State of a nation
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 at 9:40 Ryanair permitting I shall arrive in Dublin shortly before midday.
Tonight Forest is supporting a Dublin Salon event on plain packaging of tobacco and minimum pricing of alcohol.
It was intended to be a debate between the IEA's Chris Snowdon and a representative of one of a number of organisations including ASH Ireland, Alcohol Action Ireland and the TobaccoFree Research Institute Ireland whose director general, Luke Clancy, is a former chairman of ASH Ireland.
To the best of my knowledge not one of these organisations replied to organiser Justin Smyth's invitation to speak which says it all, really.
Justin was minded to cancel the event but I pointed out that if we did that we would be playing into their hands because that's exactly what they want.
They want to close down debate while enjoying exclusive access to government, not to mention preferential treatment in the media.
When it comes to engagement between opposing parties on tobacco and alcohol-related issues the UK is hardly a beacon of light but Ireland - like Brussels - takes the biscuit.
Tomorrow night, for example, Forest is hosting the second in a series of private dinners designed to bring together a variety of people with widely disparate views.
So far, when it comes to attracting opposing views, we've hit the same wall as Dublin Salon. No-one from the 'public health' community is prepared to engage with us even though the dinners are conducted under Chatham House rules and apart from the speaker the names of the dozen or so guests remain strictly confidential.
The absurdity reached a new peak when someone we invited to dinner on Wednesday took the best part of a week to hum and haw before apologetically declining our invitation.
I won't name him because he seems a decent bloke and it would be a breach of trust.
It's worth mentioning however because I got the impression he wanted to join us but because he works for a political party he had to ask his superiors for their approval.
Not one person, mind, but several - hence the delay in getting a decision.
Permission, needless to say, was denied and he won't be joining us - not even in a private capacity.
As for the media, I've lost count of the number of journalists in Ireland who decline to engage with us. In fact I now consider it a result just to get a reply, even if it's a firm or brusque 'no'.
Ironically, as I mentioned in a previous post, a leading vaping advocate also ignored our invitation to dinner (shortly before unfollowing us on Twitter) so it's not just political parties and professional public health activists who are refusing to engage.
This, then, is the state of political and public health discourse in Ireland today.
Thankfully it's not all doom and gloom. Fourteen people will be attending our dinner in Dublin tomorrow and while I'm there I'll also be pressing ahead with plans for a rather more ambitious event later in the year.
Watch this space.
Reader Comments (6)
The state of the nation generally. We are sleep walking into fascism and no one gives a toss as long as the new fascist world has no smokers in it.
Whoever let you down because of their political party's failure to treat all people equally, and recognise that everyone in this country matters, should find a new political home rather just follow orders.
Isn't that mindset what society faced in the 1930s. I am indeed very concerned about the state of our nation.
The antismokers dominating tobacco control and public health do not want to acknowledge that there is any other perspective than their own. As they have stated in the past, in their view smoking bans aren't up for democratic debate.
The reliance on authoritarian dictate is repulsive and should serve as a warning sign to the politicians that support these zealots. Either they are afraid debate weekends their stance because they acknowledge there are other views or they actually know it will weaken thinner stance since their argument is based on exaggerations and lies. Actually, I believe there are elements of both in their refusal to participate in the democratic process.
Despite their refusal to attend, it is important to provide a platform for alternative views. The gathering of smokers and persons advocating choice is essential to fighting the persecution of smokers (and ultimately those who vape since they will be persecuted in good time too).
Forest should disseminate news of this forum far and wide (and of course make mention at all the Forest webpages in Ireland, the UK, and EU). Silence is surrender; therefore the voice of the smoker crying for choice must be heard.
Anyone who speaks about smoking in Ireland these days is treated like a racist, if you mention it socially you're looked at and treated like an ASBO. Drinking is treated in a similar fashion, all road accidents are blamed on drink driving, nothing to do with dangerous or overcrowded roads, the pubs in rural areas are dessimated except in tourist areas. And there's absolutely no votes in promoting either issues and as we all know votes are what its all about. Yes social engineering is a done deal here in the emerald isle.
Vinny - I think persecution of vapers is a long way off. Vapng is now owned by tobacco control who along with vaping advocates and ecig companies, know smokers can be forced to quit now vapers have handed tobacco control the means to do it.
Pat, That may be the case in the UK. Here in the US tobacco control prefers prohibition and is actively promoting banning vaping in all places smoking is banned (including outdoors) and disseminating propaganda claiming vaping is as hazardous as smoking.
Tobacco control here has realised vapers are desperate for approval and acceptance and they can use it to get at smokers more and use both vapers and vaping as weapons to beat down smokers further. Thanks to vaping, smokers have been shoved from second class citizenship status to third hand citizenship status.