ASH, the Irish Heart Foundation and Landman Economics
Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 13:57 Update on my post about 'Tobacco Taxation, Smuggling Smoking in Ireland', published this week by the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) and widely reported by the Irish media.
British consultancy firm Landman Economics, who wrote the report, have some interesting clients. In addition to the IHF, they include:
- Age UK
- ASH
- Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath
- Health Economics Research Group at Brunel University
- Compass
- Demos
- Fabian Society
- Gingerbread
- Institute for Public Policy Research
- TBR Economics
- TUC
- UNISON
- Unite
- Welsh Assembly Government
Spot a trend, anyone?
Landman's report for the IHF won't come as a surprise to those who recall another Landman paper, commissioned by ASH, entitled The Effects of Increasing Tobacco Taxation: A Cost Benefit and Public Finances Analysis.
More recently (September 2011) ASH commissioned the firm to write an analysis and review of the following paper, 'The impact of plain packaging of cigarettes in the UK: a simulation exercise, a report for Philip Morris International, November 2010', J. Padilla.
No prizes for guessing that Landman's critique didn't agree with Padilla's.
Landman Economics was founded in 2008 by Howard Reed, previously chief economist at the Institute for Public Policy Research (also known as "New Labour's favourite think-tank"). Landman doesn't appear to be in the IPPR's league just yet though because Reed is the only person listed as a member of staff on the company's jejune and somewhat garish website.
They say you can tell a lot about a man from the company he keeps and Reed is no exception. According to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health's Inquiry into the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of tobacco control: Submission to the 2010 Spending Review and Public Health White Paper Consultation process, participants who gave oral and/or written evidence are listed as follows:
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive, Action on Smoking and Health
Professor Linda Bauld, Professor of Social Policy, University of Bath
Dr Henry Featherstone, Head of Health and Social Care, Policy Exchange
Professor Anna Gilmore, Professor of Public Health, University of Bath
Professor Martin Jarvis, Professor Emeritus of Health Psychology at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London
Professor Susan Michie, Professor of Health Psychology, University College London
Howard Reed, Economist, Landman Economics
Dr Gabriel Scally, Regional Director of Public Health for the South West
Professor Robert West, Director of Tobacco Studies, Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, University College London
Good to see Henry Featherstone, formerly of Policy Exchange, giving evidence to this self-styled "inquiry". You may recall this post from March 2010: ASH and Policy Exchange - the plot thickens.
Meanwhile, like Martin Dockrell of ASH (What do ASH and Left Foot Forward have in common?), Reed has also written for the leading left-wing blog.
Worryingly, he seems to believe that Cutting red tape isn’t a strategy for growth.
I could go on, but you get the picture. Draw your own conclusions.
Simon Clark
From the European Public Health Alliance website:
The Smoke Free Partnership, with the support of EPHA, organised an event in the European Parliament on February 24th entitled ‘EU Better Regulation : from economic to citizen-centric ?’. It was hosted by Arlene McCarthy MEP (S&D, UK) and saw high attendance from NGOs and also a couple of MEPs.
The speakers were as follows:
Mr John Hontelez, Secretary-General of the European Environment Bureau and member of the Stoiber Group
Ms Monika Kosinska - Secretary-General of the European Public Health Alliance
Mr Heinrich von Wulfen - COCIR President
Dr Anna Gilmore - School of Health, University of Bath
Mr Howard Reed -Director of Landman Economics
Dr Fabian Zuleeg - Senior Policy Analyst, European Policy Centre and
Mr Charles Henri-Montin - Expert on Better Regulation
Reader Comments (6)
I just got back from my personal baccy shopping trip abroad where I saved myself some £900 in tax. I was one of over a 1000 passengers and from what I could see, most of them were there for the same reasons and most saved far more tax than me because they bought much more personal stock.
We are not smugglers but smokers who are not out for profit but to make a political point. Treat us equally, humanely, stop the denormalisation and stigmatisation, and watch that cash roll back to the Treasury.
ASH and their fellow bigots and liars are living in la la la land.
Would the 'trend' be that you haven't mentioned any right-wing organisations, or any funded by tobacco companies?
But they are a professional firm open to hire by anybody. I dare say they would work for you if you paid them to. Obviously it is a case of you and your friends not doing that, rather than them choosing to work for people you disagree with?
@Simon (nsc)
You clutching at straws, old chap.
simon (nsc) - if you haven't understood the left-wing agenda at work here, when will you.?
I'll take Simon (nsc)'s suggestion IF I can form a 'charity' funded by Government and other various pharma funded charities but, in the meantime I'll retain the right to regard tobacco control to be a disgusting incestuous bunch of intolerant and opportunist liars.
Most of the so-called charities you mention Simon, could be bundled up together to form the 'trend' you speak of.
I do not think 'Gingerbread' however are in this league. Gingerbread were originally set up to support lone parents by forming local support groups. They have now merged with One Parent Families but still sort of retain their name. I am pretty sure they get their funding from One Parent Families.