Wednesday 24 February 2010

Open Letter To Martin Dockrell, ASH UK

From: dickpuddlecote@live.co.uk
To: martin.dockrell@ash.org.uk
Subject: Open Letter
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:20:03 +0000

Hiya Sunshine

Hope you and yours are well. Not overwhelmed and spluttering at the smell of your next door neighbour's bathtime candles, I trust? People can be so annoyingly free in their own homes, can't they?

Still, I'm sure you'll get them all in the end.

Anyway, enough of the small talk mate. I have a serious question to ask.

I know we have had our differences in the past, but I truly believe we have finally found something we can agree on. You never know, we may even share a beer one day if our new found relationship keeps up (shhh ... I won't tell Don Shenker if you don't).

I'm talking about that John Banzhaf, your American ASH counterpart. He's mad as a bag of marbles, isn't he?

For example:

"The public seems to be increasingly hostile to smokers and the habit, and want to stop treating them differently from other drug users, polluters, and walking health hazards, says Action on Smoking and Health (ASH)."

Also, the very responsible and normally conservative BusinessWeek provided respectability to a suggestion that 'governments should make it illegal for people with children to smoke' by just publishing an argument in favor of that view in its 'Debate Room.'

"Smokers pollute the air the public and their children are forced to breathe with toxic carcinogenic fumes, inflate taxes and the costs of health insurance, start the blazes which are the major cause of residential fire deaths, kill thousands of their own children every year, and are a major contributor to litter on beaches, streets, and elsewhere. Isn't it time we stopped tolerating if not encouraging this outrageous behavior and harm to the public," suggests Banzhaf.
I'm pretty sure that you will be appalled at such comments. After all, I do believe ASH UK have gone on record as saying that it's not smokers who should be targeted, but smoking itself.

As such, I feel confident that you will distance yourself from the lunacy advanced by John Banzhaf, namely:

- Smokers are walking health hazards
- Government should make it illegal for people with children to smoke
- Smokers deliberately start fires
- Smokers kill their own children

That sort of stuff really isn't cricket, is it?

I feel sure that you will be eager to disassociate your branch of ASH from such appalling attitudes towards smokers. I am publishing this as an open letter on my blog which, as you know as a regular reader, is entirely unmoderated. So you can either reply there (not as an Anon is better) or you can reply to this e-mail ... which I will post on the blog without alteration.

I realise you are a busy man and have much schmoozing of dozy legislators to be getting on with, as well as junk scientists to pay off, but hopefully you will find time in that exciting day of yours to give us your view of Banzhaf's comments.

{Whisper} Listen, I know you're a good egg really, but not replying at all would tend to suggest to the wider audience that you're fully aligned with Banzhaf, so please do give a view.

I look forward to hearing from you, Mr D, and when we go for that beer, do you prefer one containing alcohol or arsenic? (only kidding) :-)

Yours respectfully
Richard Puddlecote


16 comments:

BTS said...

I'm really looking forward to seeing that reply as Banzhaf has totally lost the plot now.

Anonymous said...

There aren't too many people in this world who I hope drop dead yestereday, however Banzhaf sits right alongside Mugabe in my wishlist. Anyone know how that prick is doing, healthwise?

Mark Wadsworth said...

Add me as a signatory.

Unknown said...

I think your letter is being to kind to M. Dogbreath Dick, (yes I know I've resorted to petty name calling but I am a dirty, smelly smoker after all,) the same person who gloated at Tony Blows £12,500 fine for flouting the smoker ban at his pub. The same man who used his tie to make a 'hangedman' sign at Tony's wife outside the courtroom. He won't reply openly, he's a coward...but his, and ASH (spit) day is coming, and that won't be a day too soon.

Anonymous said...

You can just imagine it cant you.
If this happened.
Screaming kids being dragged away from their parents to be put into the care of dodgy social service "buggers".
Just because the parents may happen to smoke.
How vile are these type of people well ,lwts take at look at the government of Scotland that pillar of anti smoking break throughs world wide shall we.
Like the SNP paedophile ring for example.
Think about the children for gods sake will no one think about the children,
Well it seems that pillars of the Scottish establishment have been up to a lot more than that .

http://www.ukcolumn.org/2010/02/11/angiolini-covering-for-paedophilia/

Belinda said...

TBY

actually I think that was Paul Hooper, not Martin Dogrell

Unknown said...

I knew I should have waited till I'd had my first cup of coffee before I wrote that this morning Bel, I stand corrected. You see how these anti smoking fake charity workers have me tarring them with the same brush, (I wish, with feathers.)

Thanks for the update Belinda.

Pat Nurse MA said...

I'd love to see Dockrill's reply but he might just be a litle bit offended at you asking him out for a drink. After all, as a health freak, he's probably as terified of alcohol as he is of smoke.

I for one will take his silence as backing for ASH US if he doesn't reply - especially as ASH US puts money into Mr Dockrell's ASH UK organsation.

Unknown said...

Oh but there is a link to ASH US Patsy, as Dave Atherton discovered.

Would ASH's spokesman like to explain in 2008 £65,242 donation from ASH International and in 2009 £104,119. ASH International are of course Banzhaf's outfit.

It is on page 14 here:

http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/registeredcharities/ScannedAccounts/Ends67/0000262067_ac_20090331_e_c.pdf

Anonymous said...

As a God fearing Christian,my
love of my fellow beings has been
one of the features of my humble
existence. I am however prepared to
make exceptions from my normally
decent affection for all humans.
ASH and similar groups of petty
small minded vindictive people can
pick on me if they wish,I will turn the other cheek. However when
their actions cause hatred,prejudice,
isolation,loneliness,despair and
sadness to the elderly ,the widow,
the old soldier and the disabled,
Christian virtue is replaced by
the dark side of the human character.Their well funded "health"initiatves dont fool me or anyone with the slightest intelligence so it would be most advisable for the likes of ASH to collect their 30 pieces and
move on before anger gets the better part of judgement

There will be no more warnings


Nothing to lose

Dick Puddlecote said...

Nothing yet. Perhaps he walked past a smoker recently and is off sick today.

Otherwise, we will have to draw the conclusion that ASH UK are happy to be linked with such comments.

Leg-iron said...

Dick - He's just received an Email from a smoker, remember. He'll be working out how many hands that is.

I still have that USB Electrofag plugged in. It's spreading nicotine all over the net as I type.

Anonymous said...

Wonder what the Shadow Health Secretary would make of Banzhaf's influence within ASH USA and ASH USA's influence on ASH UK and ASH UK's history of lobbying?

I reckon that Martin's in intensive care having read an email from a smoker.

Jay

JJ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
John Pickworth said...

Keyboard/monitor protection notice:
Please remove all drinks and snack foods from mouth before watching this short video - thank you.

US Public Safety Advert: Smoking is Gay

;-)

BTS said...

Brilliant..

OT, I came across this one the other day but please don't ask how:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOSBH84Wqtg