After two weeks away from blogging, I'm just getting used to the idea again. This story has been covered by prominent bloggers opposed to tobacco control including Simon Clark, Chris Snowdon and Frank Davis but it bears repeating.
It's an important story as the consultation report shows the scale of the general public's opposition to the proposals made by the EC in the consultation (they made up nearly 97 per cent of the respondents, most of the remainder being government and industry responses). The general idea of revising the directive was to increase restrictions and to bring them within the scope of European legislation, leaving member states with less or no authority in the area of tobacco control. Removing a vital area of policy from the scope of member states' national governments does not figure as a concern in the consultation report, but this issue was important in motivating me to respond to the consultation as it may have been to many others.
Now that they know that many European citizens are against them (as well as some non-governmental organisations, which include smokers' rights groups as well as the likes of ASH Scotland), one wonders what they will do with their Directive. Don't let them convince you that the public wanted Europe-wide restrictions on tobacco.
It doesn't.
1 comment:
It is impossible to underestimate the significance of this survey result for pro-choice. If they try to re-survey using new methods to knock out supposed canvassing bias, they will also knock out the existing bias of the NGO's antis which has held sway for so long. They are hoist by their own petard.
Don't apologise for publishing it again here. It gives me deep joy and satisfaction to read it.
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