‘Avid anti-smoker’ awarded CBE

The Queen’s Birthday Honours may have morphed into the King’s Birthday Honours but still no recognition for two of our most committed anti-smoking activists.

Yup, it’s that time of year when I dutifully point out that Deborah Arnott, CEO of ASH since 2003, and Sheila Duffy, chief executive of ASH Scotland since 2004, have yet to receive a gong, despite decades devoted to the anti-smoking cause.

As I have said before, the lack of recognition is particularly strange when their counterparts in similar but less influential organisations have been recognised.

I’m referring, specifically, to the former directors of Smoke-Free South West and Smoke-Free North West, organisations that don’t even exist any more.

But I could also point to Ailsa Rutter OBE, director of Fresh (formerly Smoke-Free North East).

Anyway, it’s ten years now since I first highlighted the lack of recognition for these titans of tobacco control, and it got to the point where I even speculated that the only explanation is that Arnott and Duffy may have turned down honours, although I’m not aware that either of them is a closet republican.

I certainly find it hard to imagine that someone, somewhere, hasn’t tried to nominate them.

There is however good news for one ‘avid anti-smoker’.

Bob Blackman, Conservative MP for Harrow East and chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health (run by ASH), has been awarded a CBE, which is one level down from a knighthood.

I suspect though that given his long political career - he was elected as an MP in 2010 following 24 years as a councillor - the award is to recognise that rather than his unremitting campaign against smoking.

(Update: My hunch was correct. The award is ‘For Political and Public Service’.)

Either way it would be impolite not to congratulate him, but here’s something I wrote for ConservativeHome, in response to an article by the MP for Harrow East, just over ten years ago:

Whatever happened to Conservative values such as tolerance and common sense? Whatever happened to the party that advocated less state intervention and more personal responsibility? Education is better than coercion because the state should impose itself on individuals only in extremis.

If Bob Blackman believes a ban on smoking in cars with children represents ‘true Conservative values’ I worry for the future of the party. But then I’m only a lifelong Conservative voter, and my opinion doesn’t seem to matter any more.

See: Bob Blackman is wrong. We don’t need a smoking ban in cars to protect children (ConservativeHome, April 2013)

Three years later I noted what I called his ‘paternalistic, even socialist, attitude to private health’. See: Memo to Bob Blackman MP - call yourself a Conservative? (Taking Liberties, October 2016).

Meanwhile, this is how the political website Guido Fawkes reported a December 2015 debate in Westminster Hall on the government’s future smoking strategy tabled by Labour MP Kevin Barron:

Bob Blackman appeared to be giving a speech from notes printed on the fanatical Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) campaign’s headed paper. His key point was more money was needed for tobacco control – in other words more taxpayers’ money for ASH – reading line for line from their own note. Fancy that …

See: “This debate brought to you by …” (Guido Fawkes, December 2015).

As for Arnott and Duffy, what can I say? Next year, perhaps?