Minister for Europe: economic recovery will not solve democratic deficit

Plain packaging was also mentioned by the Minister for Europe this week.

Unlike self-styled "liberal" Norman Lamb (see previous post), the Rt Hon David Lidington MP adopted a different tone.

Speaking in Berlin, his theme was democracy in Europe:

The democratic deficit in the EU is not a new problem. It is as old as the EEC itself. But the current economic crisis has accelerated an underlying trend. The latest Eurobarometer polling data on public opinion provides clear evidence of a fundamental lack of support for the EU across almost all Member States.

Trust in the EU has never been so low. It has fallen from a pre-crisis high of just over half of those surveyed to just a third last autumn. New survey data from Pew, issued this week, confirms the downward trend in support for the EU.

And for the first time since Eurobarometer started their surveys in 1978, more respondents across the EU were dissatisfied with the way democracy works in the EU than were satisfied.

But, you might ask, why does this matter?

It matters because stable democracies rely on citizens accepting the rules as effective and legitimate, and feeling like they have a stake in how decisions are made.

It matters because people feel that decisions affecting their lives are taken faraway, by unaccountable individuals.

In some countries we have seen the rise of protest parties and social unrest ...

Now, some people might argue that the loss of trust in the EU is a temporary blip and is linked to the current crisis.

My experience tells a different story. Economic recovery will not solve the democratic deficit.

Politicians and academics talk about principles – about subsidiarity and proportionality. Our citizens put this in more practical terms.

People question why the footwear and jewellery worn by hairdressers should be regulated at the European level.

Why they cannot determine shop opening hours locally in accordance with local traditions and practices.

Why it is that the EU needs to ban branding on cigarette packets or set quotas for women on company boards.

And they question why their local hospital or fire service no longer offers 24-hour cover due to judgments on working time rules made far away by the European Court of Justice.

In short, public dissatisfaction is not solely a consequence of the economic crisis, though that has of course emphasised the trend, but results from a longer-term and much broader sense that decisions at European level are remote from both citizens themselves and their interests.

At a time of great change, particularly for those in the Eurozone, trust in the EU is at a record low and public dissatisfaction at a record high. The EU is often seen as inefficient and out of touch with the real world. The ordinary European does not feel that his or her voice counts.

At last, a minister who 'gets it' and, better still, has decided to speak out.

You can read the full speech here.

Open minded? Another health minister comes out for plain packaging

A few weeks ago, on the day of the local elections and before the Queen's Speech, I received an email.

It read:

About 30 minutes ago a man knocked on our front door. "I'm Norman Lamb, your MP. Have you voted yet today?" I shook his hand and told him that because of the smoking ban and plain packaging I wouldn't be voting for his party.

He made clear that he 'respects my opinion' (ie thinks I am wrong). But we chatted on about plain packs and he said, almost verbatim, "I can reassure you that it won't be coming in during this parliament". He made fairly clear that the preference is to wait to see the body of evidence coming from Australia/New Zealand, which he believes will come.

I had little doubt the story was genuine but I didn't publish it at the time because it was based on a private conversation.

I nevertheless took heart that it seemed to confirm reports that plain packaging would not be in the Queen's Speech.

Norman Lamb, you see, is not only a Lib Dem MP, he's also a minister at the Department of Health.

Today the Guardian reports that the very same Norman Lamb is urging the coalition "to press ahead with forcing cigarettes to be sold in plain packets to reduce sales, despite the plan being dropped from the Queen's Speech because of unease in Downing Street".

No-one can accuse Lamb of hypocrisy. He made it clear, when speaking to my correspondent, that he supports plain packaging.

Then again, having allegedly reassured a constituent that plain packaging won't be introduced in this parliament, he is now actively urging the Government (of which he is a member) to do exactly that.

Another point: we are repeatedly told that the Government has yet to make a decision, one way or the other, about plain packaging and that it continues to have an "open mind" on the subject.

Despite this, Norman Lamb becomes the second health minister to openly declare his support for the policy.

Moreover, he intends to "keep fighting" to get plain packs introduced.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt needs to get a grip on his ministers who, when they're not privately leaking information to newspapers, are in open revolt about government policy.

Meanwhile, nine months after the end of the public consultation on standardised packaging of tobacco, we are still waiting for publication of the report and official confirmation that 500,000 people signed petitions opposing plain packs whilst a relatively meagre 220,000 people supported it.

Could that be the reason it has yet to appear? Or perhaps the Department of Health is desperately hanging on for evidence from Australia that plain packaging is working as intended.

Another epic fail – smoking rate down one per cent in Wales since smoking ban

A mixed 48 hours for tobacco control lobbyists in Wales.

Yesterday they were celebrating the Welsh Government's decision not to relax the smoking ban and allow actors on film and television sets to light up, as they can in England.

Hardly a monumental victory – the government was merely maintaining the status quo.

Today however they were hit by the bombshell that the smoking rate in Wales has fallen by just one per cent since the smoking ban in 2007.

One per cent!!

If I remember, politicians and anti-smoking campaigners justified not only the smoking ban but also the display ban, graphic health warnings and the proposed plain packaging law on the fact that they would reduce smoking rates, youth smoking rates in particular.

Clearly those arguments were garbage because all those measures (and I haven't even mentioned the ban on tobacco vending machines) have had virtually no effect at all.

Goodness knows how much time and public money has been spent introducing and enforcing all that legislation.

And what about the hundreds of pubs and clubs that have gone out of business in Wales as a direct result of the smoking ban, or the consequent loss of jobs?

Still, never mind, the smoking ban has been a great success, hasn't it? (If that's success I'd love to know how tobacco control defines failure.)

A colleague has just commented, "Perhaps they should re-consider their approach of trying to stigmatise smokers and introduce yet more red-tape regulation and instead look at education and awareness."

Nah, that would be far too sensible. Anyway, tobacco control is addicted to legislation. It's a habit they just can't break, whatever the consequences for society as a whole.

See also: Epic fail (Taking Liberties, May 9, 2013)

Taxation? Keep it simple

New video by the TaxPayers' Alliance.

Couldn't agree more.

UKIP and the smoking ban

Next week's Morning Advertiser will feature Forest's ongoing campaign to amend the smoking ban.

In addition to a four-page cover wrap, the pub trade's only weekly publication will include my response to a series of questions about the ban.

I'll post the article in full when it's published next week.

This morning Dan Donovan dug out a picture he took of Farage speaking at the launch of Forest's Save Our Pubs and Clubs campaign in 2009.

I've posted it above. Spot Ranald Macdonald, MD of Boisdale and a member of our Supporters Council, in the background.

From the same event, here's another photo. Whatever happened to them, I wonder?!

It's official, I'm an oldie

Oh. My. God.

A young man has just offered me his seat on the Tube.

How decrepit do I look?!!!

Kilkenny radio station refuses to interview our man in Ireland

John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Eireann, sets off on a two-week tour of Ireland today.

The Road To Prohibition tour will take John from Cork, where he lives, to Dublin via Waterford, Kilkenny, Limerick and various other towns.

The aim is to replicate the success of John's previous tour, in October 2011, when he was interviewed by almost every local radio station en route and also made his television debut, on TV3.

This latest tour didn't off to the best of starts, however, because yesterday we received the following tart response from Sue Nunn, head of news at KCLR in Kilkenny.

Declining our offer of an interview with John, Nunn wrote:

John was on before with me. I don't feel comfortable when so many people have died from smoking related illnesses. I also understand that John's campaign has support from the tobacco industry.

Nunn's name rang a bell. Then I remembered. She interviewed John on his previous tour in 2011.

I was with him in Kilkenny that day and I remember it well because we visited the best smoking room in the world.

I don't remember John having much to say about Nunn. Today, though, from her lofty position as head of news, she has decided to ban him (there's no other interpretation) so listeners to KCLR are denied an interesting discussion about creeping prohibition.

Some might call that ironic. I couldn't possibly comment.

Update on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 at 9:17 by Simon Clark

John Mallon writes:

I remember that woman well. She was very hostile to begin with and when she went to an ad break I decided to try to charm her. I heard her Cork accent and enquired about it. It turned out that she lived in an estate close to my own and we grew up around the same time. Our chat was 'civilised' but when we got back on air she tore into me again. In response, I was gentle and mannerly throughout.

In the car afterwards I tuned to the station and heard many listeners' comments which she read out. We Irish are quite hospitable and one listener, who came on live, complained bitterly to Susan that she had been very nasty to me to me and told her she should be ashamed of herself. This of course was the truth but she dismissed it anyway. Rather than risk the ire of her listenership this time, it seems she has settled for censorship instead. The prohibition continues to creep forward!

Great British Pub Awards

The Great British Pub Awards are a national event organised by The Publican's Morning Advertiser.

The awards are recognised as "the one to win" by licensees, attracting hundreds of entries from pubs around the UK.

Best Smoking Area is one of 16 categories. It recognises pubs that provide excellent outdoor smoking facilities for adult customers.

Does your local pub provide excellent smoking outdoor smoking facilities? Nominate it now for Best Smoking Area. Email contact@forestonline.org or add a comment to this post.

As many readers will testify, since the smoking ban was introduced a lot of people who used to enjoy a beer and a cigarette in their local pub now stay at home.

If your pub has gone that extra mile to make smokers feel welcome, please nominate it for the Best Smoking Area award so it gets the recognition it deserves.

Deadline for nominations extended to May 24.