Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 9:52 am  

We've now had the Queen's speech, which was so bland and empty it was a waste of decent goatskin.

A couple of things were conspicuous by their absence.
1. Plain packaging for tobacco.
2. Minimum pricing for alcohol.

There may be valid reasons for dropping these much-trumpeted plans as Lynton Crosby (The new Cameroon adviser at No 10 who replaced Andy "I knew nothing about hacking at News of the World" Coulson) insists upon "clearing the barnacles from the hull" to keep the public attention on the economy etc.

Let's set aside for a moment the wisdom of focusing public attention on the economy when the a) publicy already do focus on that and b) the public are seeing the folly of the coalition's policy and actions and let's look at Mr Crosby's credentials.

He has a lobbying firm, Crosby Textor.
That firm was paid by British American Tobacco when they and other tobacco opposed the introduction of plain packaging in Australia.
Another branch, Crosby Textor Fulbrook, has been representing tobacco companies in the UK since the 1980s.

Also, when distillers in Australia were campaigning against minimum pricing there, they were a client of Crosby Textor.

Regardless of whether these policies were desirable or workable, there's going to a be a huge amount of suspicion about whether we are seeing an amazing coincidence or a lobbyist is being paid a) by No 10 and b) by tobacco and alcohol clients ... and he is involved in determining government policy.

Even tory MPs are concerned.

Cameron stuck up for Coulson until he was arrested and then takes this guy on as the replacement.
How thick does he think we are?

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 10:14 am  

Crosby also represents companies interested in fracking, so little wonder they've been given the green light too. Cameron made large of introducing a "transparent" register of lobbyists in his pre-election ramblings, a point confirmed in the Coalition agreement. Such a register also appears to have been kicked into the long grass. What is surprising is that three of the organisations responsible for lobbyists in the UK have criticised Camoron for dragging his heels I'm tired of hearing tories bleat on that Labour are in hock to the trades unions, while never admitting that the political levy is not only voluntary but also something that a member must opt in to instead of opting out. All the while the tories are bunged by big business and tax-dodging individuals

Crosby also represents companies interested in fracking, so little wonder they've been given the green light too. Cameron made large of introducing a "transparent" register of lobbyists in his pre-election ramblings, a point confirmed in the Coalition agreement. Such a register also appears to have been kicked into the long grass. What is surprising is that three of the organisations responsible for lobbyists in the UK have criticised Camoron for dragging his heels I'm tired of hearing tories bleat on that Labour are in hock to the trades unions, while never admitting that the political levy is not only voluntary but also something that a member must opt in to instead of opting out. All the while the tories are bunged by big business and tax-dodging individuals

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 10:42 am  

El Barbudo wrote:

How thick does he think we are?

Very thick is the answer.

But while he still has a compliant press standing alongside him who have recently been given their own "Get Out of Jail Free" card by Cameron personally, then he is above criticism.

Its fascinating to see how it all works though and how easily a population can be led quite deliberately down roads they never knew that they'd voted for - never again will I wonder how the German population actively voted for the Nazi party in the 1930s.

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 12:05 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

... But while he still has a compliant press standing alongside him ...

I think that the bulk of the mainstream media isn't simply compliant, but is ideologically very happy to push the same ideas and, in order to do that, the myths and lies.

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 2:58 pm  

Mintball wrote:

I think that the bulk of the mainstream media isn't simply compliant, but is ideologically very happy to push the same ideas and, in order to do that, the myths and lies.

Indeed.
Those (most?) newspapers that are owned by the people who stand most to gain from a Conservative government aren't ever going to push anything other than a right wing, as-unregulated-as-we-dare, capitalist agenda.

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 3:08 pm  

JerryChicken wrote:

... Its fascinating to see how it all works though and how easily a population can be led quite deliberately down roads they never knew that they'd voted for - never again will I wonder how the German population actively voted for the Nazi party in the 1930s.

Indeed again.
The Daily Mail was in favour of fascism in the 30's.
It is my belief that if Britain had suffered the same fate as Germany, paying massive war reparations from WWI, rampant inflation, widespread joblessness and general feeelings of "we are better than this" ... fascism could just as easily have caught on here.
In circumstances like that it's easy to blame outsiders or perceived outsiders ... to 1930's Germany it was Jews and the racially "impure", fast-forward to UK 2013 and it's the EU that's to blame and all these immigrants taking our jobs.
We and Germans are not that different.

But, having been on the winning side in WWI when the USA finally joined in (having deliberately waited until the UK had virtually run out of men and money), we were not in the same position and, anyway, wouldn't have wanted to adopt some political ideal from some Johnny Foreigner anyway.

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Fri May 10, 2013 4:38 pm  

El Barbudo wrote:

... We and Germans are not that different...

I'd suggest it's no coincidence that we're seeing the rise of support for fascist parties in other places at present, such as Greece.

And to widen it a little, the analysis can be made that one of the major reasons for the rise of Islamic nationalist extremism, which shares many similar characteristics, was the failure of secular alternatives to Western imperialism/capitalism.

El Barbudo wrote:

... anyway, wouldn't have wanted to adopt some political ideal from some Johnny Foreigner anyway.

Well, unless it's the idea of the Chicago School, Milton Friedmann and the Tea Party etc.

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Sat May 11, 2013 3:28 pm  

El Barbudo wrote:

We've now had the Queen's speech, which was so bland and empty it was a waste of decent goatskin.

A couple of things were conspicuous by their absence.
1. Plain packaging for tobacco.
2. Minimum pricing for alcohol.

There may be valid reasons for dropping these much-trumpeted plans as Lynton Crosby (The new Cameroon adviser at No 10 who replaced Andy "I knew nothing about hacking at News of the World" Coulson) insists upon "clearing the barnacles from the hull" to keep the public attention on the economy etc.

Let's set aside for a moment the wisdom of focusing public attention on the economy when the a) publicy already do focus on that and b) the public are seeing the folly of the coalition's policy and actions and let's look at Mr Crosby's credentials.

He has a lobbying firm, Crosby Textor.
That firm was paid by British American Tobacco when they and other tobacco opposed the introduction of plain packaging in Australia.
Another branch, Crosby Textor Fulbrook, has been representing tobacco companies in the UK since the 1980s.

Also, when distillers in Australia were campaigning against minimum pricing there, they were a client of Crosby Textor.

Regardless of whether these policies were desirable or workable, there's going to a be a huge amount of suspicion about whether we are seeing an amazing coincidence or a lobbyist is being paid a) by No 10 and b) by tobacco and alcohol clients ... and he is involved in determining government policy.

Even tory MPs are concerned.

Cameron stuck up for Coulson until he was arrested and then takes this guy on as the replacement.
How thick does he think we are?

Or maybe it's because minimum pricing would be very unpopular and introducing a bill to make cigarettes packets plain would just be a waste of time and effort.

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Sat May 11, 2013 3:57 pm  

wigan_rlfc wrote:

Or maybe it's because minimum pricing would be very unpopular and introducing a bill to make cigarettes packets plain would just be a waste of time and effort.

Yes of course, they must be the real reasons.

How silly of us to think there may have been an ulterior motive

Re: Tobacco, alcohol - Lobbyist in charge? : Sat May 11, 2013 4:10 pm  

cod'ead wrote:

Yes of course, they must be the real reasons.

How silly of us to think there may have been an ulterior motive

Just putting it out there.