UN couldn't make it up

An old university friend, who works at the Foreign Office, is unable to come to our party (see below). He writes: "Thanks very much, Forest, but apologies this time as I shall be at the UN in New York looking after your interests, Simon. If it's any consolation, the UN HQ building is defiantly smoke-filled - especially in the eating areas. Good luck on Tuesday."

Scared To Death party fully booked

If you've been checking this blog you could be forgiven for thinking it's been a quiet week. Far from it. I hope to post a bit more over the weekend. In the meantime I am delighted to report that our soiree in London next Tuesday is now fully booked. 

Confirmed guests include MPs, broadcasters, writers, publishers, campaigners, political researchers, lobbyists and journalists from The Times, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Daily Express, Mail on Sunday, Independent on Sunday and Observer, to name a few. I am praying there are a few no-shows because it's going to be quite a squeeze to get all 200 people in! 

Another "problem" concerns the book itself. This afternoon the publishers informed us that copies of Scared To Death by Christopher Booker and Richard North "have been flying off the shelf" and 50 is the max they can let us have before the reprint comes though in early December. The rest of the stock has already been allocated to bookshops, Amazon etc, so my advice is - if you are coming to the party, buy a copy in advance (from Waterstones, Borders etc) and bring it with you to be signed by the authors.

National treasures

Reviewing Scared To Death - the book we are celebrating with a special Forest event in London next week - Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens yesterday paid a remarkable tribute to the authors. Describing Christopher Booker and his colleague, Richard North, as "courageous opponents of scares", Hitchens added:

They ought to be national treasures ...  they are relentlessly unfashionable. Their unwillingness to run with the pack makes them sceptical of conventional wisdom and sets them apart from mainstream journalism, which is unsettled by their diligence and their originality.

And then - like all sceptics - they are sometimes embarrassing even to their friends. They will insist on checking the facts of the matter ... Every politician, every journalist, every consumer of journalism should read, mark, learn and inwardly digest it.

See also the Daily Telegraph's review HERE.

Boisdale - the place to see and be seen

Tickets are being snapped up for our party, on Tuesday November 27, to celebrate the publication of Scared To Death: From BSE to Global Warming by Christopher Booker and Richard North (see HERE). Boisdale, venue for the event, features in this week's Spectator. The magazine reports that:

After a depressing four months in which smokers, in the words of Sallyann, have been made to feel ‘like third-class citizens’, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. The fightback against New Labour’s particularly noxious brand of killjoy illiberalism is being led by the charismatic figure of Ranald Macdonald, elder son of the 24th Captain of Clanranald ...

Macdonald prefers to use the phrase ‘bully state’ to describe the sort of country Britain has become: ‘nanny state sounds too middle-class’. ‘We’ve certainly become a lot less tolerant than we were 30 years ago. I’m afraid there are a lot more unhappy people out there who seem to derive pleasure in telling people what not to do.’

The article also draws attention to Boisdale's new smoker-friendly roof terrace, built at a cost of £40,000. A colleague reports that since it opened two weeks ago he has practically been living there. "They've done us smokers proud," he tells me.

A similar eulogy appeared in the Daily Mail this week:

"Outcast smokers have a new haven at Boisdale in Belgravia - a well-heated, softly-lit roof terrace with cane armchairs and swaying palm trees. Owner Ranald Macdonald (above left) says he aims to create a balmy Caribbean atmosphere, which for the duration of the winter is assisted by eight overhead heaters and Macdonald tartan blankets."

Boisdale, it seems, is the place to see and be seen. You can read the full Spectator article HERE.

'Allo, 'allo, what's all this then?

A policeman (a CID officer) rang yesterday. He wanted advice - legal advice. (Don't laugh, I'm serious.) It's a long story but the gist of it is that smokers (officers and civilians) at his local station are getting a raw deal. Quite simply, they appear to be victims of a rather petty form of discrimination.

Apparently, it has been normal practice for staff to be allowed, during working hours, to nip out to the shops (eg the post office) for a few minutes. The officer in charge (an ex-smoker) has now decreed that only non-smokers can go. Smokers can't because - shock horror - they may have a crafty fag on the way. And we can't have that, can we?

Mr Plod wanted to know if there's a law against it. I fear not. The only thing we can do is pass on the information to the local paper, naming and shaming the officer in question in the hope that the "policy" may be changed. This, of course, can backfire on those who complained so it's not something we rush into without their full cooperation.

In the meantime, let us once again reflect on the bizarre, inflexible nature of today's anti-smoking zealots. In their evangelical desire to "help" people give up, they treat friends and colleagues like children and openly discriminate without a moment's thought.

As far as the police are concerned, you would think that senior officers have better things to do than target colleagues like this. Why make a police officer's working environment any harder or more stressful than it already is?

PS. My new friend offered some further insight into working practices at his station. Although smoking is banned in the building, car park and grounds, officers routinely turn a blind eye to prisoners smoking in their cells. If an officer fancies a cigarette, he may quietly join them - behind bars!

TV debate about ETS? Dream on ...

Commenting on another post, Chris Cyrnik writes: "I have been trying unsucessfully to find a programme maker who would be interested in making a 'Smoking Out The Truth' programme for someone like Channel 4. It would be a courtroom style format where the main protagonists such as epidemiologists and respected medical practitioners would be forensically questioned. There would be no hiding place, and ultimately the truth about 'passive smoking' in particular would be exposed for what it is (a complete myth)."

I think Chris wants me to respond, but he won't like the answer. There are several reasons why it won't happen, but the main one is that the anti-smoking industry will simply refuse to take part. What's in it for them? As far as they're concerned, "there's no debate". Why would they jeopardise their current position by allowing a serious element of doubt to creep into people's minds? Worse, they might even lose the debate!

We've been here before: in November 2004 the Tobacco Manufacturers Association organised a one-day seminar on ETS at the Royal Institution in London. The TMA invited all sides to attend, and speak. The anti-smoking lobby refused. Although it was a private event (open to the media), the antis even attacked the venue, accusing the Royal Institution of being "naive". Full story HERE and must read commentary HERE.

That's the reality and that's why you will never see a balanced, courtroom-style debate about ETS on national television.

Academics give green light to bully state

A report to be published today by the "well respected" Nuffield Council for Bioethics will claim that government is not doing enough to help people live healthy lives. The report argues that increasing taxation on alcohol and banning smoking in people’s homes are justified if they improve public health.

Yesterday I was sent an advance press release and gave the following quote to The Times (which they used in their report, HERE):

"People accept the need for government to educate and advise people about their health, but politicians should take care not to over-indulge in social engineering. Potentially, this report is a manifesto for a bully state in which people are increasingly forced to behave in a manner approved by politicians and evangelical health campaigners who want unprecedented control over our daily lives."

I have long argued that things will get worse before they get better. The nanny/bully state brigade is on a roll and it is going to be a major battle to derail it. But derail it we must. The good news is there are some influential voices on our side. For example, a leader in today's Times makes it very clear where they stand:

John Stuart Mill held that the only justification for state coercion was to prevent harm, or “evil”, being done to others. It is a stretch to say that eating too many hamburgers, or smoking at home, meets that definition. Yet in seeking to modernise Mill, the Nuffield group comes dangerously close to arguing such a line.

It is not the British people who need treatment, it is Government - for its hyperactive insistence on interfering in private lives. The sooner that it kicks that bureaucratic habit, the healthier society will be.

Full article HERE. Definitely worth reading.

Invitation to a special Forest event

I am delighted to announce a very special Forest event (and it's free!). On Tuesday November 27 we will celebrate the publication of Scared To Death (see HERE) by Christopher Booker and Richard North. Christoper co-founded Private Eye and has a column in the Sunday Telegraph. Richard is a political analyst and was formerly a nationally known consultant on public health and food safety.

Venue is Boisdale of Belgravia, close to Victoria Station, central London. The party starts at 7.00pm with free wine and canapes. The authors will sign books and say a few words. After 9.00pm, there will be live jazz and we also be giving away copies of the Forest/Boisdale CD You Can't Do That! (Songs For Swinging Smokers) - the perfect Christmas present!

Readers of this blog are invited to attend. Places are strictly limited so if you want to come RSVP as soon as possible. Telephone Freya Walkley 01223 370156 (office hours) or email events@forestonline.org with your name and full address and we will send you an invitation (top left).

Why you must read Booker's new book

There's a must read article in the Daily Mail today. It's by journalist Christopher Booker and it coincides with the publication of his new book, written with Richard North, called Scared To Death: From BSE to Global Warming - Why Scares Are Costing Us The Earth.

One chapter is dedicated to passive smoking. In today's article, Christopher writes:

For years, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on trying to prove that smokers not only harmed themselves but also the health of those around them, the anti-smoking campaigners found the evidence they wanted frustratingly elusive.

So when the two most comprehensive studies of passive smoking ever carried out each came up with findings that non-smokers living with smokers faced no significantly increased risk of cancer, their antismoking sponsors did all they could to get the reports suppressed.

In a pattern familiar from other scares, the researchers were subjected to a torrent of personal vilification. By the time a wave of smoking bans swept through Europe and America in the early 21st century, the official statistics used to justify them had become not just exaggerated but wholly fictitious.

Full article HERE. Scared To Death is published by Continuum and is available from all good bookshops, price £16.99. Check back later and I will reveal how you can get a copy, personally signed by the authors, with a 20 per cent discount.

In defence of cigarette vending machines

While most of you were still asleep, I was driving to Television Centre in London to appear on Five Live Breakfast closely followed by Breakfast on BBC1. They wanted me to comment on the story that the British Heart Foundation wants legislation to ban the sale of cigarettes through vending machines. (See HERE.)

My opponent on both programmes was Deborah Arnott, director of ASH. Echoing the BHF, Debs insisted that one in six child smokers get their fags from vending machines. Having spoken at length last night to Rod Bullough, managing director of a tobacco vending machine supplier and founder of the original Freedom2Choose campaign, I hotly disputed this.

Are they seriously suggesting that over 50,000 children regularly march in to pubs, clubs and hotels with the correct money (£5.80) and walk off with their booty without being stopped? It doesn't make sense, bearing in mind that cigarettes from a vending machine are as expensive as you can get; there are rules about the siting of vending machines; and allowing children to use them is illegal (and potentially costly for the proprietor).

Truth is, the proposal to ban vending machines has very little to do with reducing the number of underage smokers. It's just the latest in a series of proposals designed to "denormalise" smoking. Other ideas include the suggestion that tobacco products be placed "under the counter" (ie not displayed) in shops and supermarkets.

Then again, if the use of vending machines by child smokers really is a problem, there's a simple solution - adapt them so they will only work with a token (which you have to buy from the bar or hotel reception) or a credit card. Needless to say, Deborah didn't think much of that idea. Fancy that!

Update on Monday, November 12, 2007 by Simon Clark

A friend has just emailed: "Saw you on BBC News at the weekend.  It must be a pain having to appear with that dreary woman from ASH - rather like having a ball and chain attached to your ankle." Another writes: "Well done for putting Deborah Arnott in her place. She is insufferable." I couldn't possibly comment.

Forest goes digital, online

Earlier today I signed a contract that allows Forest to advertise and broadcast videos on an internet TV channel where we will join organisations such as 18 Doughty Street, the Labour and Conservative parties, the TUC, and the wonderfully named Camcorder Guerillas.

Produced by Ten Alps (co-founded by Bob Geldof), Public TV currently has 15 dedicated channels offering "public service, public sector and government videos online". Forest has agreed a 12-month deal that will give us hyperlinked banners on the Government and Politics channels. Banners (and buttons) will promote our campaigns (including The Free Society) and link to the new Forest website or the latest Forest video.

By dipping our toes into the world of digital online television, the aim is to consolidate our relatively high media and political profile and promote our work to a wider audience. The next step is to make our first video. Watch this space.

How the media works

Earlier this week the Daily Express reported that health officials are considering plans to stop people smoking in their own home. (The idea was apparently suggested at a conference in Manchester, hosted by Smoke Free North-West.) I was quoted as follows:

"Calling for smoking to be banned from British family homes is ludicrous. This is a prime example of Labour’s nanny state. The vast majority of parents who smoke are fully aware of the dangers inherent in passive smoking and take precautions to protect their children. What are we going to have, the smoking police going round in smoke-detector vans?"

I was surprised to see my name in the report (by Chris Riches, HERE) because I hadn't spoken to the Express (or anyone else) about the conference. Nor had my colleague Neil Rafferty. But that was nothing compared to my astonishment at what I am reported to have said about passive smoking.

So yesterday I sent Chris an email. No reply. This morning I rang the Express news desk and was told that the story probably came from an agency. An hour later, following a further phone call, the news desk told me that the story - and my quote - came from Mercury, an independent news agency in the north west.

I rang Mercury and was told that the story had been written by a junior reporter who had tried and failed to contact me. Instead, he was told to make up write "something generic from the cuts" (ie come up with a quote based on previous things I have said). Hence, while parts of the quote may sound like me, I have NEVER said (nor would I EVER say), "The vast majority of parents who smoke are fully aware of the dangers inherent in passive smoking." (What I HAVE said is that parents with very young children should err on the side of caution when smoking in enclosed spaces at home, but that is rather different.)

Mercury have verbally apologised for their error, suggesting we put it down to the "exhuberance of youth" (!). They have advised me to blame "those swines in the press", which is all well and good, but the quote is already doing the rounds and has now appeared in the Liverpool Daily Post (HERE) and the Morning Advertiser (where I am taking lots of stick on the forum!!).

Other than writing a letter for publication (that clarifies our position), I am reluctant to take the matter further for two reasons: (1) the Express is probably the most anti-smoking ban paper in the country and it's unwise to fall out with friends; (2) Mercury were at least trying to balance their report with quotes from both sides of the debate, so let's credit them for that. Unfortunately they made a mistake. It happens.

Update on Friday, November 9, 2007 by Simon Clark

Mercury have just sent the following email:

"Further to our telephone conversation earlier today, I am writing to confirm that the quotes attributed to you in Tuesday's D.Express were the result of an overzealous new recruit at our agency. They had tried to adapt some of your quotes from a previous news story to the new version after being unable to reach you - however they were unaware of Forest's stance on the dangers of passive smoking."

Boisdale beats the ban (sort of)

After the CWF dinner (see below) some of us wanted to keep the party going, so we jumped in a cab and drove over to Boisdale in Belgravia. As many of you know, owner Ranald Macdonald is a fierce critic of the smoking ban. He has been interviewed several times on the subject, and together Forest and Boisdale have organised a number of smoker-friendly events.

Determined not to be defeated by the smoking ban, Ranald has built (at a cost of £40,000) a fantastic rooftop terrace that allows customers to smoke in some comfort. I know a lot of outdoor smoking areas aren't what they're cracked up to be but, believe me, the terrace at Boisdale has to be seen to be believed.

When we clambered up last night (it only opened last week), I was gobsmacked. If you live in London, or are simply visiting, and fancy a drink and a smoke, I can't recommend it highly enough. I think we've just found the perfect outdoor solution to the smoking ban.

Cameron fails to shine on his dinner date

I have just been listening, on Five Live, to David Cameron responding in the House of Commons to the Queen's Speech and he was excellent. Sharp, witty, entertaining and (dare I say it) charismatic - everything that he wasn't at last night's Conservative Way Forward Annual Dinner.

The star of the show was, to put it mildly, disappointing. It didn't help that he arrived late (missing the Forest-sponsored pre-dinner drinks!) and left early. There were 170 or so guests and I can't imagine that he spoke to more than a handful - which is no way to drum up support from the party faithful (or sceptics like myself).

Worse, his after dinner speech (one or two jokes aside) was plain dull. I made some notes but without referring to them I can barely remember a word he said. It was a going through the motions performance devoid of passion or sparkle - and I wasn't alone in thinking so. No surprise, then, that the biggest cheer of the night went not to the leader of the Conservative party but to one of his predecessors - William Hague - who (willingly, it seemed) adopted the role of court jester.

Guests at the Forest table included our own Neil Rafferty (above, centre), our new website manager Georgie Wisen (second left), Ranald Macdonald of Boisdale (partly hidden at the back), Sarah Bland (our new project manager, also hidden), and Simon Richards of the Freedom Association. Simon took the picture!

Smokers are voters, too, Mr Cameron

Tonight, with several of my Forest colleagues, I shall be at the Conservative Way Forward Annual Dinner at the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel in London. Forest is co-sponsoring the pre-dinner drinks reception, where we will be giving away CDs, t-shirts, cigar matches, pocket ashtrays and other campaign tools featuring messages such as 'Enough's Enough' and 'Fight for Choice'.

In addition to David Cameron, after dinner speakers include shadow foreign secretary William Hague and former Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Cecil Parkinson. Our message to the Conservative leader and his colleagues is clear and concise and appears in a full page advertisement in the souvenir programme (above).