I know I will upset a few readers with this letter, but what has happened to tolerance and compromise in this country?

The only words this Government seems to understand are dictate and ban.

The forthcoming ban on smoking in enclosed public places is another nail in the coffin of individual choice and a stab in the back of a unique British institution - the pub.

Non-smokers are rejoicing. "At last I can go into a pub without my clothes stinking of tobacco."

I ask when was the last time they went into a pub, and will they now?

The days of the smoke-filled, men-only bars are long gone.

Today's pubs are clean, modern and efficiently run, some have air-conditioning, while most have had non-smoking areas for years.

It was your personal choice which area you sat in.

The old saying, 'if it's not broke, don't mend it' springs to mind.

The voluntary system in pubs has worked well for years, so why change it?

It didn't need an Act of Parliament from the nanny state to enforce a complete ban.

Agreed, smokers can sit outside.

But how long will it be before the no-smoking lobby complain about that and have the law changed?

Reasons given for this legislation include protecting staff from secondary smoking.

The majority of pubs have banned smoking at the bar for years and locate the smoking area away from the bar for this reason.

Yet the majority of staff I know are smokers themselves - this is why they don't work in offices, factories or shops.

This Government is fond of quoting how successful the ban has been elsewhere, but has it, or is it just more Government spin?

In Scotland, more than 200 pubs have closed in the last year, in Ireland overall pub takings have gone down.

In France, typically French, the ban is completely ignored, as it is in parts of Spain.

I agree with the ban in restaurants, cinemas, theatres, public transport and most general workplaces.

But if this Government really is concerned about our health, why not ban the sale of tobacco completely?

There is no chance of that happening when it is taking more than £3 in tax on every packet.

DEREK HONEY Queen Emma's Dyke Witney