News of the World have the evidence. I do believe the fine is £50.

8 Offence of failing to prevent smoking in smoke-free place
(4) A person who fails to comply with the duty in subsection (1), or any corresponding duty in regulations under subsection (3), commits an offence.

Isn't the penalty anything up to £2,500 per contravention, Ms Serjeant at Arms? Best raid the petty cash. Or you could try this defence I suppose.

(5) It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under subsection (4) to show—
(a) that he took reasonable steps to cause the person in question to stop smoking, or
(b) that he did not know, and could not reasonably have been expected to know, that the person in question was smoking.

(b) will probably do it seeing as you're the troughers in SW1. Although it doesn't work elsewhere.

A PUB landlady has been ordered to cough up £365 after she admitted failing to prevent a customer smoking.

David Mainwaring, defending, described the incident as an "aberration" and said Boyd had been out at a cash and carry while another employee had been dealing with a customer.

Mr Mainwaring said the woman who lit up had now been banned, adding that there were "No Smoking" signs and mirrors to help staff check different areas of the pub.

Then again, there's no real need for any defence at all, is there? Because despite the continual self-aggrandising nonsense that emanates from MPs about their gentleman's agreement to voluntarily ban smoking from Westminster, Parliament is exempted as a 'Royal Palace', and therefore ... wait for it ... fines are unenforceable.

No punishment, no court cases, no legal redress at all.

Treble Havanas all round.

UPDATE: Even better, the Devil points out that the best man at Griffiths's wedding was a Scottish gentleman with one eye. So not only will smokefree legislation be ignored in this instance, so will fucking behind the wife's back.

Treble stocking-clad tarts all round too.