Tobacco consultation update
Friday, January 9, 2009 What a farce! Following the publication of the report on the consultation on the future of tobacco control (reported HERE last month), it was pointed out that an important stakeholder (the Tobacco Retailers Alliance) had been omitted from the list of respondents published at the back of the report.
Acknowledging its mistake, the DH has published an updated list. Incredibly, the TRA were not the only organisation omitted from the original report. The new list has more than 80 additions, among them The Free Society (yes, that Free Society!), The Tobacconist, and the trades union Unite.
Of course, it's all very well adding these names now, a month after the report was published. But how can we be sure that their submissions were read before it was written?
The Tobacco Retailers Alliance has a not insignificant 26,000 members. Yet not only does the DH neglect to mention the TRA in the body of the report (Forest, in contrast, was mentioned several times), their views are completely ignored.
The same is true of the Association of Convenience Stores and the National Federation of Retail Newsagents, both of whom submitted evidence to the consultation. Apart from being included in the long list of respondents at the back of the report, it's as if they didn't even take part!
Over the next few weeks the more independently-minded peers and MPs will possibly read the report prior to voting for or against the government's proposal to ban the display of tobacco in shops. Frankly, if the views of all major stakeholders are not represented, the report is worthless and should be declared null and void.
Needless to say I'm not holding my breath.
PS. I should add that the 80+ organisations omitted from the original list of respondents also included the pharmaceutical giants GSK and Pfizer, yet more PCTs, and numerous tobacco control groups, many of them (surprise, surprise) from the north east. I think it's fair to say, though, that their views were already well represented in the report.
Reader Comments (5)
Given that HMG's shoddy methods have been exposed in this instance, I hope that those affected are really kicking up a storm of protest and will put the points made in the post to MPs.
The only thing that I think that I can do is to write to my MP before the voting takes place. This might be a silly question, but do you know, Simon, when that will be?
I'd say they're just trying it on again by leaving out relevant bodies in their reports in the hope that no one will bother to do anything about it or not take steps.
Thats how they achieve their goals by misinformation and subterfuge with everything from the smoking ban to voting.
Then to cover their ass they leave out their own buddies in the various tobacco control groups to sort of even up the score in case of reprecussions and be able to say GSK/Pfizer etc were also omitted by 'mistake'.
Thats how its done these days by throwing down the gauntlet and leave it up to us to fight for every inch of our freedoms and our basic human rights. Otherwise they can say we published it but no one objected.
Its called smoke and mirrors and its up to us to spot it before the law has been put in place.
I very much suspect that if you delve into previous public health consultations, then it will be no suprise that the process will be seriously flawed and unrepresentative of people's wishes. Every New Labour sponsored charity or quango will make sure that New Labour's mantra is the only option/s put forward. New Labour treat the British electorate will complete disregard and effectively govern Britain by dictatorship. Their disregard for the British electorate is more than matched by my absolute hatred and loathing of their policies. The sooner they are shown the door and never to return for a generation or more, the better.
They've really messed up with this consultation haven't they? Perhaps now it's been noted by one of the broadsheets, they might have a closer look at some other 'public' consultations, or ... horror of horrors ... actually look more closely at the fraudulent anti-smoking movement in general?
The Filthy Smoker at the Devil's place has posted a good piece about it here
Bill, it is not only Nu Labour, but locally we have the same problem with the Lib Dems - it is often published in the local paper that they 'have undertaken an extensive public consultation ...' but when it comes down to it and we dig deep enough it turns out that this extensive public consultation is only, apparently, required at Town Council level to be a very small number of people and they have no problems in having that number in their back pockets!
Even when they did a 'door to door' survey they knew which homes to miss out, and that backfired because those of us who make our voices heard made it known that they missed calling on those they knew would not support them!
Do I sound cynical or perhaps that I am saying politicians are corrupt?
I will leave you to decide, but I expect your guess is every bit as good as mine!