Monday 14 May 2012

Big Tobacco Control: A Global Epidemic Of Tax Sponging

This is an issue that should be investigated by the Government or the Auditor-General. Yet again we have evidence of taxpayer-funded groups using their funding to lobby the Government for specific law and policy changes.

This is an extremely bad thing. The Government should not be effectively paying people to lobby Parliament and the Government a specific way.
Sounds familiar.
A quick look at the ASH website makes it clear it is a lobby group, but a lobby group that gets 89% of its funding from the taxpayer. I am all in favour of taxpayer funding quit smoking initiatives, but not funding a lobby group. One of its values is “A dedication to influencing public policy and social norms to tobacco related harm.” It has a page on its current campaigns, of which seven are about law changes, only one is actually about quitting smoking.
Very familiar.

This isn't the UK version though, instead it is their New Zealand counterparts.

Using the parlance we see regularly from groups like these, we seem to be in the grip of a global epidemic of organised tax-sponging. Throughout the western world there are unproductive wasters begging for a government handout provided by funds extorted from 'hard-working families' (© Gordon Brown 1997-2010).

They claim to be grass roots organisations or - hah! - charities, but are really just front groups for Big Government and Big Pharma. In New Zealand, even the 11% of funding that wasn't extorted from government is from people who have seen a government minister on the telly once, so they are as tainted as the rest.

In the UK, ASH was formed as an astroturf organisation in 1972 due to the non-existence of anyone remotely giving a tuppenny toss about an activity enjoyed by millions. They have a history of disrupting society by way of underhand tactics, propaganda, and secretly colluding in the recruitment of compliant 'scientists' to produce results for payment.

The tobacco control industry costs the world economy millions of pounds per day, and one in every two people who enters the profession will shrivel up like a curtain-twitching prune as a result of their addiction to other people's money.

The tobacco control industry knows that it needs to recruit 5,000 schoolchildren every year to maintain their future salaries, Koi carp, and skinny lattes from government grants, and they do so by targeting schools with myths and 'glitzy' online marketing campaigns.

Anti-smoking cockwaffle is the only advocacy product which kills democracy, social harmony, and community when adhered to as intended.

H/T Crampton & Andrews


16 comments:

Tom said...

"Anti-smoking cockwaffle is the only advocacy product which kills democracy, social harmony, and community when adhered to as intended."
--
And, economies, it kills econimies too, worldwide, maybe one of the primary base reasons why there is economic failure worldwide, what with productive resources being squandered on everything anti-smoking.

Ljcymru said...

With 89% of funding coming from the tax payers it is disgusting but then to find that some of the remaining 11% comes from chariites such as Cancer Research UK and British Heart Foundation just adds salt to the wounds...

Mal Content said...

The high profile anti tobacco ringleaders ? ? ? ? ?
Who are they?
What are they ?
What is their motivation ?
Are they Supermen, are they warriors, are they brave and valiant ?
Look at them,weigh them up,listen to them,little more than shrivelled
up,unwanted articles of self elevating cant hypocracy,wallowing in well
funded apathy and ignorance.
Bellyaching for the attention they obviously missed out on in adolesence
searching for tainted glory,telling all ,they know best,they want the
adulation normally reserved for heroes,the ordinary bowing to their
superior judgement,politicians crawling before their altar of deceipt,
infesting the bowels of the media with their concocted misinformation.
They are no more than Bluebottles hovering around the still warm Turd of
Smoking hatred ,when the turd cools off they will flutter to another
well funded Save Us All gilded lavatory of self righteousness.

Wait for the Ricochet   

Blazeaway said...

Anti-smoking cockwaffle is the only advocacy product which kills democracy, social harmony, and community when adhered to as intended.It perverts democracy but it's not the only 'advocacy product' to do so. Alcohol prohibitionists do it as well.

Wednesday 16 May is D-Day for a blitz of anti-alcohol propaganda in the North West.

Expect the BBC to do its duty! They seem to have no real news and fill their space with bogus figures from fake charity press releases. All the usual claims of alcohol being cheaper than water etc.

Deeply corrupting.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

You're not wrong. You seem to be far more clued-up than me on the anti-alcohol crowd. Wednesday looks a bundle of fun, then. :(

Mr A said...

While the repeal of the Ban would indeed be a happy day, I actually think I would feel far greater joy if I live to see ASH, all their little minions and off-shoots and their ilk (Alcohol Concern etc) exposed, shamed and outlawed.  It may not come soon, but I think it will happen at some point.  I honestly can't think of anything I want more - and I include banging Cheryl Cole and winning the lottery in that.

Mr A said...

And I REALLY want to win the lottery and..... well, you get the idea.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

They'd only bugger off elsewhere and carry on taking our cash. Martin Dockrell, for example, came to ASH from councils (overhead, not useful to residents) and onto Asthma UK. They're serial tax leeches, incapable of a productive day's work.

Like the inadequate jobsworth who can't envisage a life working without authority and a uniform. Believe me, I've met plenty of those.

P T Barnum said...

"one in every two people who enters the
profession will shrivel up like a curtain-twitching prune as a result of
their addiction to other people's money"

And the other half turn into cake-scoffing blimps, apparently. I think it was Pat Nurse who carried the link to the annual International Quit-or-Die Strategy Bunfest in Birmingham (cost c£1200 for days without accomodation) for all those stop-smoking professionals. Out of curiosity/knowing thy enemy, I had a look at the photo archive of the previous jamboree. Prunes, blimps, nannies, stuffed shirts and stereotypical "social worker" garb in every shot. Oh the horror. Those people couldn't help themselves into bed.

Mag01 said...

Come
all ye of considerable snout and ethical destitution. Come plonk your snout in
the trough of plenty.


 


Child smoking: Ash Wales given £850,000
Lottery funding to help young quit



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18022123


 

Tom said...

All the grift and expense scandal helped oust Labour out of power. How long until enough wisen up to the grift and scandals of the fake-charities such as ASH and others.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

Fair evidence-based point, well made. :)

JonathanBagley said...

I don't think most people realise what are now classed as "good works" each time they buy a lottery ticket.

truckerlyn said...

Exactly why I refuse to give to any of these charities and I tell them so too when they try to get me to cough up into their tins!

truckerlyn said...

And, apparently the 50pence per unit proposed to go ahead in Scotland will reduce the amount people drink!

I don't think so. but I do see a lot more cross channel trips to stock up!

Let's face it, has constant price rises in the price of tobacco reduced smoking that much?  Maybe over several decades, but not all of that has been down to cost, after all, it is still, apparently, the lower earners who continue smoking.  Maybe then, if they are in poor health it is more down to not having the money to afford good quality food products.

Of course, to 'nanny' that means it is their fault for not giving up smoking!  If they enjoy it and it helps relieve stress, why the bloody hell should they?

truckerlyn said...

And, Mr A, when it happens I seriously hope they bring back the gallows!