Sheila and Deborah snubbed again
Saturday, December 30, 2017 at 9:19 Five years ago I wrote:
Something has always puzzled me about the honours list and it's this:
Why no gongs for the likes of Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH; Sheila Duffy, CEO of ASH Scotland; Fiona Andrews, director of Smokefree South West; or Andrea Crossfield, director of Tobacco Free Futures?
After all, it's titans of Tobacco Control like Deborah and Sheila who are often credited with introducing smoking bans and other measures that have saved tens of thousands of lives. Allegedly.
Surely they should receive recognition for their services to public health?
Someone must have been listening because a year later Fiona Andrews and Andrea Crossfield each received an MBE in the New Year Honours.
Nothing however for Deborah or Sheila.
Two years later they were still awaiting recognition while the likes of Ailsa Rutter, director of FRESH (formerly Smokefree North East) was being awarded an OBE.
In June this year, following the publication of the Queen’s Birthday Honours list (another blank for Sheila and Deborah), I pointed out the curious anomaly that while Fiona Andrews and Andrea Crossfield had each been honoured, their organisations - Smokefree South West and Tobacco Free Futures - had subsequently been forced to close following the loss of council funding:
Meanwhile Sheila Duffy, who has been CEO of ASH Scotland since 2007, continues her relentless pursuit of a smoke free society in the frustrating knowledge that her predecessor Maureen Moore was at least awarded an OBE.
As for my old friend Deborah Arnott, the wait for that elusive gong goes on. The good news is, there's always another Honours list.
Well, I’ve scoured the latest Honours List (all 48 pages) and there’s still no mention of either of Sheila or Deborah.
What’s going on?
Reader Comments (2)
Simon, I can't be the only one to notice. On the one hand, we're told that Tobacco Control is saving tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of lives. On the other hand, every time they announce deaths from smoking and second-hand smoke, the numbers go up. Every time. Maybe it's because now smoking kills at least 1 out of 2 smokers, and all bystanders, when back when this started, it was 1 in 7, I think? TC maths ought to be a separate subject in schools. It's very peculiar.
So whilst TC may be saving all those lives, we also are having more deaths due to smoking. No, I don't get it, either ;)
Be careful of what you wish for.