Wednesday 20 February 2013

What The Minister Should Have Said

Following on from Monday's news that ASH and the APPG on Smoking and Health had held a private meeting with Anne Milton; that it was hidden from public record until The Times discovered it; and that it appears that the delegation attempted to persuade the Minister to ignore objections to the plain packaging consultation. Additionally, considering that it looks like they may have done exactly the same thing during (or after) the consultation prior to the tobacco display ban, I think it's a good time to view again this illustration of what Milton should have said.

Here, from 1990, is how lobbyists used to be treated by politicians if they even dared to solicit private meetings and/or attempt to subvert democratic process.

Enjoy.



Sadly, the modern political class is bereft of such integrity. All we have governing us now are a collection of arrogant, posturing liars, thieves and fraudsters led by a snake oil salesman.

In other news, election turnouts have never been lower. Go figure.



9 comments:

P T Barnum said...

That is gold dust. And, if nothing else, shows up in stark relief that our current political masters are shrill intellectual pygmies playing spiteful little games while bullying everyone else out of all the money they can filch from us.

nisakiman said...

Very interesting. Would that we had MPs of that calibre today. It was quite delicious watching the boy from ASH being put firmly in his place. However, it illustrates that the anti-tobacco zealots have always been completely blind to their hypocrisy. Someone who once worked for the tobacco industry is an unfit witness because he is not 'independent', and hence biased, whereas someone who works for a rabidly anti-smoking organisation lobbying for changes to the law is considered to be an objective and unbiased witness. It really beggars belief that they not only get away with it these days, but have created a climate where it is the default position. Hence the paragraphs in the FCTC virtually forbidding any submissions from anyone with a 'vested interest' in tobacco, meaning anyone who disagrees with them.


It's a farce of gargantuan proportions.

James Pickett said...

Excellent. Should be compulsory viewing for all MP's, together with an offer for replacement backbones.

Bucko TheMoose said...

Nice one Dick. I've pinched it for my place

Dick_Puddlecote said...

"It was quite delicious watching the boy from ASH being put firmly in his place"



His face is a picture, ain't it? And Simpson putting on his most obsequious squeak just as much fun.

Dick_Puddlecote said...

You should have posted the link.

Like this :)

Bucko TheMoose said...

Oh yeah. You've told me off for that before :-)

Mr A said...

Oh how I love that video. First saw it a couple of years ago and it never gets old. What I wouldn't give to see that happen now.....

Adam Haseman said...

Link to the vid now posted on my facebook status.