Conspiracy theory
Friday, July 3, 2009 Another reader has sent me this. It was posted on an online message board:
I'm a conspiracy theorist. I watch a lot of videos by conspiracy theorists, but im not good at remembering details, i just have an overall picture of things. I have the feeling that this smoking ban thing is being hijacked by people/groups who claim to represent us but who have an agenda which is not good. I have my doubts about Forest, and i was just looking at the amendthesmokingban website and i saw something about the adam smith institute, which rings a bell.
All im saying is watch out. When famous people and organisations start getting involved, my instinct is that they may be part of the puppet/string pulling process (does that make sense?). I dont think that those at the top of organisations who claim to be on our side are necessarily on our side at all. I think that whats happening is that opposition to the ban is finally starting to really build up, and there are people who have known that this would happen, and theyre jumping in, pretending to represent us.
Give me strength.
Reader Comments (24)
I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you Simon. I would put it down to the "Kipper Season effect".
We have all seen it with the papers, no "real" news is happening, so the papers start drumming up news, anything they can lay their hands on. At the moment we are back to Swine Flu, and some poor idiot who hacked into the Pentagon's computer system. I suppose we still have good ol' Wacko-Jacko to fall back on as well don't we? I am sure there will be new revelations about how he was really a woman from the planet Bimbo or somewhere similar.
But I am afraid we have worse to come, Parliament is about to break up for the "school holidays" or whatever they like to call it, and then we won't even have Wacko-Browno and his gang to fall back on. The Kipper Season is well and truly with us!
As a P.S. to my above post, I forgot to mention our resident Tranny-Nanny himself, Sir Liam Donaldson, the government's Chief Medical Officer, who predicted millions dropping dead over a few month period, because of passive smoking.
Sir Liam has made yet another startling prediction, and that is that there will be "millions", yes millions of new swine flu cases over the next few weeks and that more than 40 people a day will be killed through this.
I didn't realise that poor Nanny Donaldson also suffered from the Kipper Season syndrome, I thought he had enough on his plate thinking of where the bodies of all those smokers and their friends could be buried.
The one good thing about the Kipper Season, is that really brings the nuts out of the woodwork for all the world to see doesn't it.
Looks like the silly season has started already.
Did you hear that Labour is going to revert the smoking ban before the next elections.
They're afraid that the Conservatives will get in on a land slide vote because they have secretely agreed (with very influential people and the anti smoking lobby) to allow a smoking room in pubs and restaurants.
But dont tell anyone, it has to remain a secret.
I am aware of the post and they finished up by saying "Im so drunk, but you know what i mean."
No I do not and I will be in touch.
I'd love to be a conspiracy theorist. But to be one you have to believe that the powers-that-be, the New World Order or whatever, know exactly what they are doing, and are proceeding with superhuman efficiency to execute their carefully-worked-out plans.
But I can never believe that they know what they're doing, or that their 'plans' amount to any more than back-of-envelope wish lists.
It's not conspiracy. It's just cock-up.
It could be a conspiracy to 'cock up'.You know - 'leadership beyond ability'...this appears to define how this country is being managed nowadays.
Because message board posts about conspiracy on the internet are serious business and deserve further coverage, right?
I think he's just miffed at the patently false insinuation that Forest are some kind faux-liberal front group for a freaky conspiracy to promote commercial interests, when they are so clearly the voice and friend of the common smoker.
Demonstrably false of course, one need merely look at their extensive grassroots community work and bonhomie-laden brandy and cigar events they hold in regular pubs and working mens clubs outside of the SW1 postcode up and down the country.
Wait a second ...
I don't mind anyone having a pop at me or Forest, but why hide your identity? Wow, that's brave.
Blue-black-Jack and the kipper season are one and the same thing Simon.
They come out at this time of year...unfortunately!
I wrote that post.
I didnt hide my identity Simon, the person who sent my post didnt include my name. Im leafar and im a member of freedom2choose. I posted in a thread which i started on their forum called "watch out" (which you can look up). Everything you need to know about why i said what i said is in my posts on that thread.
http://www.freedom2choose.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=4392
Im sorry to have caused such an unnecessary fuss, but if you read what ive said in my thread youll hopefully understand. No offence, and yes i did jump to conclusions. Lets not waste our energy on this, and ill try to keep my mouth shut about things that i dont understand fully enough to comment on. And yes, i was tipsy. Im embarassed.
The idea of a 'conspiracy' is peculiar. What is wrong with 'conspiring'? Is not that just what members of Ash and Forest are doing?
The only thing wrong with 'conspiring' is when the conspiracy is designed to DISTORT THE TRUTH. But it is not the conspiracy that is the problem, it is the DISTORT THE TRUTH that is the problem.
Does it matter to us who is involved and what their motives are? Provided that, in the short to medium term, we get the 'Spanish model', why should we care who is on our side?
There is a conspiracy amongst the political and financial elite
They control.
However it's all done in the open .
Just read
This is he root of the problem .
The root is the dictatorial conclusion of policy.
However they must be mindfull of people power.
There does seem to be a softening of the approach to the ban by the tories.
I think their beginning realise it is a big vote loser.
It also seems to appear to me that the extreme nature of the anti smoking lobby is begining to cause cringes even amongst non smokers.
The more extreme measures they call for ,the more moderate support they lose.
I thing Forest F2choose and Forces are starting to make headway.
But it is a long road to change a social attitude to smoking that especially in the last 20 years has become entrenched.
The Intelligensia are starting to comment with some concern on the extreme views of Anti Smokers.
The more Preaching of hate they do the more they damage their twisted agenda.
People are becoming aware of the dangers of social aparthied preached by the anti smoking lobby.
I sincerely hope this to be true.
F2c Forest and Forces need to come closer united you stand.
You are making headway .
This smoking issue is big because it is a test of liberty itself .
And a potential blueprint for future control freakery in everything else it must be fought to the last man.
If I may put in a word for Leafer (our Spanish friend Rafael), he is one of the more entertaining posters on F2C, and is ever prepared to look at the world in rather quirky and unexpected ways. We need such people, even if we seldom agree with them, to help jog us out of habits of thought.
Prompting a swift response implies that you do indeed care if people 'have-a-go' at Forest (even in a manner as patently facetious as mine). I'm sorry you feel that you need to match it by flexing your internet tough guy muscles and calling me out. Yes, I prefer to post anonymously on the internet. I'm commenting on your blog not applying for a passport - have perspective.
My point is that you feel that it is appropriate, given the wide audience of this page, to replicate somebody else's thoughts (somebody who is generally on our side) framed with snide commentary on how ridiculous you think they and their opinions are. Regardless of the merit or lack of in their opinion, it's a cheap shot to take, and one cheap shot will attract another.
It's your blog, so do as you will. I just can't see the productivity in mocking something that was never intended to be presented in this way publicly, when there's so much else that needs to be done.
I do believe that it is true that holding Forest events in places like WMC/regular pubs, other than Boisdales etc, would be a very positive move, attracting many smokers and like minded people who don't even know Forest exists, and their are millions of them.
I would love to know your thoughts on this Simon, as I suspect many of us would.
I second that Zetory. There are still a few wonderful working mens clubs in Oldham just for instance where we would be right proud to have such a do. And some have smoking areas outside the front door as well so all would be well and truly catered for.
I wouldn't mind doing sandwiches. Cheese and pickle - tongue - dripping and pickled onions - pickled walnuts and scotch eggs. Please let me know Simon as I need to get provisions in well in advance?
About time to I say. The streets fine for me to smoke in as i'm not one of them snooty londorners but if its a warm night I wouldnt mind somewhere with a spam terrace. Any chance you can sort that out for us tom?
Wow, seems like the snobbery here does exist after all.
Snobbery is what anti-smokers inflict on the rest of us and I would say Mr and Mrs Clogwell and their friend Ethel are just that.
I think they're just having a bit of fun. People need to develop a sense of humour around here!
In answer to Zitori, Forest organises events in London because we want to give ourselves the best possible chance of attracting MPs, Westminster-based journalists and the occasional high profile supporter.
At the very least we have the excuse - because the event is in Westminster - to invite a significant number of MPs. Even if they don't come it helps maintain our profile. Ditto national newspaper journalists. If we organised an event outside London there would be no reason to invite any MP other than the constituency MP. Likewise, journalists.
We also want to attract a reasonable number of people so the event has a bit of a buzz. Experience tells us that London events work. Apart from party conferences, events outside London would attract a fraction of the number we get in central London.
As for Boisdale, it's a public bar with a comfortable roof terrace where people can smoke and drink. Believe me, we have searched high and low for pubs and bars with similar all-weather facilities and they are very difficult to find.
Last but not least, we try to make these occasions "events" that people talk about. We don't always succeed but when we do people spread the word by mouth and via the internet.
All this justifies the time and effort and makes it cost effective. I'm not sure the same could be said of the type of alternative events or locations you have in mind.
Hope this answers your question.
I can see the logic in your answer Simon, and I realize that the active support of pubs and WMC to fight the ban has been almost non-existant, but one reason for that is, as far as I am aware, the smoking public , as a whole , know little of the groups fighting the ban, and the lies that led to it.
I feel that spreading events around the country would obviously engage more public support and a growing sense that they are not alone and helpless, and that we do have power in numbers.
The logistics of this are probably out of Forest's range but Manchester and Liverpool definitely need some opposition to their increasing madness.
I take it you don't want me to do the samwiges then?
p.s. i could always do a few for you zitory. do you live any where near Oldham?