NOW that the first part of this year's special festive celebrations are over, thoughts will be turning to the New Year.

It's certainly a time of new beginnings for many people, and the kind of resolutions we'd hope to keep well into the Year 2000. But, some resolutions are easier to keep than others.

So, it's helpful that people like Bolton MP Brian Iddon are urging smokers to "stub it out" as their New Year resolution, and quit what is a very difficult habit to break.

No-one wants to rob individuals of their rights, and if anyone wants to continue smoking and accepts the health risks involved, then that is their right.

What should not be their "right" is poisoning others and polluting the general atmosphere.

People, like entertainer Roy Castle, die from passive smoking and it daily damages the lungs of babies and small children. Their choice of whether to inhale cigarette smoke or not has been taken away from them. Their right to a healthier life has been destroyed.

Bolton Council has the sensible approach in this controversial situation. It insists on a smoke-free working environment, with special rooms where smokers can enjoy cigarettes without affecting others.

A more worrying trend, perhaps, is that smoking is now perceived by many youngsters as "cool" - once anything becomes trendy we've got problems.

There is bound to be a need in the years ahead for consistent campaigns warning children and young people of the very real health dangers of smoking. In fact, practical help for anyone who yearns to kick the habit and stop smoking forever has got to be a Government priority in the Millennium.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.