Stephen Williams: my part in Russia's smoking ban
Saturday, June 1, 2013 at 13:36 Our old friend Stephen Williams MP is showing signs of megalomania.
This morning he tweeted:
Russia starts major new anti-smoking laws today. I met Russian Health Minister last year to share UK experience.
Such influence (or should that be effluence?)!
It reminds me of the title of a Spike Milligan book, Hitler: My Part In His Downfall.
The difference is, Milligan was being ironic.
Nevertheless, when the history of the long forgotten anti-tobacco movement is written 50 years hence I'm sure there will be a footnote that mentions Williams.
It's unlikely however to focus on his meeting with the Russian health minister.
At best there may be a reference to his role in the launch of the piss poor Plain Packs Protect campaign that was given hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money to lobby government and still couldn't get the policy over the line.
But I wouldn't bet on it. After all, he has plenty of rivals for that accolade.
Reader Comments (2)
Did you hear the alleged "I have an open mind" minister Anna Soubry drop plain packaging into the middle of debate on terrorism on Ouestion Time last Thursday?
She claimed : "two muslims came to see me last week about plain packaging, as a matter of fact."
Yeah right. Why am I cynical about that and why did she have to mention why they came to see her in a debate that was nothing to do with tobacco or health?
We know Ms Soubry isn't adverse to telling porkies on this issue nor meeting up with journalists to feed them info about her alleged open mind that clearly wants plain packaging by fair means or foul.
We clearly haven't seen the last of this. Watch it come back at some point soon. That's why Ireland rushed to do it - to force England to follow suit. Scotland is so swivel-eyed on tobacco that smokers there are in real danger of criminalisation. Those who don't want to be forced to quit should leave.
Soubry and her friends in the anti-smoker industry clearly want to get child smoking back to the 1960s level. There can be no other reason for it. After all, the antis depend on new smokers for their living and plain packaging will fuel the underground black market removing all sensible and effective protection to date to stop the under age getting hold of cigarettes..
Personally, I'd rather funding be directed to progressive research like this which really could protect children in future who may grow up to be smokers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dt2C5Wso_U&list=UUK7buqHcC9M6nNSSNAb9t1A
Williams is a third rate politician full of his own self-importance on the issue of tobacco control and little else. Delusional could be another description. Unfortunately, he is not alone as there are more like him in Parliament today.
He would be better focused doing his best for his Bristol constituents rather than advocating further state intrusions into our personal choices. He will certainly not be remembered in years to come.