Publicans campaigning against the proposed workplace smoking ban are threatening to run candidates in next year's local elections in order to force a Government rethink on the issue.
Members of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland (VFI), who are holding a series of regional meetings this month to try to galvanise local opposition to the ban, have urged the group's executive to examine the prospect of running protest candidates.
The move follows an announcement by the Kerry branch of the VFI that it plans to continue to allow smoking in local pubs after the ban's introduction in January.
Mr Christy Ruane, chairman of the VFI's 600-strong Co Galway branch, said its members "may well pass a similar motion" when they meet next Monday week.
In addition, he said, "there is a lot of talk about putting up candidates for the local elections. People feel it's something which would really make the politicians sit up and listen".
Mr Con Dennehy, a member of the national executive council of the VFI, and spokesman for its Co Cork branch, said: "Although it has not yet been discussed at national level, running candidates in the elections may manifest itself down the road.
"There is certainly a lot of talk about it. With the local elections not taking place until next summer, it's not going to change the Government decision. But it will send a message to them that they are being overly intrusive in people's lives, that the nanny state has gone mad."
He added the Cork vintners could follow the example of their Kerry counterparts when they vote on what action to take over the ban next week. However, the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said yesterday "the law will be applied to all establishments", regardless of their views.
He told RTÉ the threats of law-breaking which had been made indicated "people still haven't woken up to the fact that passive smoking is a carcinogen that kills people, that it causes cancer and it causes heart disease.
"This country suffers more than any other European Union country from both those killer diseases . . . I think when people are still making these kind of statements they are failing to realise that this is for real. This is a killer. We have been told it's a killer, and we have got to act to protect people."
Of the Kerry publicans who said they would defy the ban, the Minister said: "They'd want to reflect on what they are doing and what they are saying. They'd want to reflect on the fact that 70 per cent of the people do not even smoke.
"Many of the people who go to pubs, and go to restaurants, and go to hotels, are looking forward to a smoke-free atmosphere and smoke-free environment from a health perspective and also the enjoyment aspect of it. I would repeat to the publicans concerned that they really need to think about this because this is not something I am just doing for the sake of it.
"The die is cast . . . it's not too long in this country before we have people coming forward wanting to sue employers for putting their employees at risk because of passive smoking."
Referring to the fact that the State had a duty to protect the health of all workers, he added: "Is the life, the health of a bar worker of less value than a worker in an office or in a factory?
"That is a question I cannot dodge, that I cannot fudge, and therefore I have to go ahead with my prohibition."
Mr Ruane said the VFI executive had asked publicans not to endorse law-breaking. "But there is a big section of our county who want to go militant. Pubs selling five to 10 barrels a week are close to the breadline. Any drop in that means they'll be crucified."
