It's a mystery
Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 15:17 Happy New Year!
There was an important omission in my previous post. Ailsa Rutter, director of Fresh (formerly Smoke Free North East), was awarded an OBE "for services to Tobacco Control".
So this is where we are.
The most recent directors of Smoke Free South West, Tobacco Free Futures (formerly Smoke Free North West) and Smoke Free North East have all been awarded an OBE or MBE yet the chief executive of ASH (appointed in 2003) and the CEO of ASH Scotland (appointed in 2008) continue to be overlooked.
Why? It's a mystery.
Congratulation @AilsaRutter on your OBE for contribution to tobacco control. Well deserved for all your hard work :-) @FreshSmokeFree
— Healthier Futures (@healthier_ftrs) January 3, 2017
Really humbled today. And so proud of everyone's efforts to #makesmokinghistory. Thank you. Amazing leadership from so many partners
— Ailsa Rutter (@AilsaRutter) December 31, 2016
Reader Comments (2)
Ailsa Rutter has made a living out of tobacco control for 18 years.She originally trained as a nurse and in my view would have provided a much greater public service had she continued to work in that noble profession. However, she would never have received recognition in the form of a gong from the DoH, which appears to place greater value on political advocacy than it does on health care.
Bearing in mind the prominence that the DoH gives to anti-tobacco and anti-alcohol fanatics, it is a bit surprising that ASH stalwarts have not yet received gongs. Perhaps they are biding their time and we have Dame Deborah to look forward too?
Simon,
I'm on holiday in Scotland at the moment and found myself subjected to some of Sheila Duffy's codswallop on the radio yesterday.
Quoting nothing more scientific than a small opinion poll done by Ash Scotland themselves on 'existing smokers' she trotted out some fantasy stat about 92% or something of smokers wanting at some point to quit and then claiming that as a mandate to 'help them' by banning smoking in *all* cars!
The belligerent condescension of this woman needs to be experienced to be believed. I am not even a smoker and I was offended by the argument.