Holyrood Smoking Conference: Same old lies, same pack drill…

…no, I said Holyrood, Scotland, not Hollywood, US of A, or maybe you thought Bollywood?  Oh, I don’t know though, I can see a resemblance to all three!

On Wednesday the 23rd of September the great and the good of Tobacco Control in Scotland met at the Holyrood Smoking Conference organised by Holyrood Magazine at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Edinburgh.  The sub heading of this effete conference was:

Examining the impact and enforcement of the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill.

Freedom2Choose (Scotland) was represented in the audience, especially the question and answer session, as was Forest by their  irrepressible Director Simon Clarke.  Simon has his own account of that day, as published on his blog Taking Liberties, here is but a flavour:

Anti-tobacco speakers included Shona Robison MSP, minister for public health; Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland; Dr Laurence Gruer OBE, director of public health science, NHS Health Scotland; and Eamonn Rossi, chief executive of the Office of Tobacco Control in Ireland.
On the other side, however, we had John Drummond of the Scottish Grocers Federation; David McLetchie MSP, former leader of the Scottish Conservatives; and Patrick Basham of the Democracy Institute.
The result was an event that was far more balanced than anyone could have expected. (Credit here to broadcaster Mark Stephens who was chairing the event.)

 But he also said:

That's the positive spin on proceedings. The bad news is, on the eve of today's debate in the Scottish Parliament on the Tobacco & Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill, only three MSPs bothered to turn up. Exclude Robison and McLetchie, who were speaking, and the number of MSPs present can be counted on one finger.

Attending this fallacious, nay bogus, ‘conference’ is not cheap.
Still, Freedom2Choose (Scotland) rose to the occasion.  In particular about the myth (Tobacco Control’s) about ‘age restricted’ items being sold through vending machines and gave out leaflets whilst there:

FACTS NOT FICTION

Scottish Ministers and senior civil servants disregard the facts but are happy to make decisions that will put 60 Scottish citizens out of work and close 15 companies.
Public Health Minister Shona Robison and her Scottish Government officials have argued that:
“Given the very serious health risks associated with smoking, this is clearly unsatisfactory and we concluded that it is unacceptable for such a dangerous age-restricted product to be sold from a self-service machine.”
Health and Sport Committee convener Christine Grahame told The Scotsman:
"Most members also believe that cigarette vending machines should be banned, bringing them into line with other age-restricted products like alcohol."
Alcohol, lighters and aspirin are all legally vended through machines across Scotland. These products can pose significant health risks yet the Government is singling out tobacco vending machines and wants to ban them under the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill. As a consequence, 60 people in Scotland will lose their job and 15 companies will close down.
Cigarette vending machines account for just 0.8% of cigarette sales in Scotland. Banning them will have next to no effect on the issue of underage smoking.
The National Association of Cigarette Vending Machine Operators has invested in a new system to stop under 18s buying tobacco from our machines – anyone wanting to use our machines will have to prove their age and only then will they be allowed to a single purchase activated by a Radio Frequency Control system. This will stop young people accessing tobacco products and avoid losing jobs in Scotland.
Scottish Ministers have not considered this solution fairly and refused to even see it in action. MSPs are being asked to vote without knowing all the options.

THAT'S FACT, NOT FICTION

As you can see Shona Robison MSP, Christine Graham and their cohorts at Tobacco Control are downright liars or totally inept in their positions  as ‘leaders’ of the people they were elected to govern.  So much so that Freedom2Choose (Scotland) want heads to roll for their lies and/or ineptitude, and they make no bones about it in their press release:

Minister Misleads Parliament and Should Resign

Freedom To Choose (Scotland) demands the resignation of the Minister for Public Health, Shona Robison, for blatantly misleading MSPs in the Health and Sport Committee in Stage 1 of the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services Bill.

Here fucking here says I, now what about those deceivers elected to Westminster?

Blogger Tags: Freedom2Choose (Scotland), Tobacco vending machine lies, Holyrood smoking conference, Press Release, Tobacco Control village of the damned.