Thursday 5 February 2009

More Righteous Waste


Via the excellent National Death Service blog (as a contributor, I suppose I would say that), comes news of more smoker bullying at the hands of yet another lying cunt tax-draining Tobacco Control Co-ordinator.

Step forward Derek Petrie, a top drawer non-jobber, who is entrusted to add NHS Grampian to the long list of health trusts who are implementing smoking bans for no valid reason whatsoever.

NHS Grampian has taken a step towards banning smoking in all its grounds with the launch of a consultation.

The consultation on extending the ban to all grounds will include staff, patients, visitors and local community groups.


The tried-and-tested 'consultation', eh? I think we are all aware of how these are conducted by now. Ask a question of an audience which is demographically certain to give you the correct answer, but just to make sure, cheat as well. More of this later.

[Petrie] said: "Tobacco smoking is an addictive habit, which causes disability, disease and death, and represents the single largest preventable cause of ill health and mortality in Scotland."


Perhaps, perhaps not. I fail to see what it has to do with a ban on smoking in NHS grounds though. I'm pretty sure, if challenged as to whether he is trying to force smokers to abstain, Petrie would reply with the same tired anti-smoking cliche used ad infinitum with regard smoking in pubs, "You are still free to smoke, all we ask is that you step outside to do so. Not much to ask, is it?". Or, in this case, step outside of your ward, down three floors, through reception, across the car park, down the entrance path and onto the pavement, to be subjected to the diesel fumes as well as your Marlboro Light ... not too much to ask, is it?

"Tobacco smoke in the environment is now also proven to be a cause of ill health and death for non-smokers."


I think this non-jobber numpty is either being creative with his lies here, or is just too stupid to spot the difference between Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) and tobacco smoke in the environment.

No research has ever been done into the effects of passive smoking outside, simply because even the multi-million pound budgets of the pharmaceutical companies won't waste money on it. They know full well that it will show no risk whatsoever. Lord knows it took them 30 years to 'prove' that there was a RR as tiny as 1.19 for ETS inside. Even that was after cherry-picking the data which was based on long-term repeated exposure of non-smokers living with smokers, and then changing the margin of error as they couldn't prove jack shit without doing so. To use that as a reason for not providing an outside smoking shelter is just plain stupid (but then, this is a Tobacco Control Co-ordinator we are talking about).

"NHS Grampian has a responsibility under British and European employment legislation to maintain a safe and healthy working environment."


God, yes. It must be such an unhealthy work environment for health staff now smoking has been eradicated from indoors. Smokers keep pitching up just as nurses are taking patients' blood pressure outside the main entrance, the administrators can't check their fuckwittery budgets due to the fug of smoke around their desks in the bin area, and don't even get me started on the danger to surgeons with all that smoke wafting around while they are attempting to perform triple bypass surgery in the car park.

Mendacious language from Petrie, quite obviously, but even if it were true, he should check his British and European law before making himself look an arse. There is a precedent, at the European Court, which of course, trumps a British one.

The case centred on the widow of an EU employee who claimed ETS was responsible for her husband's death from cancer. It was rejected thus.

"The Commission accordingly denied the request, following the finding by the Medical Committee that the connection between the disease and Mr Labate's professional activities was not sufficiently established."


It dismissed her claim for compensation as ...

"... manifestly unfounded"


If that is their conclusion in the case of someone who spent nearly three decades breathing in smoke indoors on a daily basis, do you really think they are going to cane NHS Grampian if a nurse claims after walking past a couple of smokers outside in a smoking shelter? Of course not. He's bullshitting, natch.

So, to recap. Not one iota of Petrie's reasoning is sound. It's bullying, pure and simple. In fact, the only danger to public health is Petrie himself, whose salary I would imagine definitely exceeds £30k or even more. How much extra life-saving equipment could that buy per year?

I think we'd better get involved in this 'consultation' as it seems a bad idea to me. Oh hold on ...

Mr Petrie added: "Our consultation will welcome suggestions on how NHS Grampian can raise awareness of the revised tobacco policy, any potential problems in implementing the smoking ban, and which measures we can use to help smokers follow the policy."


I was wrong about the bent consultation, Petrie has moved things on a step, he doesn't even think it worth asking the taxpayer first anymore. This 'consultation' isn't one that asks whether a ban (which isn't mandated by the Health Act 2006) should be implemented, just how it should best be done. Petrie has kindly made the policy decision for you. He just wants you to know that he is asking "staff, patients, visitors and local community groups" exactly how he should waste NHS money on their behalf.

What a cunt.

UPDATE: Petrie uses lies and flawed health reasoning for the ban, but according to this twat, it's litter that is the problem, and bans should be extended to "streets and cars". I wish the righteous would make their backward minds up. Is this about health, or isn't it?




4 comments:

Mark Wadsworth said...

Seconded, agreed, especially the last bit.

The Filthy Engineer said...

Anyone know where you can buy lamp posts? The ones in my area are already designated for too many purveyors of this PC, bigotted crap.

banned said...

"which measures we can use to help smokers follow the policy." Cant.

And for all you alcohol drinking lardy-arsed fisherfolk and drivers, they'll be coming for you next.

Gawain Towler said...

Lamp posts are becoming a scarce resource. Maybe speed cameras could be used?