Did Silk Cut bring Cameron and Clegg together?

Further to the revelation that Nick Clegg's luxury item on a desert island would be a "stash of cigarettes", the Daily Mail reports that "Mr Clegg began smoking as a teenager, when he would take girlfriends to the local ‘caff for a furtive Silk Cut and a glass of Diet Coke’."

The prime minister is also believed to have smoked Silk Cut in the days (not so long ago) when he too smoked.

The question, therefore, is this: was it a mutual fondness for Silk Cut that helped bring Cameron and Clegg together?

Nick Clegg's luxury item: a stash of cigarettes

This morning on Radio 4 Britain's deputy prime minister - the man who refuses to even review let alone amend the smoking ban - will reveal that his preferred luxury item on a desert island would be ... a stash of cigarettes. You couldn't make it up.

What is remarkable about this revelation is that it will have been thought through extremely carefully not just by Clegg but, I suspect, by a whole team of advisers. (Remember the trouble the Lib Dem leader got into when Piers Morgan persuaded him, in an interview, to reveal how many women he had slept with?)

My guess is that the message here is: Nick Clegg, the man you can trust because he tells the truth, warts and all. Then again, Clegg strikes me as the type of man who wants to be seen as quite cool and trendy.

Perhaps it's best not to over analyse his response. Let's just be grateful that in 2010 the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom isn't afraid to broadcast the fact that he enjoys smoking. If only he demonstrated a bit more empathy for his fellow smokers who would like to light up not on a desert island but in some pubs and clubs.

Desert Island Discs with Nick Clegg will be broadcast at 11:15 this morning and 09:00 on Friday October 29. The BBC has the story HERE.

PS. This explains the phone call I got from the Sunday Times late yesterday afternoon asking if there are any other members of the Cabinet, apart from Clegg, Ken Clarke and Andrew Mitchell (cigars, apparently) who smoke. Truth is, I don't know.

H/T Rose W

My night with Tess Daly

OK, there were (by my estimation) at least 700 other people in the room but on Thursday night I spent a good hour in the company of Tess Daly who was compering the 2010 SLTN (Scottish Licensed Trade News) Awards.

I'm not entirely sure why the SLTN would invite an English TV personality to host their awards (was Jackie Bird unavailable?) but Tess worked hard to control a crowd that was well oiled by the time she came on stage. Publicans on a night out are unlikely to be teetotal and Diageo - among others - made sure that they weren't.

The Billy Connolly style comedian from Canada (who lives in Devon) did particularly well. I am told that two years ago the after dinner entertainment was booed off stage. That was never going to happen this time. He went down a storm.

Anyway, back to Tess who had the difficult job of following a loud sweary comedian by hosting the presentation of no fewer than 22 awards including Community Pub of the Year, Barperson of the Year and, er, Mixologist of the Year.

Our table, like many others, was interested in one award only. In our case it was the award for Best Smoking Facilities sponsored by Imperial Tobacco. I had a special interest in this because I was actually invited to spend two days in Scotland in August judging the nominees. Unfortunately I was on holiday at the time so I couldn't enjoy what would have been the longest pub crawl of my life.

Anyway the chosen finalists were The Secret Garden at Hawke and Hunter (Edinburgh), The Three Sisters (Edinburgh) and The Victoria Inn (Carronshore, near Falkirk) and by a remarkable irony the winner was The Secret Garden in Edinburgh.

I say irony because you may remember that I visited The Secret Garden last year and raved about it HERE. We subsequently booked it for a private event to mark the launch of Brian Monteith's book The Bully State but had to cancel when the venue changed its smoking policy under pressure from the council. See HERE.

I am told that the problem was subsequently resolved (albeit by removing the overhead panels that sheltered customers from the rain) so if you're in Edinburgh on a reasonably fine day check it out. Ditto The Three Sisters and Tigerlilly, a venue whose smoking area matches the best that even Dublin has to offer (or so I am told).

The Showman's Show - smokers welcome?

Earlier this week I was invited to attend the 25th Showman's Show in Newbury, Berkshire. I couldn't go but the reason for the invitation became clear when organiser Stephen Lance told me, "We are rather proud of our Smoking Area at the Showman’s Show this year."

I am delighted to support any event that makes an effort to cater for smokers. However I couldn't help wondering why an "Outdoor Events Services Exhibition" needs a smoking area when a substantial part of the event is, er, outside in a field.

PS. I have asked Stephen to send me a photo of the smoking area. Watch this space.

Peter Kellner, YouGov and ASH (continued)

I've been a bit busy this week so I haven't had a chance to post about an open letter to Vince Cable from Peter Kellner, president of YouGov and a trustee of ASH. Now is the time, we are told, to choose between the smoking lobby and the British people. Note the implication that you can be one or the other but not both.

And since when did Peter Kelner and, by implication, ASH represent "the British people"?

You can read the full article and the comments HERE. I particularly like this response:

Many people believes that YouGov is independent but how can it be when 'Peter Kellner is president of YouGov and a trustee of ASH'. He should resign now in order that YouGov can be trusted.

I agree and I urge you to comment too.

But first you might like to read a post I wrote in 2008 on the subject of Kellner's links with ASH and the potential conflict of interest this creates when ASH commission YouGov to conduct opinion polls on their behalf:

Peter Kellner, YouGov and ASH (October 2008)

EC distances itself from RAND report

Further to yesterday's post about the bashing given to the RAND report at the meeting I attended in Brussels on Wednesday, I am delighted/intrigued to note that a disclaimer has been added to the RAND report link on the EC website. It now reads:

This document does not represent the point of view of the European Commission. The interpretations and opinions in it are solely those of the authors.

Now that's what I call a result.

Honouring Scotland's licensees

It's been a mad month: Birmingham, Bangalore and, yesterday, Brussels. Tonight I'm in Glasgow for the annual SLTN Awards that honour "the best venues and individuals Scotland’s licensed trade has to offer". Must dash. I've a train to catch.

Update on Thursday, October 21, 2010 by Simon Clark

Currently sharing a coach with David Dimbleby. I assume he's en route to wherever Question Time is being broadcast tonight. I don't know what he's eating but I've just had a very nice cottage pie washed down with a (small) bottle of shiraz.

Update: The Question Time web page reports that "David Dimbleby is joined in Middlesbrough by Philip Hammond MP, John Denham MP, Caroline Lucas MP, General Sir Richard Dannatt, George Pascoe-Watson and Polly Toynbee". So that's where he's going.

Update: Love the east coast of Scotland from the Borders up to Edinburgh via Dunbar, North Berwick and Haddington. Sun shining. What's not to like?

Taking (RAND) Europe to task

In their own immodest words RAND Europe is an "independent think tank that serves the public interest by improving policymaking and finding public-private solutions to shared problems". Hmmm, I think we'll be the judge of that.

Yesterday in Brussels I took part in a four-hour meeting that seriously questioned RAND's most recent report Measuring the Impacts of Revising the EU Tobacco Products Directive. If only the authors had been present!

Superficially impressive, the 345-page report was the target of fierce criticism from almost everyone in the room with the obvious exception of the EC officials who were chairing or recording our comments and were, nominally, impartial.

True, most of us represented some form of tobacco interest group from cigarette manufacturers to a German-based flavouring company but the message was clear: RAND had apparently ignored the acres of evidence sent to them by the groups represented at yesterday's meeting in favour of the evidence provided by the tobacco control lobby.

The most powerful criticism of the RAND report came from a representative of Philip Morris. I hope to have a copy later today and I will share some of it with you. Backed up with hard evidence, it was one of the most incisive - one might almost call it gripping - denunciations of a report I have ever heard, but hats off to all the companies and organisations present for fighting their corner. (There were around 20 of us in total.)

My own contribution was short and sweet. I criticised RAND's stakeholder engagement policy, pointing out that not a single consumer group had been contacted to participate in the report. (I told the meeting that a representative of RAND had been present when I had been asked to leave a previous meeting in Brussels in March 2008 so the company was well aware of Forest's existence and the fact that we wanted to play a full role in EU policy-making.)

I also criticised the scope of RAND's impact assessment which focussed on the impact of further tobacco regulations on health, economics and employment within the tobacco and retail sector but ignored other areas. I also objected to the fact that RAND talk about the "social cost of tobacco" as if this is entirely negative.

What is missing from the RAND report, I said, is an impact assessment of further regulations on adults who enjoy smoking and don't want to quit. What about the impact on their lifestyle? And why no assessment of the impact on people's freedom of choice or issues such as personal responsibility?

What the EU Directive amounts to, I said, is a campaign of denormalisation. What about an assessment of the impact of denormalisation on ordinary men and women who are committing no crime but are merely consuming a legal product?

I suggested that RAND should have conducted an impact assessment of tobacco control policies in Ireland. Ireland, I said, introduced the first comprehensive smoking ban in Europe, has the highest tobacco duties in Europe, and was one of the first countries to introduce a display ban. The result? Smoking rates have gone up!!

Anyway, it was a good meeting and everyone had an opportunity to make their points, which they duly did. Whether it changes anything, I have my doubts.

Update on Thursday, October 21, 2010 by Simon Clark

Very timely article by Josie Appleton of the Manifesto Club on Spiked today: Meet the Spaniards fighting to stub out authoritarianism.

My life in the theatre

It's my son's sixteenth birthday on Saturday so tonight, at his request, we're going to see Yes, Prime Minister at the Gielgud Theatre in London.

I've always enjoyed going to the theatre whether it be in London, Edinburgh, Buxton or Bath and 14 years ago I achieved a very small ambition when I produced a one-off show at a leading West End theatre.

In my pre-Forest days I edited a monthly magazine for an organisation that shall remain nameless. I also organised special events for members that included lectures, debates and, from time to time, concerts.

In 1996 members celebrated the organisation's 50th anniversary with a "gathering" of members from all over the world. My contribution to the golden jubilee was to produce a variety show directed by and starring members of the organisation.

I was reasonably confident that we could pull it off because I had already produced similar (albeit smaller) events at the BBC Concert Hall, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, and the Library Theatre in Manchester. And this time we had a captive audience - several hundred Americans with nothing else to do in London on a Sunday night.

The secret, I had discovered, of a successful show or concert was to delegate the most important job (that of director or musical director) to an experienced professional. (I tried once to direct a show and it was a disaster. Never again.)

Anyway, the Criterion in Piccadilly was one of a number of theatres I considered for this one-off show. Most London theatres are available for private hire but you have to work around whatever show is on at the time - and that includes the set which is more often than not completely inappropriate.

If you time it right you can go in between shows (while the theatre is "dark") and that gives you so much more flexibility in terms of staging.

As I wandered from theatre to theatre I realised that the people who were particularly keen to work with us were the staff working in theatres hosting a long-running play or musical. I got the impression that they were so bored they would have embraced anyone who could relieve the monotony of staging the same show night after night, week after week, month after month, year after year ....

Anyway, to cut a long story short, I eventually struck a deal with Wyndham's Theatre in Charing Cross Road and asked Roger Ordish, producer of Jim'll Fix It and many other BBC shows including Top Of The Pops, to direct the show.

We selected the best acts from our previous shows and added Gretchen Christopher who had enjoyed a number one single in America some years earlier. (Actually,_ many_ years earlier - 1960, I think.)

Roger Ordish did a brilliant job and the show was a great success. The theatre was full too ...

Forest slams ASH Scotland's new anti-smoking drive

ASH Scotland will today publish an "ambitious and radical document outlining 33 recommendations for a new Scottish tobacco control strategy". We were tipped off yesterday afternoon which gave us just enough time to respond as follows:

SMOKERS LOBBY GROUP SLAMS ANTI-SMOKING INITIATIVE

Simon Clark, director of the smokers' lobby group Forest, has slammed an "ambitious and radical document outlining 33 recommendations for a new Scottish tobacco control strategy" and questioned the use of public money to fund anti-tobacco groups such as ASH Scotland.

Clark said: "The Scottish Government needs to review its tobacco control strategy but not in the way ASH Scotland has in mind.

"Smoking bans, display bans and other initiatives are designed not to educate but to denormalise smokers and make them feel embarrassed, guilty or worse. This is unacceptable and quite possibly counter-productive. Smokers are reaching for their fags in defiance and who can blame them?

"Having replaced education with coercion the tobacco control lobby needs to have a reality check because the way they are behaving is incompatible with a tolerant, liberal society.

"The public smoking ban was a hugely disproportionate response to the effects of second-hand smoke. There is no evidence that a tobacco display ban will reduce youth smoking rates and yet ASH Scotland wants the Government to go even further. Very soon they will be telling us what we can and can't do in our own homes and in the open air.

"Smokers make a huge financial contribution to the public purse and they have every right to consume a legal product without being harassed or stigmatised."

Clark also questioned the use of public money to fund ASH Scotland's anti-smoking activities.

"ASH Scotland is the tip of a huge tobacco control industry.

"In 2008-09 ASH Scotland received £921,837 from the Scottish Government. In December 2009 they received a further £500,000 grant from the Big Lottery to fund a three-year research project into smoke-free homes in Scotland.

"At a time when governments are reviewing public spending we would seriously question the use of public money to fund a group that employs almost three times as many staff as its sister organisation in England.

"How can that possibly be justified at a time when all taxpayers, smokers and non-smokers alike, are being asked to tighten their belts?"

The Scotsman has the story HERE.

Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC - update

Well, that's a turn up for the books. The powers that be relented and contrary to my earlier post I have now been invited to attend an EC meeting to discuss "the Impact Assessment on the possible revision of the Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC".

That's the good news. The bad news is that the meeting is in Brussels tomorrow (Rue Belliard 232, meeting room 8/120) and I have been allocated five minutes to respond to a 345-page document that I have yet to read. It's going to be a long night ...

Another quango not fit for purpose

The Irish Government recently announced the closure of the Office of Tobacco Control, prompting Forest Eireann's John Mallon to comment that it "should never have been set up in the first place". As John points out, the OTC's research programme is less than impressive. Makes you wonder what they did with all that public money. Click HERE to comment.

Meanwhile, as the countdown continues to the bonfire of the quangos over here, I'm sure that readers can suggest one or two publicly-funded organisations in the UK that would not be missed ...

Smoking bans and the EU

Some of you may recall what happened when I attended a meeting in March 2008 of "EU experts, civil society and social partners to support the Commission's Impact Assessment on the forthcoming initiative on smoke-free environments".

I wrote about it HERE and my experience caused a bit of a stir. (I was chucked out of the meeting following a complaint by anti-tobacco campaigners who didn't want me to hear what they had to say.) Iain Dale, for example, linked to my post HERE.

Nineteen months on and I have been alerted to the fact that there is to be a further meeting of stakeholders organised by the same department "as part of the Impact Assessment on the possible revision of the Tobacco Products Directive 2001/37/EC".

According to an email I have seen:

The intention of this meeting is to have an open discussion and get your comments on the study "Assessing the Impacts of Revising the Tobacco Products Directive" prepared by RAND Europe. The study is available on our website.

Please note that there will be no further written consultation on this study and we expect to get your comments during the meeting.

I have now emailed three different people requesting an invitation to the meeting. As yet, no invitation, not even a reply.

I'll persist but if they welcome me back after last time I'll be surprised.

Update: I have just received a reply. My request to attend the meeting has been turned down. I have replied as follows: will the consumer be represented at the meeting and, if not, is it reasonable to assess the impacts of revising the Tobacco Products Directive without involving the consumer?

Update on Monday, October 18, 2010 by Simon Clark

Several bloggers have been commenting on and re-posting reports that suggest that the European Commission is preparing a pan-European smoking ban similar to Ireland and the UK.

Clearly this is the long-term goal of anti-smoking campaigners not just in Europe but worldwide, but I am told that the story currently doing the rounds was based on an article (Commission preparing pan-European smoking ban) that "mistranslated and misunderstood an interview by Commissioner John Dalli (member of the European Commission, responsible for Health and Consumer Policy) in a German newspaper.

I am told that what Dalli actually said was that:

(1) the Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities (which he does not head) is consulting social partners to consider an initiative regarding risks linked to exposure to tobacco smoke at the place of work, a process which may [my italics] lead to a legislative initiative on the grounds of health and safety at work.

(2) he personally supports an EU-wide smoking ban without exemptions

From this journalists (and bloggers) have jumped to the conclusion that a pan-European smoking ban is just around the corner.

In fact, in a recent answer to a Parliamentary question, Dalli admitted that the EU is unlikely to have the power to adopt an EU-wide smoking ban. Furthermore, the second consultation of the social partners on the risks related to exposure to tobacco smoke in the workplace has been postponed to summer 2011.

Make of that what you will but as far as smoking in public places is concerned I am informed that, EU-wise, there is nothing new to report.

Update on Monday, October 18, 2010 by Simon Clark

News in from Greece: Restaurant owners to defy smoking ban

Tobacco: who's in control?

No, this isn't an episode of Spooks, but it could be. Note: "contains some violence and other disturbing scenes".

H/T British American Tobacco

MP's campaign for review of the smoking ban to continue

Brian Binley MP has vowed to continue his campaign for a review of the smoking ban following yesterday's 10-Minute Rule Motion in the House of Commons. Brian's office has just issued the following press release. It reads:

Brian Binley MP for Northampton South has once again called on the Government to review the smoking ban in pubs and working men’s clubs.

Brian was a sponsor of a Bill in the House of Commons yesterday which called for a review and which was narrowly defeated by 141 votes to 86, a margin of only 55 votes.

Brian said: “The Bill stood little chance of being approved by the House but a Ten Minute Rule Motion gives the tabling Members an opportunity to gauge what support there is for the issue within the House.”

“It is clear that there is a sizeable amount of support in the House for a review of the smoking ban in pubs and clubs. 86 Members voted in favour of a review and my EDM also has a large number of supporters.”

Brian has pledged to continue to push the Government for a review of the smoking ban claiming that:

“The former Health Minister, John Reid MP, promised that a review would be held three years after the implementation of the ban but the Government is now saying that it has no plans to do so. That denial is simply unacceptable.”

“Seven pubs a day are going out of business and 2000 clubs have gone to the wall and there is a drastic need of help. Smokers can be fully accommodated in pubs and clubs in segregated smoking areas or rooms if suitable, effective extraction systems are installed. In other words we can achieve the same result with a less draconian approach whilst not turning all smokers into second class citizens.”

“I also believe strongly that landlords should have the freedom to choose whether or not they want to accommodate smokers within their pubs and as a result this could really help the trade.”

Note: we have just uploaded a short interview that we conducted with Brian at the Great British Pub Awards last month. Click HERE or on the image above.

Update on Thursday, October 14, 2010 by Simon Clark

Thanks to Peter Thurgood for alerting me to a new article posted today by Jonathan Isaby on ConservativeHome. Jonathan has highlighted those Conservative MPs who voted for David Nuttall's motion (77 out of the 86 MPs who voted in favour) and those who voted against (38).

I am delighted to see several of the new intake on the list of Ayes - one or two of whom are destined for great things.

Disappointing though to see Andrew Rosindell among the Noes after he accepted an invitation to our Save The Great British Pub party in Birmingham. Was it something we said?!!

Click HERE to comment.

PS. No surprise to find Nick Boles, Conservative MP and former director of Policy Exchange, in the No lobby. Remember THIS? Makes me spit.

Update on Friday, October 15, 2010 by Simon Clark

Tory MP vows to continue smoke ban fight (Morning Advertiser)