29% of their survey said…

…Smokers breath can cause cancer in others!

In recent years a number of new claims have been made about smoking and public health. These include the argument that smoker's breath is dangerous, that invisible particles carried by smokers can cause cancer and that electronic cigarettes are as or more dangerous than cigarettes.

Scientists like Professor Siegel, a prominent anti-smoking activist, worry that by making such extreme claims organisations will lose the trust of the public.

We set out to test opinions on smoking and the electronic cigarette, surveying over 250 smokers, non-smokers and electronic cigarette users in the process.

Can Smokers' Breath Kill You?

[Ed: You cannot be serious FFS.]

Do you agree with this statement: "Smoker's breath can be harmful to health, especially to children, the elderly and those especially sensitive to many chemicals."

a.Yes.
b. No.
c. Not sure.

Click picture to enlarge

This must be a bloody wind up, surely? Does the fact that this is an E-cig company survey have any bearing? Why ask the question and what is wrong with the brainless idiots, that 29 percent, coupled with the 21 percent that said they “don’t know?”

But wait, there’s more:

Who said yes?

But when we looked at non-smokers it was a different story. Nearly 60% believed that smokers could harm other people just by breathing upon them. More than a quarter of non-smokers thought the same - it was only the more activist e-cigarette smokers who were really sceptical.

Click picture to enlarge

I don’t blame the e-cig company for doing “yet another” study that spuriously heaps more denormalisation techniques on the already beleaguered smoker.

Anyway, I’m not the best person to ask about these stupid bloody surveys so it’s over to you, readers, what do you think.

Here’s the survey in full. I didn’t want to leave publishing this until tomorrow in fear you all might look at the date and think it was all one sick joke.

Tip of the cloth cap to Head Rambles, an Irish blogger of much repute.

Blogger Tags: Breathing smokers can kill, smokers breath kills babies and the zombies believe it is true, morons.

The 2nd TICAP world conference.

Some of the signatories to the Aldebaren Treaty-AKA-TICAP.  You may recognise Nick Hogan in the background in a black jacket.

TICAP is a truly international organisation comprising of the initial signatories at the summit in 2008:

Freedom to Choose (UK)

Freedom to Choose (Scotland)

Forces International

Forces Italy

Forces Holland

Forces Germany

Dary (Denmark)

The Danish Smokers' Party

The Party Against Nannyism (Holland)

Smokers' Interest (Holland)

The Association of Dutch Coffee Shops

The Hungarian Association of Smokers' Societies

Below is a series of videos taken on the 15th of March 2010 at the 2nd TICAP world conference.

Wiel Maessen: Welcome address

Wiel Maessen is president of FORCES Netherlands as well as a director of Stichting KHO and a member of the Board of TICAP. He has a 10 year record of fighting (tobacco) prohibition.

 

Michael Marlow: The Economic Impact of Smoking Bans in Hospitality Venues

Dr. Michael Marlow is a Professor of economics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In earlier years, he served as Senior Financial Economist at the U.S. Treasury Department. His research interests are in public finance and public choice with specific interests in the areas of public health, public education, and tax reform. He has extensively published on smoking policies.

Doctor Michael Marlow (Video 1)

Dr. Marlow (part 2)

Dr. Marlow (Part 3)

Dr. Marlow (Part 4)

Patrick Basham: The Campaign to Call Time on Alcohol Freedom.

Dr. Patrick Basham is the founding Director of the Democracy Institute, a London- and Washington-based public policy research organisation.  Basham previously served as a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, where he is currently an Adjunct Scholar. Prior to joining Cato, he served as the founding Director of the Social Affairs Centre at the Fraser Institute, Canada's leading think tank, where he led the Institute's research in the areas of consumer choice and social policy regulation. He is also affiliated with Johns Hopkins University as a lecturer on health care politics.  The author and editor of several books, numerous scholarly studies and research papers, and hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles, Basham has written extensively about health, diet, and obesity, including his most recent book Diet Nation: Exposing the Obesity Crusade (2006).

Dr. Patrick Basham: Opening video 1

 

Part 2

Part 3

Maryetta Ables: Civil Society and Prohibition

Maryetta Ables is President of FORCES International (2004-ongoing), the premier source for the dissemination of the studies surrounding tobacco prohibition and a founding member of TICAP. Ms. Ables has been involved at all levels of activism against prohibition for some time, but has made understanding the source of Prohibition her main focus for several years. Ms. Ables is a Paralegal by profession.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

Video 4

Contribution by Gawain Towler (UKIP/Europe of Freedom and Democracy Group)

Video 1

Video 2

Questions and answer session 1

Videos 1 2 3 and 4

David Goerlitz: The Anti-Smoking Movement and Global Corruption

David Goerlitz was the face of Winston cigarettes for 7 years, appearing in 42 ads and on billboards all over the world.  In 1988, his growing unease at working for the tobacco industry boiled over to open dissent.  He publicly denounced his employer for marketing tobacco products at children, quit smoking himself, and joined America’s anti-smoking movement. Years later, he discovered that this movement had become criminal, corrupt and a hoax that has sold out to Big Government, Big Tobacco, and Big Pharmaceuticals for the sake of long term funding by smokers and tobacco users themselves.

Video 1

Video 2

Kamal Chaouachi: Prohibition through the Hookah Looking-glass (Video not available yet.)

Michael McFadden: Fighting Prohibitions: Tools, Tactics, and Strategies

Michael McFadden graduated cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Manhattan College with a degree in both Peace Studies and Psychology.  He went on to study statistics and propaganda analysis under a doctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton program in Peace Research. He left the University after two years to host a Quaker training center in non-violent social change and has worked at various levels in the areas of peace activism and social change ever since. He is the author of “Dissecting Antismokers’ brains” and has been active within several member organizations of TICAP (most notably, PASAN and Smoker's Club). Currently, he serves as a TICAP director.

Video 1

 

Part 2

Part 3

Questions and answer session II

Maryetta Ables: In memory of Gian Turci
Text
Video (not yet available)
John Gray (TICAP Chairman): Closing address
Video (not yet available)

 

Technorati Tags: TICAP,TICAP 2nd World Conference,The Aldebaren Treaty,Maryetta Ables,Christopher Snowden,Michael McFadden,Wiel Maessen,Gawain Towler

Giles Thorley - Enough already!

After 9 years at the helm of the good ship Punch Taverns, Giles Thorley is resigning hi vastly paid commission in favour of other pursuits.

Punch said it is "well advanced" with the process of finding a successor and that there will be an "orderly transition". So this was already well known within the Punch structure - interesting that!

"Having grown Punch into Britain’s largest pub company, the past two years we have faced the worst recession for a generation and significant structural and political challenges to the industry."
Meaning, having invested heavily in previous years, Giles now leaves the sinking ship which happens to be £3.8bn in debt - with virtually no hope of ever hitting the 'evens-stevens' mark!.

The last 2 years have not been the problem though Giles, the last 32months have! They are the months this business crippling smokeban has been in place-you know the one Giles.
It's the one that you & Ted Tuppen represented the industry at government level but rolled over like 'tickly-tum doggies!
It's the one that guaranteed 68% of your core customers would walk out in disgust. It's the one that you both feared that 'landlocked pubs' might have to close.
It's the one that you lapped up the false promises of 'millions of new clean air customers' would be stampeding the doors.
It's the one that signed the death knell for thousands of pubs & clubs.
It's the one that is crippling the hospitality sector!
While Giles has been reaping vast rewards of position and decision making licensees/tenants have been going bankrupt at an alarming rate, losing their businesses which are also their homes.Many had the pleasure of earning nearly £50 per week for their endeavours!
One couple could not even earn that the week before they closed for ever! Do you remember The Family Tree in Bognor Regis Giles? Do you remember the misery and stress they went through before Peter finally had a massive heart attack and was hospitalised? Do you remember your 'BDM' employing a builder to break in and reclaim the pub - leaving them homeless?

When Punch (& Enterprise) raised no onjection to the implementation of a total indoor smokeban they effectively signed their own death warrants,for this industry will never recover from the onslaught of this legislation. Good solid community pubs are falling like flies as smokers stay away for they simply refuse to enjoy their entertainment in 'shelters' not even deemed fit for pigs. And how much money have tenants had to waste on those less than useless tinpot constructions Giles, only to get less usage than a second hand stamp!

Admiral Taverns have 'released 200 pubs for sale recently. Now why is that Giles/Ted? Perhps it is because they are useless businesses. Perhaps they once flourished as Punch Taverns did. The certainty is that they will no more until all the major players unite and demand the rights we are all afforded under law. Human Rights, Property rights etc.

Chairman Peter Cawdron added: "I would like to thank Giles for his incredible commitment and drive that he has brought to Punch during his time with the business.
His dedication has not waivered during good and bad times and he will leave a business poised to benefit from an improvement in economic conditions."

Committment? Oh yes, committed to destroying our social structure through multiple closures within the Punch empire!
And as for 'leaving a business posed to benefit...' - from what? Aren't words cheap when they suit!
The smokeban has caused the pubco's biggest protection factor to be removed through pending legislation - the Beer Tie. Without the beer tie (sometimd doubling the price of a barrel) pubco's lose their financial safety net. They have one fiesty lady to thank for that little earner going out of the windo - Inez Ward & our sister organisation Justice for Licensees who have cmpaigned tirelessly to get the industry back on track. The beer tie, in truth, was always bubbling away under the surface of discontent but the smokeban exacerbated the problem tenfold! When punters stop attending your bar in their thousands and the beer ceasis to flow, takings plummet yet the bills remain constant. So constant in fact that as soon as the takings don't at least match the expenses pubs are in trouble-bigtime! Mr MicCawber of Dickensian fame springs to mind!

Final thought on the great success of Giles & Punch. Share prices pre ban stood at a proud £13.68p with brokers urging people to buy, buy, buy into the clean air strategy.
Now you can sell, sell, sell at around £0.70p. Very expensive is clean air folks!
Whatever career you move into Giles, please don't make it the pub industry - we do want some left after this government has finished it's evil muck spreading.

Tales from the Darkside-Alcohol & Tobacco News #2

[Knock, knock, knock] helllllllooooo, can anybody see that bloody great big elephant in the “community pub?”

The Government has unveiled measures to protect community pubs in an effort to stem nearly 40 closures a week. What is your reaction?

The measures include £3.3 million to be spent on business support to make pubs more successful and to help communities buy into struggling premises to keep them open. Pubs will also be allowed to extend into ventures ranging from restaurants to
gift shops and book shops without planning permission.

Pubs minister John Healey said, "This package of tough, practical measures aims to put some real support behind our community pubs, giving publicans more support to
diversify and punters more choice". [Ed: more choice eh, will they be able to offer me the choice to smoke then? No… thought not.]

I wonder if CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale) can see Nelly the elephant then?

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) welcomed the announcement. Camra chief executive Mike Benner said: "This is a great day for people who care about the future of our community pubs". [Ed: Well one can dream, can’t one!]

Talking about CAMRA, those beardy types that take an out of focus picture, The Pub Curmudgeon takes a sharp, clear and concise picture of that elephant.

Forgive me for thinking this is all just pathetic fiddling while Rome burns. As long as we continue to see no amendment of the smoking ban, above-inflation duty hikes and the constant insistence that drinking two pints at a sitting will lead to an early grave, not to mention the prospect of slashing the drink-driving limit and thus rendering thousands of pubs unviable, the pub trade will remain under serious threat, and for government ministers to pose as its friend is laughable. There couldn’t be an election imminent, could there?

Giving up the filthy weed can be a bloody killer, try Chantix!

An anti-smoking drug, combined with heavy drinking, contributed to Warner Robins Mayor Donald Walker's suicide, according to autopsy results.

The results released by Houston County coroner Danny Galpin confirmed that his cause of death was death by self-inflicted gunshot wound. The manner of death was ruled as suicide.

Ah, heavy drinking, it must have been the nasty alcohol wot done it?

The GBI crime lab report says, "He was taking Chantix to stop smoking, which caused severe depression. On the day of his death, his severe depression caused him to consume large quantities of alcohol. This acute ethanol intoxication state, superimposed upon his severe depression, severely impaired his remembering, reasoning and cognitive abilities."

In 2008, an FDA public-health advisory warned that Chantix could cause mood and behavior changes, including "anxiety, nervousness, tension, depressed mood, unusual behaviors and thinking about or attempting suicide."

Rest in piece Donald, the righteous can’t get at you now…but they WILL try, make no mistake about that.

God, I need a fag and a drink so I’m off down to our local village pub…Where’s my pub gone?

Things must be desperate: the Government is trying the old warm-beer-and- maiden-ladies-bicycling-to-matins routine. It is making a bid for that piece of the village green that is forever England (or Britain, if you must): the pub. [Ed: Warm beer? Maidens? Bicycling??? Matins? boy how pubs have changed since this old fart was a 16 err 18 year old lad.]

How desperate Clive? NO, don’t answer that.

Having noticed that rural pubs are closing in droves, the Government has rallied round, offering to match funds raised by local people to support efforts to run such places themselves as community enterprises. Picture Gordon Brown, [Ed: Do I have to? Is this a test or something?] pint mug in hand, swapping wit and wisdom with the village elders, while the horse brasses twinkle in the firelight.

Oh, you did answer Clive, tell it how it is mate.

There is a tiny irony in this. Not only might it be argued that the Government itself has precipitated the closure of many pubs by making it illegal to smoke in them — a blow to the traditional boozer, where sons of toil would spend all evening, perhaps several nights a week. [Ed: Wow, that is TINY, isn’t it?] Without this trade, licensees have only been able to survive by reinventing their establishments as gastro pubs, serving meals at prices that few locals could afford. I shouldn’t worry; I don’t smoke. I like the fact you can get a decent meal on your travels. But now the Government is considering making it impossible to get into a car if you’ve had so much as a single pint of bitter. That means they’ll lose my custom too. [Ed: And mine.]

And of course the bastion of non bias journalism, the BBC, just have to stick their oar in!

Pubs? Minister for pubs? That tie just makes me see RED. 

The measures include £3.3 million to be spent on business support to make pubs more successful and to help communities buy into struggling premises to keep them open. Pubs will also be allowed to extend into ventures ranging from restaurants to
gift shops and book shops without planning permission.

Pubs minister John Healey said, "This package of tough, practical measures aims to put some real support behind our community pubs, giving publicans more support to diversify and punters more choice". [Ed: Really John, go tell it to Nick Hogan.]

Nick Hogan, ironies of ironies.

A MAN who was kicked out of smoke ban rebel Nick Hogan’s pub for lighting up returned brandishing a knife.

Surely Nick was putting on a Carvery, all you can eat for a fiver and bring your own cutlery?

Mr Hogan, landlord of The Swan with Two Necks, in Hollinshead Street, Chorley, spent 12 days in jail for non-payment of fines he received for flouting the smoking ban at one of his former pubs in Bolton.

The reveller was kicked out by security staff on Saturday night after smoking on the dance floor, but returned at around 3am with a knife, although he didn’t approach anyone with it.

Shit, does that mean I cant bring my own cutlery or you don’t do “all you can eat for a fiver” Nick?

"I just find it so ironic that I have actually been to jail after allowing customers to smoke and this should happen.”

But, care in the community apart, did the knife wielding victim perpetuator  of the governments your “no smoking” policy get his bloody dinner?

"Luckily the security staff locked the doors and the man went off. The police are now looking for him.”

Guess not! Bloody unpaid police landlords/ladies, upholders of draconian laws, defenders of their trade…off with their heads I say, but please ensure that the blade is well sharpened because they will rise up and fight against unjust laws like the smoking ban, it’s a given.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bloggers who unknowingly contributed to this blog piece were,  in no particular order:

Dick Puddlecote

Anna Raccoon

That bastard Old Holborn

That defender of the drinking faith classless classes doh, you know I mean you, The Pub Curmudgeon, a man after my own heart.

To name but a few, because they are many, those libertarian bloggers, god bless ‘em.

And, as ever, my thanks go to the good people on the Freedom2Choose forum, who scan the hinternet for the anti-smoking, anti-alcohol absurd bansterbators.

Blogger Tags: Nick Hogan, ban drinking, ban everything, lets hear it for the libertarian.

Inez is starting to tie the knot !

I know that everybody wants the ban gone yesterday but Inez Ward is doing stirling work on our behalf folks!

SAVE THE GREAT BRITISH PUB!
Go to Cause
Posted By: Inez Ward
To: Members in SAVE THE GREAT BRITISH PUB!
BRITISH PUB WEEK - A CELEBRATION OF OUR TRADE

BRITISH PUB WEEK - A CELEBRATION OF OUR TRADE



British Pub week, which will run from Saturday 30th October - Saturday 6th November 2010, is a campaign designed to promote the many benefits of the Great British pub, increase footfall and encourage all areas of the trade to unite and work together for the benefit of the trade.



British Pub Week will be a week full of activities that promote the many benefits that pubs bring to all members of the communities they serve, including charity support, music, games and entertainment, great food and drink and most importantly - social cohesion. Further details will be released at the trade launch on Thursday 27th May 2010.



British Pub Week would like to welcome both Save the Pub group and the Morning Advertiser as official partners and would also like to welcome the support of Fairpint and Freedom2Choose. The steering group, consisting of Marston's, Punch Taverns, BII, Unite, Greg Mulholland and Justice for Licensees, is working together to benefit this trade and would like to extend a cordial invite to all areas of this trade to join in.



Inez Ward, Chairman of British Pub Week and founder of Justice for Licensees said: "Pubs have not had a lot to smile about in recent months but I am hopeful that this initiative will go some way in changing that. It is imperative that this trade unites to promote the benefits of the Great British pub and the vital role that she plays in the community and the economy as a whole. The formation of the British Pub Week steering group is a huge step in the right direction. I look forward to working with all areas of this trade to fulfil our aims."



Neil Robertson of the BII and steering group member quoted "BII welcomes this initiative and the breadth and strength of the leadership and support team. I'm sure that as the details emerge, others will also want to come on board."


The Morning Advertiser said
“British Pub week is a great idea to galvanise support for the local pubs, which make up the very backbone of British life. The pub is the envy of the world and this is a chance to remind the public just how good the pub is.”


Save the Great British Pub

Ban smoking in ALL cars…and parks…and…

…outside school gates and…the list goes on.

The blogosphere and the MSM have been set alight-pun intended-with the news that the Royal College of Physicians want to ban smoking in ALL cars, regardless that no children are onboard.

Below are two radio recordings from Five Lives breakfast show with Nicky Campbell.  In the first segment Nicky talks to John Britton from the RCP and in the second he talks to Deborah Arnott from ASH and Freedom2Choose member Tony Blows, a landlord who’s livelihood was ripped to shreds when the Smoking Ban Experiment came into being on the 1st of July 2007.  Listen to Tony call Ms Arnott a liar.

Lastly Simon Clark from Forest was interviewed by the One Show for the BBC-see video below-about the same war cry from the ‘ban smoking in cars’ crowd.

Update: I have added on another interview above, this time BBC Scotland interviewed author of Velvet Glove: Iron Fist, Christopher Snowden about the proposal to ban smoking in cars for everybody. Chris has his own blog where he dissects all the anti-smoking "junk science" in his own unique style.

Smoking in cars and other things smoking related-tales from the blogosphere:

Dizzy Thinks

Taking Liberties

Raedwald

Dark Lochnagar

To name but four.

Blogger Tags: Smoking in cars should be banned says RCP, Ban, ban, John Britton, Tony Blows, Deborah Arnott

Hello Possums, what’s your game? Violent video games Vs smoking in the “Save the Children” charity wars.

You are not getting away with it, we KNOW what you are doing and you WILL be reported!

I remember when I “were a lad” being brought up in that den of iniquity called Glasgow in the late 50’s early 60’s, where a then famous “celeb” called Frankie Vaughan lead a campaign to cut knife crime by giving credence to a knife amnesty. There were no video games then of course and smoking was rife too, but no one came up on a white charger to extol the virtues of  a “fag” amnesty.  But there was old re-runs on the TV, black and white of course, and they even had the righteous on hand to denounce violent “gangster” movies made a few decades previous. Films like Public Enemy staring James Cagney or George Raft in Scarface. And of course nobody turned a whisker when Humphrey Bogart chain smoked his way through innumerable “gangsta” movies. Of course the righteous will take delight in pointing out that Bogart died of cancer, not even stopping to think how many people who were never smokers died of cancer on that day, they will have their moment of perceived  ‘weasel’ triumphalism.

Sorry Boggy, there is “no smoking” allowed on screen, you paedophile you, even if you do have artistic license!

Of course there were many other righteous bansterbators back in the day, the alcohol prohibitionists for a start, who, ironically, brought gangsterism  to an all time high, spawning the many gangster movies I have mentioned above and making huge stars of the Bogart's and Cagney's of the movie industry.

So here we are, many decades on, and the same paternal protagonists have re-invented themselves…with one subtle difference, they have money, and lots of it, not their own of course but yours, the taxpayer.

Here in the UK there are a plethora of ‘charities’ that are mostly funded by Joe Public, I would be here for ever and a day if I looked worldwide at these so called charities, but I’ll stick with  a few here in the UK:

ASH UK (spit) (“Action on Smoking and Health,” and their cohorts RIP (“Reduced Ignition Propensity Cigarettes” not forgetting Smokefree Action to name but two who ALL get government your tax money and pass it around to each other to keep themselves in a job) and I haven’t even mentioned  the bhf (The British Heart Foundation yet!) And there’s more contributions from the anti-smoking ‘charities’ but I could be here all bloody day.

CASH  (Consensus Action on Salt and Health.) If you think CASH is a toothless joke then read this.)

The National Institute on Media and the Family may not be in the pay of government statist sponsorship but it has a ‘quangoesque’ and “fake charity” feel to it. Please think of anything else that the general public likes and Google to see if there is a bansterbating fake charity feel to it…you will be amazed at what you will find.

 

The National Institute on Media and the Family brings me neatly to the reason for the headline at the top of this page.

The Angry Exile has done a formidable piece on the Gaming Wars by the PC brigade in cuddly animal land, Australia. The same PC brigade that hold sway over you lives politically, whatever country you reside.

As a smoker and a fighter against smoking bans, or any prohibitionistic hedonists who get their jollies by having something banned, I draw no pleasure in seeing such obvious jousting for government taxpayers money between two bansterbating camps, the anti-smoking lobby and the ‘video games are ruining our yoof so lets do something’ lobbyists. I know I shouldn’t have but I did put my arm up in the air, clenched my fist then sharply pull it down perpendicular with my body shouting YES, YES, YES, YES…err…em…sorry, just couldn’t help myself.

Who is this cunt man?

No doubt my fellow co-author at the Freedom2Choose blogspot will have something to say on this over at his place.

Blogger Tags: The Angry Exile, Video Games, Bansterbators, Australia, Tie me video game down sport, Eat drink and be happy then die a horrible death, pass the lettuce, salt free of course

TICAP 2nd world conference-15th of March 2010.

By author Michael J. McFadden.

The Conference was a great success!   We had participants from Pennsylvania and California, and from Wales, Scotland, England, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, France, and perhaps one or two other countries I’ve lost track of.

The facility was impressive and sported high tech video cameras that automatically zoomed in on people as they spoke.  The courtyard outside was reserved for our breaks and was surrounded by towers from, I believe, the 16th century.  The tea and coffee service was superb… although the tray of crackers left a bit to be desired… at least to my tastes (There were NO chocolate cookies!)  The room was perfect: we had planned to be comfortable with anywhere from 25 to 100 and we ended up with about 50 which fit comfortably and allowed for inter-session discussions which were productive without being overwhelming!

From 8:30 to 9:30 conference participants were warmly welcomed by the Chairman of TICAP, John Gray. We started up promptly at 9:30 with Mr. Maessen delivering the Welcome Address with a PowerPoint presentation.

Michael Marlow presented an incredibly detailed presentation also assisted by PowerPoint on the economic effects of bans and covered some of the twistings and turnings of antismoking propagandists with regard to the after-ban health claims they like to conjure up with cherry picked studies.

Patrick Basham followed with a carefully prepared spoken presentation showing the dangers ahead for the hospitality industry after their fall to the smoking bans and demonstrating why this particular fight is so important to wider freedoms everywhere.

Maryetta Ables was faced with the daunting task of trying to summarize a detailed 21 page report on threat of UN and WHO “advisors” as they relate to individual governments that seem to have been all too willing to give up claims to fundamental principles of sovereignty in signing the FCTC (Framework Convention on Tobacco Control) treaty.  While they would never have signed away such rights on issues like arms control or fundamental human freedoms, the “tobacco issue” appeared harmless enough to them that they opened their doors to a future where many of them may be sadly surprised. Maryetta boiled her 21 pages down to a well-organized extemporaneous presentation that included having a few conference participants come up front to link arms in various positions showing the growing influence of international interests over national directions.

We had a welcome unscheduled addition to the conference after Maryetta in the person of Gawain Towler, press officer of UKIP, who offered his strong support and belief that our work will pay off legislatures around the world.

Their presentations were followed by a lively question and answer session and then a lunch break at a wonderful outdoor cafe where we were all trying to order in different languages while bicyclists pedalled by.  While it’s a bit uncertain whether we all got what was ordered, everyone seemed happy when we arrived back at the conference.

The afternoon session started out with a presentation by a Dutch MP of the VVD, Halbe Zijlstra,  a spokesman for their Public Health and a non-smoker who nonetheless sees the threat to our freedoms as being worthy of more concern than whatever slight or imaginary threat may be posed by wisps of smoke in businesses that desire to allow smoking on their premises.  

Zijlstra was warmly applauded and was then followed by a 20 minute pre-recorded video by Dave Goerlitz, “The Winston Man” who once worked for Big Tobacco, then worked for the Antis, and then left the Antis when he got disgusted with their interest in money more than the kids he was trying to communicate with. 

Dave had been hit by debris from a truck in a highway accident early this year and had just had an unexpected operation that kept him from coming to the conference but he made a noble effort to boil his ideas down into a video presentation and I believe he was successful and appreciated.

Dave was followed by a detailed presentation from Kamal Chaouachi on how the hookah culture has been unjustly attacked and on the corruption of science by Anti-smokers hell-bent on stamping out ALL forms of smoking… even if they have to discredit legitimate research and researchers while creating brand new excuses to lump hookah smoking in with their arch-enemy of cigarette smoking.

Kamal was followed by myself with another PowerPoint presentation with my main thrust being the need to hit the Prohibitionists at their weakest point: their lies.

After a break we came back for a final Q&A session chaired quite ably and helpfully (as was the first) by author-historian Christopher Snowdon.  Some interesting questions were asked and answered and several of the day’s presenters added a bit to their formal presentations.

As the day’s session ended Maryetta Ables gave a warm eulogy for Gian Turci, remembering his history and efforts, perfectly capped by his success in bringing about the creation of TICAP and the first TICAP conference held last year in Brussels.  Gian worked tirelessly for no gain in any personal sense at all other than satisfaction in knowing that he was fighting against something that was huge and was wrong.  He was a Don Quixote fighting against truly dark windmills that were fuelled not by breezes but by immense amounts of money, and TICAP is carrying on his vision in our fights around the world!

After the formal conference we retreated to one of The Hague’s “Dens of Defiance” where participants were able to exchange thoughts and camaraderie in a more informal atmosphere well into the evening.

To the future…  We have the truth and the facts on our side, while the power of the antismoking industry is based only on money and lies.  We CAN beat them! Keep on fighting!

Michael J. McFadden
Author of “Dissecting Antismokers’ Brains”
Mid-Atlantic Director, Citizens Freedom Alliance
Board of Directors, The International Coalition Against Prohibition

Hat Tip to Smoke Screens: The Truth about Tobacco author Rich White.

Blogger Tags: TICAP, 2nd World Conference, Gian Turci, Michael J. McFadden

A humungous piece of shit just dropped into my email in tray-Save me from myself!

If you want to see Rab then go here. I promise you, you’ll be hooked! Ok, it’s not the real Rab but it’s the closest you’ll get.

And believe me, the lettering was much larger than below.

KEY SEMINAR ON ONE OF THE MOST ACUTE PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES IN SCOTLAND AND ELSEWHERE IN THE UK

HOW CAN WE ALL MOST EFFECTIVELY TACKLE

ALCOHOL MISUSE?

· REDUCING THE PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC COSTS 

· LEARNING ACROSS BORDERS; MAKING PARTNERSHIPS WORK

· TAKING FORWARD THE SCOTTISH ALCOHOL BILL    

Tuesday 20 April,  2010

Royal OverSeas League,  Edinburgh

Contributors include    

· Alison Douglas,  Head of Alcohol Policy,  Scottish Government

· Prof Eileen Kaner,  Professor of Public Health Research,  University of Newcastle upon Tyne

· Dr Zul Mirza,  President, Emergency Medicine, Royal Society of Medicine

· Dr Peter Rice,  Consultant Psychiatrist,  Tayside Alcohol Problems Service

· Dr Alison Giles, Chief Executive, Our Life,  North West England

· Harry Garland,  Executive Director of Children and Community,  South Ayrshire Council

· Lorrain Hyland, ADAT Project Officer,  Lochar West

· Dr Lesley Graham, Lead on Offenders and Alcohol,  Scottish Government

· Barbara O'Donnell, Director of Services, Alcohol Focus Scotland

· Paddy Tomkins,  Recently HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland

· Senior Representative  : Police Service

Lets have a look at these philanthropic educationalists above, who are these people that have our unbiased interests at heart?

• Alison Douglas, Head of Alcohol Policy,  Scottish Government? Head of Alcohol Police Policy and reeks of QUANGO juice.

Alison Douglas, head of the alcohol policy team at the Scottish Government, also committed to introducing an extra levy — a "social responsibility fee" — for operators. But she said plans had been "widened" to include the off-trade.

Douglas said the aim is to include minimum pricing and the fee in a new Alcohol Bill by the end of the year.

She told the Westminister Health Forum debate today: "We should see an effect [of minimum pricing] within a year, like with the smoking ban. It will be bringing people on the verge of liver cirrhosis back from the brink."

• Prof Eileen Kaner,  Professor of Public Health Research,  University of Newcastle upon Tyne who will open her legs to the highest bidder, in this case The Department of Health…Come on Eileen, you’ve been quango’d.

Professor Eileen Kaner appointed as a trustee for the Alcohol Education and Research Council.

Eileen Kaner has recently been appointed as a trustee for the Alcohol Education and Research Council from 1 April 2007. This research council comes under the aegis of the Department of Health (a move from the Department of Culture Media and Sport) and Council members are appointed directly by the minister on the basis of a recommendation by the Appointment Commission.  The appointment was confirmed by Caroline Flint (Minister of State for Public Health)

Caroline Flint? Flint??? Where have I heard that name before? NO, not that CAROLINE FLINT? Surely not the Caroline Flint who was one of the architects of the smoking ban experiment? Well the smokers have now been well and truly stuffed so it’s time for them to turn their attention to you drinkers! Not so smug now, are you, my drinking, non-smoking buddies? But I digress.

 

• Dr Zul Mirza,  President, Emergency Medicine, Royal Society of Medicine

All NHS hospitals should appoint an alcohol liaison officer to assist patients in A&E come to terms with their drink problems, a senior emergency consultant has said.

Time spent in A&E after accidents and binge-drinking represents a “teachable moment” when drinkers can be persuaded to understand the damage they are doing to their health, said Dr Zul Mirza, president of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Emergency Medicine Section.

Dr Mirza will tell a society conference that the move could help reduce problem drinking and cut alcohol-related casualty admissions.

Now, as far as I can see, click on his name above, Dr Zul Mirza Is a caring Dr who cares about alcoholism and the alcoholic, the NHS and the people on the frontline ‘services’ front. At this moment in time I can see no self interest here.

• Dr Peter Rice,  Consultant Psychiatrist,  Tayside Alcohol Problems Service

Dr Peter Rice is is on the executive of SHAAP (Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems) who boldly proclaim:

Funding

SHAAP received start-up funding from the Scottish Government for three years. This funding covers core costs and an initial programme of work. SHAAP will be fundraising from other sources to continue its work in the future, and is currently looking at developing joint funding proposals with other organisations for specific projects to tackle alcohol-related harm in Scotland. SHAAP will not receive any funds from the alcohol industry.

Now, where have I heard these sentiments before? Ah yes, here and numerous other places like the UN and the EU, who are on a crusade against smoking and smokers, and now the drinkers.

• Dr Alison Giles, Chief Executive, Our Life,  North West England

Health campaign

"A unit price of 50p means £1.50 for a pint in the pub or £4.50 for a bottle of wine in the supermarket.

"Is this really too much to pay to save 3,393 lives per year, to cut crimes by 45,800 and save the country £1bn every year in alcohol-related costs?"

Chief Executive Dr Alison Giles said: "It cannot be a coincidence that we see rising alcohol harm in the North West on the one hand and pocket-money drinks prices on the other.

"We need a minimum price below which alcohol cannot be sold and a code of conduct for the off-trade to tackle pocket-money pricing by the supermarkets."

• Harry Garland,  Executive Director of Children and Community,  South Ayrshire Council

Seems like a nice guy who cares about the community and has no pecuniary interests in serving his area of expertise, unless you know different, of course.

• Lorrain Hyland, ADAT Project Officer,  Lochar West

Here’s her bio:

Biography:
Lorrain Hyland
Dumfries and Galloway Alcohol & Drug Action Team.
Lorrain has lived and worked in Scotland for over 14 years, starting out as a manager of her own business, and then qualifying with BII and managing public houses for Scottish and Newcastle, in Edinburgh city. Lorrain then moved to Dumfries & Galloway and began working within the health environment, initially with young people and then moved into wider issues with the local Health Improvement service for Dumfries and Galloway NHS. Lorrain has worked locally for ten years now and as part of her remit in Health Improvement she took on the role of Chairperson for the local drug and alcohol community forum. Through this role she led on numerous awareness raising events and became involved with the original regional alcohol service pilot project. This involved setting up Tier 1 services and local health education projects. The opportunity then arose for a secondment opportunity into the ADP, previosuly know as the ADAT to manage the roll out of the Integrated Alcohol Service across D&G. She did this for two years, before securing the post on a permanent basis in October 2008, where she now co-ordinates the Four Tier service for the region.

You decide.

Is she a good egg or does she leave a nasty “righteous” taste in your mouth, and I don’t mean a bad glass of Chardonnay.  You decide.

• Dr Lesley Graham, Lead on Offenders and Alcohol,  Scottish Government

I got so far through the list of these people  who purport to be concerned about our health and wellbeing when I saw this site which lists all those mentioned above and their bios, (I stopped at Dr Lesley, it was doing my head in reading their sanctimonious crap.) If you look through them you will see that they are on various committees and talk at many seminars about drinking and, especially now, minimum pricing, (if you want to know more about minimum pricing then you should read The Pub Cumurgeon he knows his stuff,) the new ‘must do’ for the control freaks of the righteous.

I can see many convergences between Tobacco Control quangos and the alcohol prohibitionists that it makes my head ache.

It’s been ninety years since the USA started the “noble experiment*” and, ninety years on they are still trying to re-invent their prohibitionist wheel, you just have to look at how far the smoking ban experiment has gone!

You have been warned! Give the prohibitionist dogs a bone and they will have you, limb by bloody limb.

I leave you with the rest of the email I received, it is over long and I don’t want to piss the reader off any more than I have to:

Issues Covered

· How do we most effectively change our relationship with alcohol?

· How distinctive are issues in Scotland from elsewhere in the UK and the world?

· How best can we learn across borders both in the UK and more widely?

· How should Scotland best follow through on the Framework for Action, meeting the various challenges?

· What are Government’s agenda and expectations in implementing the Alcohol Bill?

· However good national policies, how do we ensure effective local leadership, imagination and partnership?

· How will local government and partners meet the challenge?

· How best can we tackle alcohol-fuelled crime, violence and anti social behaviour?

· How best can the police work in partnership with other agencies?

· What is the impact of current and proposed legislation and adopting a genuine end-to-end approach on violence reduction?

· How can accident and emergency departments be venues for identifying need and offering advice on alcohol harm reduction?

· What are the types of patient attending A&E?

· How can we reduce A&E attendance and resources?

· How do we achieve the necessary culture change in attitudes to alcohol and alcohol-generated harm?

· What can we learn from the large-scale approach to winning hearts and minds in North West England and elsewhere?

· How best should we tackle the serious mental health issues associated with alcohol misuse?

· How do we get all agencies to recognise and tackle to challenges of co-morbidity?· How should we approach the cost of alcohol as an effective approach to reducing alcohol-related harm?

· What is NICE’s approach to tackling alcohol misuse by young people and those drinking harmful amounts in England?

· How best can we divert young people away from alcohol?

· What can we learn from the Pulse Programme and other initiatives?

· How do we achieve maximum effective inter-agency co-operation to tackle both alcohol and other drugs?

· How best can we tackle alcohol abuse by offenders in custody and the community?

· Where can we hope to be in ten years time?

How to Book

To see the full programme, speaker biographies, venue information and booking details click here.

There are discounts for voluntary and community organisations and for block bookings.

Please note

Any problems, please contact the office on 01422 845004 or email seminars@cppseminars.org.uk.

PS: Why the F**k does that bastard government calling itself Holyrood, have a picture of the Houses of Parliament? Are they not proud of their own den of iniquity?

*Prohibition of alcohol in the US was thus described and it is no accident that the smoking ban is classed by us, the anti-smoking ban movement, as The Smoking Ban Experiment because it is a form of social control, social control that dictatorships like Russia or China have often been accused of, go figure.

Please Lock me Away, I won’t stay in a world without love-Peter and Gordon:

Update: The spotlight was not put on Paddy Tomkins earlier as the recent HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland, who gave up his £173,000 a year day job on April the 13th 2009 for the reasons that: I have made this decision after careful consideration and discussions with family, friends and colleagues. It is a personal decision and based on a desire to seek fresh challenges.

£346,000 over two years doing what exactly? Nice work if you can get it, isn’t it?

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Tomkins for the considerable achievements which he has delivered since taking up the appointment in April 2007. He has re- energised the inspection regime and brought a fresh perspective to scrutiny of the Scottish police service.

"The move towards thematic inspections has proved to be both practical and beneficial for the service as a whole and for individual forces and I am grateful for the way in which Mr Tomkins has worked closely across the service to make the new regime such a success…[he…]

Re-energised the inspection regime MacArsekill?, he has moved towards thematic inspections MacArsekill?, and has”worked closely across the service to make the new regime such a success?” MacArsekill? Does the constant use of the word REGIME ring any bells readers?

For £346, 000 over two years, two bloody years, (it has been nearly three bloody fucking years since the smoking ban experiment came in and it seems to have gone in an instant,) and all you can say about this waste of taxpayers money is hyperbolic crap.  Where’s the reduction in crime? Where’s the magical figures that the UK government like to pull out of a hat like Paul Daniels on a very strong coffee, (well, he’s not a young man anymore and anything stronger than a waft of Redcar sea air would knock him sideways!) See Constantly Furious or Underdogs Bite Upwards for the blogosphere’s take on untrustworthy and useless targets.

My bloody heart bleeds for former Chief Inspector Tomkins, and you MacArsekill…not! Nice bloody job if you can get it.

 

Blogger Tags: Minimum pricing, alcohol prohibitionists, prohibition, Quangos, Rab C Nesbit, Control, Tobacco, Righteous bastards, can't think for ourselves, government wants you from the cradle to the grave literally.