Firstly, I'd better say that I am a non - smoker, who has never been a smoker and doesn't intend to start anytime soon. I am not particularly personally bothered by people smoking in public, as generally I have found that it is not in your face, and people are considerate of others who may not smoke. I understand however that this probably means I'm pretty lucky as I know that there are some very rude people out there who will stand right on top of you, etc smoking and being generally ignorant. I expect if I had children I would feel very strongly about the issue and would really not be happy about smoking in public.
The main reason issue I have with smoking in public is the fact that it has negative health effects, whether you are the one smoking or not. This is why I think that is should not be acceptable to smoke in public, and I think that if our government had any back bone then they would have also raised this issue and done something. I mean what is the point in concealing tobacco from sight in shops, when the biggest promoters of smoking are people who do it in public?! Aside from this, it's also not very nice to be walking down a high street or road that's littered with cigarette butts. This wouldn't be the case if it were banned.
On the other hand, perhaps a total public ban would have negative effects, especially on those who go outside to smoke rather than staying inside. When I was young my dad never smoked inside. He would either sit in the garden or, more commonly walk the dog around the block several times a day, which was just long enough to have a smoke. A public ban would restrict people like him, meaning that more children and non-smoking family members have to put up with second hand smoking. Then again, it may prompt many to kick the habit.
Final verdict: people chose to smoke and these days the effects are well known. I believe it's unfair to non-smokers that they can do it in public, and am in favour of a public ban.