Brown: new strategy for 2009
Wednesday, November 19, 2008 From DeHavilland, our political information service:
"In response to a question from David Taylor [Labour MP for North West Leicestershire] on a Cancer Research UK petition calling for plain packaging and similar measures to protect young people from tobacco marketing, prime minister Gordon Brown stated that he applauded the action taken by Cancer Research. He confirmed that there was a consultation on this, and said that there would be a new strategy in 2009. He noted the decrease in tobacco uptake from 28 to 22 per cent, and 13 to six per cent amongst children, but said that this was not good enough and would require a new strategy."
I don't know about you, but the next election can't come quickly enough. Unfortunately, unless he offers the nation a genuine alternative to Labour (economically and socially), there's every chance that Cameron's Conservatives will lose.
It's not too late, but we need clear blue water (no pun intended).
Reader Comments (13)
Grainger: New Strategy For 2010
1. Do NOT vote Labour.
2. Encourage all friends, family, and colleagues NOT to vote Labour
3. If Labour do win the General Election-leave Britain.
4. Do NOT come back until or unless sanity, freedom, fairness and common sense are reinstated.
In my opinion, Micky Mouse would be far better! Not that it would be difficult to be better than the lot we have got, unless it was either of the other 2 main parties!
When is Brown going to do something on overweight people like himself and to ban rugby for he knows that it is a dangerous sport? We need everybody to be healthy.
I hope, that a positive and creative campaign by Forest is already being considered for a possible election in 2010.
It must be made clear that marginal labour seats will most certainly be lost if due consideration isn't given to the overwhelming effects of this draconian legislation.
Perhaps well thought out leaflets can be sent with covering letters to ALL MPs, not just those who voted for the ban. This would have a powerful effect.
How about a Forest brochure...outlining all the relevant arguments succinctly presented in a eye-catching and colourful way.
If due weight isn't voiced to all parties then be prepared for a very long ban indeed!
Any dissenters to this view?
Colin
On points 1 and 2.
You'll be pleased to hear that I've already converted around 80 people to that line of thinking. I've also told them to tell everyone they know to do the same thing.
I dragged about 15 to the polls at the council elections earlier in the year who don't normally vote, and labour were chucked out of my ward by 5 votes!! How thrilled I felt.
I'm glad how hard I worked. I'll be working even harder with the GE now I've got a few behind me.
Good to know that the people are still in charge - and we are.
So everyone - start doing something now before it's too late. All those moaners about this ban who you know who are that apathetic to do anything about it - get them off their backsides, and get them to vote.
I can guarantee now that all these apathetic people who don't go to the polls, don't go because they are so annoyed with the current state of affairs (and the previous state of affairs). They would no way vote labour. One big task of ours is to get these people off their backsides as well as campaigning against this ban.
If we could mobilise the non-voters, labour would be out for good
What alternative have we?
I see no cause for optimism in Cameron and his associated non-entities...
Mac
Alternatives? It may well not work outright this time around, but in my view by making a protest vote for a party other than the big 3, if we can bring an outsider far enough up in the polls to be snapping at the heels of the big 3, they will have a better chance the following time and in the meantime, their rise in popularity might just give the others the huge kick up the backside they need to find some common sense!
I realise it is a long shot, but everyone has to start somewhere!
I agree with Mac and think that individual MPs should be targeted where they are blatantly anti smoking. The first casualty should be the councillor who wrote that we should all die a horrible death. It would not take much to publicise this and have this person voted off the council. Anyone, smoker or not knows the pain and suffering caused by cancer and I am sure that most people would be appalled by his attitude. Local elections have notoriously low turnouts and as Mary did, influence the outcome. Target Redbridge councillors too and then by the time of the general election the MPs may not be so comfortable.
It is not a party political issue as the attacks on smokers are cross party. The only way to have any changes made are to have these politicians thrown out of office and off the gravy train.
If anyone has any doubts about the control freakery that is Gordon Brown, then you only have to consider his reaction to the recent consultation exercise that was set up to examine the benefits of "presumed consent" for organ donations. The experts came up with the wrong answer to his question and therefore Gordie still seems determined to pursue the mantra that ultimately the state owns both your mind and body(parts). Sorry Gordie, old Bean, but it is exactly this totalitarian attitude which made me return by organ and blood donar cards to Ms Pat Brewitt (torn up) when the smoking ban was introduced. With each passing day, I have less inclination to have anything further to do with this abismal government and British society - they can all go to hell.
Very well said Bill and I totally agree! If, as and when this idea of presumed consent to be an organ donor comes in, I will be one of the first in the queue to opt out!
As a smoker, if I am not welcome in any places of leisure or entertainment and am forced outside in whatever the elements are throwing at us in order to smoke, then it is obvious that my organs would be far too contaminated to even be considered, so I prefer that they don't cut me up in the first place to find out!
With regards to the report today on F2C about not being allowed to point to or name the brand of cigarettes you wish to purchase - what do the government intend to do to people who do ask for 20 B&H, or whatever, or point to them? Have anti smoking police in every store that sells cigarettes to fine us? Thank goodness I buy mine in Spain where there is no such utter stupidity, where there is tolerance and where they have had a much higher success rate in reducing the number of people who smoke!
We should all support Colin's ideas. Remember who first introduced anti-smoking, attacks on people not conforming to someone's ideals. Yes folks! That was what led to World War Two as in the national corriculum taught in schools today. What was the outcome. People in this country and throughout Europe gave up their lives to defend our rights against a lunatic called 'Hitler'.
Now Europe politicians support this lunatics policy. It is a sad day when you see his supporters laying Poppy Wreaths at the Cenotaph on Rembrance Sunday thus showing contempt for those who fought to give us freedom.
Remember, it was God who made us in his image, so we are told. If was meant that we all had to be perfect in all ways then we would all look alike and behave in identical ways. Since we all different looking in most ways then this is what God wanted.
These misfits representing the anti- this and that would have my encouragement if they found an island in the one of the 'Five Seas' to live their 'Perfect Lives' and just let the majority of this Country and Europe to to get on with ours.
Can the current lunatics that are controling the asylum not be taken up on a point of law in regard to this new diktat for covering up packaging on cigarettes.
If a person smokes a lower tar number of cigarette how are they to know which tar rating they're buying. Personally I can only smoke a l tar rating, so would I have to spend a fortune to hit on my right brand. Would people have a case here on a point of law. I'm beginning to feel that I'm living in a twilight zone having to ask this question but I guess you have to get used to the high level of crazy talk and gobbledegook spouted by this govt that you have to get down into the crazy pit with them to try and make sense of it all.
I'm begining to get very worried about myself that if I hear of some other lunatic govt minister suggesting to put plain packaging on butter to protect fat people, I will start to take it all for granted!!
Very good point Ann, but I am afraid that part of their strategy is to continue to bully people into giving up! Increasing the cost on it's own has not worked well enough in the past, hence these crazy ideas.
Me, I am not only worried, but quite paranoid nowadays too! I have never particularly liked using public loos, for example, now, however I just can't! I am convinced that 'Big Brother' would be watching me! As a smoker and driver as well, I feel even more persecuted, so am convinced that people like myself (and there are many of us) are being watched more and more. After all, one requirement to win a war is to know your enemy!
Scarey stuff, but would you put it past them?