So, for a bit of fun we have responded to this ladies totally biased response to a polite enquiry:-
"The symbol of Britain! It looks like "s h i t", it spells "s-h-i-t" and it's broken-just like Britain-it is the perfect sign for this country!"
Dear Ms Abbott,
My colleague received this reply from your office most recently, concerning a most important consideration with regard to the forthcoming Olympic games in 2012. I have taken the liberty of retaining the blue script as per your original email response which I now respond to.
Thanks for getting in touch. LOCOG has confirmed that it will not be appointing a tobacco sponsor and that tobacco and cigarettes will not be sold at any of the Olympic or Paralympic venues. Smoking will also be prohibited in all ticketed sports competition, venues for the games (for example the Olympic Stadium and the Velodrome), as well as the athletes' village.
Given the diabolical nature of this countries affection with Tobacco Control and the exorbitant costs to the country of such, I am not surprised that tobacco products nor industry has anything to do with the games. I would be very surprised if it actually wanted to! Now I have to ask the question Ms Abbott, by what law will all smoking be prohibited in all ticketed sports competition? similarly all venues for the games? and also to the 'athletes village'?
Are you telling me that all venues, including outdoor venues are more than 50% enclosed? Are you also telling me that people living temporarily within the 'athletes village' are banned from smoking within their temporary 'home', when a hotel room is considered, by law, to be 'home'. Are you telling me that athletes who smoke are not allowed to smoke during the Olympic Games to be held in London, 2012?
Diane believes that we have worked hard to bring the Olympic Games to Britain. It should, again, be a time in which we take a lead and showcase what Britain is about to the rest of the world and she would like to see a smoke-ban implemented across the Olympic Park.
'Diane believes', excuse me but everyone involved in bringing the 'Games' here has worked hard to do just that- for the benefit of this country and all the people in it. we have already taken a lead by 'landing' the Games, by 'showcasing' Britain as a newly found anti tobacco dictatorship to the rest of the world is only making us a laughing stock to the rest of the world for we are discriminating against 25%-27% of our populace. 'She' would like to see a smoke ban implemented across the Olympic Park! Who is 'she'? Does 'she' own the Olympic Park or does 'she' have complete control over the Olympic Park. Is it the whim of one person ('she) that will control a total lack of democracy? I can assure you that many, many people would NOT like to see a smoke ban implemented across the Olympic Park!
She thinks that LOCOG has so far done nothing to publicise this commitment themselves, and the opportunity to promote a tobacco-free Olympics is slipping away. LOCOG must take the lead on this, urgently.
Pray ask Ms Abbott (presumaby the afore-mentioned 'she'), why do YOU think LOCOG has done nothing to publicise a smoke ban restriction Olympia wide? probably because common sense tells us that thousands of sports fans will turn their wealthy backs on the games for that very reason! The last thing we need to promote is a 'tobacco free games' so LOCOG most certainly do not need to "urgently lead on this matter". That is simply the language of personal choice over and above the financial welfare of this country.
You are obviously getting your parliamentary position of Shadow Minister for Health completely confused with the need for democracy, in a still supposedly democratic country,not to mention the need to put 'bums on seats' in 2012!
Are you, therefore, informing all foreign dignitaries that they cannot smoke during the games when they were clearly allowed to at the G20 summit a couple of years ago? Stoke Newington local council involved was it not? Blind eye, wink-wink, nudge-nudge?
We need detail on what tobacco-free will mean in practice. In particular: will the Olympic park be tobacco-free indoors and out?
How can an outdoor area be smokefree when it is the indoor areas that law dictates MUST be smokefree-where do smokers go Ms Abbott?
When LOCOG says that the athletes’ village will be smoke-free, will this include the entire facility?
Again I ask, what about the athletes that enjoy a relaxing cigarette or pipe, or dabble with relaxing marijuana whilst mentally preparing themselves for their chosen sport-and many do! Are they to be banned from that pursuit thus jeopardising their (probably) one chance of Olympic glory?
Will the use of Olympic events for corporate hospitality by tobacco companies be prohibited?
Why would any tobacco company even be interested in sponsoring the starters pistol (even) after your opening salvo warding off all matters/businesses tobacco >>> LOCOG has confirmed that it will not be appointing a tobacco sponsor and that tobacco and cigarettes will not be sold at any of the Olympic or Paralympic venues. Why would any company want to invest in a country so bigotted as ours yet so ever greedy over the collection of highly important & valuable Tobacco Taxes?
Will the ‘no sponsorship’ policy extends to sponsorship of individual teams and broadcasting rights in third countries?’
Exactly the question Ms Abbott! If the Trinidad & Tobago (eg) national team are funded by the 'Bob Marley Marijuana Trust' will they be allowed to partake in the games?
I need to know answers to all these question please Ms Abbott for we have a party of 20 sports enthusiasts here that have been saving religiously for this 'monster PUBLIC event' in 2012 for 3 years now. I am a non smoker but the other 19 enjoy smoking, thus, I think you see the problem here! If you cannot assure me that smokers will not be discriminated against then I think that it will only be fair to warn the organisers that approximately £40,000 of hard earned money will no longer be heading toward London, 2012. Once this is publicised, which it will be, I am equally sure that many, many other smokers (and probably non smoking friends-like me) will also save their 'hard-earned' and ignore the Olympics. After all Ms Abbott, the thought of a home TV, a few cheap supermarket cans and a packet of cigarettes is a great enticement to many who used to frequent our rapidly closing pubs, not many years ago!
May I look forward to your considered response at your earliest convenience Ms Abbott as my group may have to make alternative arrangements pending your decisions!
yours sincerely
Phil Johnson,
Group Leader,
Aberdale Olympic Fanatics Organisation.
I wonder how long it will take 'Dear Diane' to respond to that little lot?
Thanks for getting in touch. LOCOG has confirmed that it will not be appointing a tobacco sponsor and that tobacco and cigarettes will not be sold at any of the Olympic or Paralympic venues. Smoking will also be prohibited in all ticketed sports competition, venues for the games (for example the Olympic Stadium and the Velodrome), as well as the athletes' village.
Given the diabolical nature of this countries affection with Tobacco Control and the exorbitant costs to the country of such, I am not surprised that tobacco products nor industry has anything to do with the games. I would be very surprised if it actually wanted to! Now I have to ask the question Ms Abbott, by what law will all smoking be prohibited in all ticketed sports competition? similarly all venues for the games? and also to the 'athletes village'?
Are you telling me that all venues, including outdoor venues are more than 50% enclosed? Are you also telling me that people living temporarily within the 'athletes village' are banned from smoking within their temporary 'home', when a hotel room is considered, by law, to be 'home'. Are you telling me that athletes who smoke are not allowed to smoke during the Olympic Games to be held in London, 2012?
Diane believes that we have worked hard to bring the Olympic Games to Britain. It should, again, be a time in which we take a lead and showcase what Britain is about to the rest of the world and she would like to see a smoke-ban implemented across the Olympic Park.
'Diane believes', excuse me but everyone involved in bringing the 'Games' here has worked hard to do just that- for the benefit of this country and all the people in it. we have already taken a lead by 'landing' the Games, by 'showcasing' Britain as a newly found anti tobacco dictatorship to the rest of the world is only making us a laughing stock to the rest of the world for we are discriminating against 25%-27% of our populace. 'She' would like to see a smoke ban implemented across the Olympic Park! Who is 'she'? Does 'she' own the Olympic Park or does 'she' have complete control over the Olympic Park. Is it the whim of one person ('she) that will control a total lack of democracy? I can assure you that many, many people would NOT like to see a smoke ban implemented across the Olympic Park!
She thinks that LOCOG has so far done nothing to publicise this commitment themselves, and the opportunity to promote a tobacco-free Olympics is slipping away. LOCOG must take the lead on this, urgently.
Pray ask Ms Abbott (presumaby the afore-mentioned 'she'), why do YOU think LOCOG has done nothing to publicise a smoke ban restriction Olympia wide? probably because common sense tells us that thousands of sports fans will turn their wealthy backs on the games for that very reason! The last thing we need to promote is a 'tobacco free games' so LOCOG most certainly do not need to "urgently lead on this matter". That is simply the language of personal choice over and above the financial welfare of this country.
You are obviously getting your parliamentary position of Shadow Minister for Health completely confused with the need for democracy, in a still supposedly democratic country,not to mention the need to put 'bums on seats' in 2012!
Are you, therefore, informing all foreign dignitaries that they cannot smoke during the games when they were clearly allowed to at the G20 summit a couple of years ago? Stoke Newington local council involved was it not? Blind eye, wink-wink, nudge-nudge?
We need detail on what tobacco-free will mean in practice. In particular: will the Olympic park be tobacco-free indoors and out?
How can an outdoor area be smokefree when it is the indoor areas that law dictates MUST be smokefree-where do smokers go Ms Abbott?
When LOCOG says that the athletes’ village will be smoke-free, will this include the entire facility?
Again I ask, what about the athletes that enjoy a relaxing cigarette or pipe, or dabble with relaxing marijuana whilst mentally preparing themselves for their chosen sport-and many do! Are they to be banned from that pursuit thus jeopardising their (probably) one chance of Olympic glory?
Will the use of Olympic events for corporate hospitality by tobacco companies be prohibited?
Why would any tobacco company even be interested in sponsoring the starters pistol (even) after your opening salvo warding off all matters/businesses tobacco >>> LOCOG has confirmed that it will not be appointing a tobacco sponsor and that tobacco and cigarettes will not be sold at any of the Olympic or Paralympic venues. Why would any company want to invest in a country so bigotted as ours yet so ever greedy over the collection of highly important & valuable Tobacco Taxes?
Will the ‘no sponsorship’ policy extends to sponsorship of individual teams and broadcasting rights in third countries?’
Exactly the question Ms Abbott! If the Trinidad & Tobago (eg) national team are funded by the 'Bob Marley Marijuana Trust' will they be allowed to partake in the games?
I need to know answers to all these question please Ms Abbott for we have a party of 20 sports enthusiasts here that have been saving religiously for this 'monster PUBLIC event' in 2012 for 3 years now. I am a non smoker but the other 19 enjoy smoking, thus, I think you see the problem here! If you cannot assure me that smokers will not be discriminated against then I think that it will only be fair to warn the organisers that approximately £40,000 of hard earned money will no longer be heading toward London, 2012. Once this is publicised, which it will be, I am equally sure that many, many other smokers (and probably non smoking friends-like me) will also save their 'hard-earned' and ignore the Olympics. After all Ms Abbott, the thought of a home TV, a few cheap supermarket cans and a packet of cigarettes is a great enticement to many who used to frequent our rapidly closing pubs, not many years ago!
May I look forward to your considered response at your earliest convenience Ms Abbott as my group may have to make alternative arrangements pending your decisions!
yours sincerely
Phil Johnson,
Group Leader,
Aberdale Olympic Fanatics Organisation.
I wonder how long it will take 'Dear Diane' to respond to that little lot?
4 comments:
The woman is an idiot.
No interest in the 'lics, but if you wanna see it be prepared for the wrath of Ms. Abbot if you spark up.
Have fun...
Be surprised if there is a response, or if there is that it's anything beyond a form letter. Us non-smokers who don't mind smokers and stick up for them are apostates in the minds of the anti-baccy brigade. We're just as bad.
You shouldn't let go of this. There is no way that sponsors and foreign dignitaries will be stopped from smoking outdoors in the olympic area and Abbott knows this. You should try and make her put it in writing and then send her statement to each of the sponsors and foreign embassies.
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