It’s a Sunday evening at the beginning of an abnormally rainy July and I’m standing in a room filled with what can only be described as various shades of ‘Indie Rock fans’. The atmosphere is electric as the sound check is completed and through a cloud of smoke, emerges my favourite band ever, ‘Kings of Leon’.

You could be forgiven for thinking that this is a concert review and as much as I’d love to convert you all into ‘Kings of Leon’ fans, it’s the cloud of smoke that I’d like to discuss just now.
Not artificial smoke, mind you: We’re talking here about carcinogenic-filled second hand cigarette smoke from the ‘cancer sticks’ hanging out of the corners of the Indie kids mouths as they chant along to the (fantastic) music.

The most noticeable thing is that, as a non-smoker, I appear to be the MINORITY. This seems not only unbelievable but also grossly unfair, particularly since my fellow KoL fans in England will be enjoying the gig in Bournemouth, smoke-free.

On 1st July 2007, England followed most of the rest of Great Britain and made smoking in enclosed public places illegal. Smokers face a fine of 50GBP (74 Euro) if they light up in their local pub and business owners could be forced to pay out a maximum of 2500GBP (3691 Euro) for failing to prevent smoking in a smoke free place. Great news for non-smokers living in the UK but what about us lot in Germany?

In May, German politicians approved a ban on smoking in government buildings and on public transport that will take effect from 1st September of this year (though smoking is already apparently banned on regional trains).

In Berlin, smoking in a non-smoking area could lead to a 100 euro fine with pub-owners liable for up to 1000 euro, though in practice, many landlords say this is unenforceable and indeed it probably is if Sunday is anything to go by! Better to pay the fine than to stand up to a room full of angry smokers and lose business in doing so!

All in all, it’s a losing game for us clean-air breathers in Germany. Will the government forgo the 17 billion euro it generates through tobacco tax each year in order to improve the health of its’ citizens? Don’t hold your breath…

Photo: Stefano Mortellaro

—Deutsche Übersetzung— hier geht’s weiter mit ‘Don’t hold your breath’