Talking to The Enemy
I see our Dame Enda has held talks with Big Tobacco.
Oh dear!
That won’t go down very well with Crown and Clancy, who see Big Tobacco as so evil as to make The Evil Empire look like Disney World.
Let’s see how Crown and Clancy and their pals in the Tobacco Control Industry are doing in their battle to save us all from ourselves.
They banned smoking in the workplace. They banned the sale of packs of 10 cigarettes. They banned all advertising. They banned even the sight of tobacco in tobacco shops. They banned vending machines. They introduced pornographic images onto all tobacco products. They pushed the price of tobacco so it’s the highest in Europe.
And what have they achieved?
The pub and hospitality industry has been decimated.
Smoking rates which were on the decline actually rose after the initial ban was introduced and are now stabalised. In other words, the ban stopped the decline.
Smuggling has become one of Ireland’s greatest growth industries, and costs the exchequer in the region of €100 million a year [and growing].
Children are openly selling smuggled cigarettes on the streets.
I don’t have the figures for Ireland, but in the UK which has similar measures, smoking rates amongst children is on the increase.
There has been no improvement in the health of the nation.
Bar workers [who were the prime excuse for the ban], far from being healthier and now mostly out of work.
So for all their tantrums, petty regulations and their demonisation of a quarter of the population they have achieved a big fat zero positives and a shed load of negatives.
It’s time to call a halt to this madness.
Meanwhile yet another 'survey' designed to pollute our brains!
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/smoking-in-the-home-claims-same-number-of-lives-as-road-accidents-29285766.html
Heh! That one was in the Irish Times a couple of days ago. The "study" was nicely dismantled by Simon Clark over in the UK.
Well you can rest assured that having spent billions of taxpayers money and wiped untold billions off the economy in both Ireland and the UK, the Tobacco Control Industry will look at their failure to get everybody to quit smoking and say: "This doesn't seem to be working – we need more of the same, but even more draconian".
Because they think that they have in their gift the power to change human nature. They cannot get their heads round the fact that people don't in reality smoke because they are hopeless addicts, they smoke because they actually rather enjoy smoking. That fact doesn't fit in with their perception. They can't imagine anybody enjoying what is anathema to their doctrinaire ideology. And therein lies the chasm between TCI and smokers, and I fear ne'er the twain shall meet.
I can just hear them now – "we need to renew our efforts" or "easing restrictions would send out the wrong message". Even from their own standpoint they must realise they are doing more harm than good?
I think it's time for the patches GD. Or electronic rechargeable cigs. They're all the rage at the moment. Not sure if they have them in pipe form yet.
Hah!
Patches? They have failure rate somewhere around 98% after a year. Waste of good money.
Electric yokes? Have them but prefer the pipe.
Finally … why should I give up something I enjoy just because of some fascist control freaks?
You shouldn't and you won't.
Did I tell you I have the odd one or ten of a Saturday night with the girls?
They're all on the electronic vapour ones now.. constantly telling me, to join um that I'm not cool.
The peer pressure is relenting.
Reading this earlier..
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2013/05/23/they-see-you-rolling/
They're on about banning the rollies stuff now huh? Not as much revenue?
The EU are also trying to ban the electronic ones, but for the moment have backed down. Is it mere coincidence that they want to ban every cessation method except those produced by the pharmaceutical industry? Think about it….
Found this research paper. Fascinating read if you have the time GD..
http://corporateeurope.org/sites/default/files/28_march_2012_divideconquer.pdf
P31 'Conservative estimates suggest that the entire pharmaceutical industry lobby is spending 40 million euros to influence EU affairs annually.58 This report demonstrates that that figure could be as high as 91 million euros after considering the underreporting stemming from imprecise, nontransparent and even absent declarations in the EU Transparency Register.'
P24 & 25 might be of particular interest to you GD.
Shocking that you have EU officials going working for Big Pharma upon leaving their public posts.
'This revolving door case sees a seasoned EU official with over 10 years of experience in DG SANCO53 move to provide services for the pharmaceutical industry within months of leaving his public post.
Staff from Edelman The Center contacted DG SANCO in 2010 concerning a forthcoming tender for the "organisation of a communication campaign aimed at encouraging smoking cessation" (Edelman, 2010). Although smoking may seem unrelated to medicines, Edelman’s client, Pfizer, has an interest in people "kicking the habit". Why? Pfizer sells a product to help people quit smoking….
Worth reading all right!
That of course does not make any mention of the bribes and corruption at local government level. What's the betting that Reilly has been told to come down heavy on smokers otherwise they'll pull their manufacturing plants from Ireland?
Reilly coming down heavy on you.. oh jesus. I've just had me tea. 🙂
The antis are always on about the influence of 'big tobacco' but we never hear about 'big pharma' who finance their efforts! and at least one of whose smoking cessation products have been linked with suicide and mental problems and most don't work at all. The e cigs are handy in non smoking places but I prefer the real things myself.