Reception raises awareness in Parliament
01/07/2008
At a reception in the House of Commons today, Forest lobbied members of parliament to consider the social and economic consequences of the smoking ban which has negatively impacted pubs, clubs and their patrons across England. Exceeding expectations, 17 MPs and five peers attended and listened to speeches from Simon Clark, director of Forest, Philip Davies MP and host of the reception, and former Pipesmoker of the Year Trevor Baylis.
__________
Forest launches 'Amend the Ban' campaign
01/07/2008
As we reach the end of the first year of England's public smoking ban, Forest has taken a renewed approach and launched a campaign to amend the smoking ban to allow for licensed smoking rooms in pubs and clubs.
Download Forest press release 010708
__________
Forest marks anniversary with Smoke-Free England? party
24/06/2008
Exactly one week before the first anniversary of the introduction of the public smoking ban in England, Forest held a smoker-friendly party at Boisdale of Belgravia in central London. Almost 300 guests attended, including artist David Hockney. Speakers were Philip Davies, Conservative MP for Shipley, Nigel Farage MEP (leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party), and "rebel landlord" Hamish Howitt.
__________
Point of sale: Forest writes to every MP
26/05/2008
On the eve of a public consultation on proposals to ban the display of tobacco in shops and other measures, director Simon Clark has written to every MP saying, “Banning point of sale display will have little impact on existing smokers, who will simply ask for their current brand of tobacco, although it clearly restricts their ability to choose an alternative brand.
“A ban on 10-packs will deny adults freedom of choice and will have little or no effect on the smoking rate, other than to encourage existing smokers to increase their rate of consumption. Worse, a ban on point of sale display, vending machines and 10-packs may drive many smokers towards cheaper counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes. If politicians really want to control the sale and availability of tobacco, prohibition is not the answer.”
Download Letter to MPs 260508.
__________
Forest unveils new website
20/05/2008
The revised site, said director Simon Clark, will be a vital tool to inform politicians and the media of Forest's position on a range of issues including point of sale, amendments to the smoking ban, and the denormalisation of smoking.
__________
Is food the new tobacco?
29/04/2008
"The very idea that politicians, or even health professionals, should dictate our individual tastes and preferences is preposterous," writes Forest director Simon Clark on The Free Society blog. "Sadly, far from encouraging a tolerant, civilised society that celebrates freedom of choice and cultural diversity, the politics of health is leading us in the opposite direction."
__________
A smoker's guide to Europe
07/04/2008
Currently on tour promoting his new album, musician and Forest supporter Joe Jackson has written a smoker-friendly report for The Free Society blog.
__________
Forest in The Sun
27/03/2008
Forest has attacked the suggestion by health minister Dawn Primarolo that cigarettes may no longer be displayed in shops has been criticised. Writing in The Sun, press officer Neil Rafferty commented, "The Government is moving towards criminalising a perfectly legal product . But I am starting to detect a change in public opinion. I'm seeing more non-smokers saying, 'This is going too far'. They can see where it's heading. This is health fascism and if we don't stand up to it now it will be booze and food next."
__________
EU couldn't make it up
20/03/2008
Writing on Forest's Free Society blog, director Simon Clark explained what happened when he attended a meeting of "EU experts, civil society and social partners to support the [European] Commission's Impact Assessment on the forthcoming initiative on smoke-free environments". Following protests by other stakeholders, who included representatives of four leading pharmaceutical companies, Clark was asked to leave the meeting in Brussels.
__________
Health and safety uber alles!
17/03/2008
"In my hometown, Portsmouth," writes musician Joe Jackson on the Free Society blog, "I saw NO SMOKING signs in bus stops and car parks, and no less than five signs in a phone box ... It was the same story in the rehearsal room just outside town where we prepared for the tour."
__________
Life and times of a dedicated smoker
12/03/2008
Journalist and author Pat Nurse would rather die than give in to the "bullying, sanctimonious pressure to quit". "Smokers like me will never give up," she writes on Forest's Free Society blog. "Any hope of that has gone because of the constant bullying, exclusion and pressure which only makes my resolve to exercise my right to choose even stronger."
__________
After the smoking ban, Britain smoulders on
05/03/2008
"Eight months on from a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places and resentment among British smokers - whether of the finest Cubans or the cheapest cigarettes - cannot be stubbed out," writes Ronan Thomas on Forest's Free Society blog.
__________
Musician attacks "nannies, prigs and bullies"
26/02/2008
On the eve of a world tour to promote his new album Rain, musician and Forest supporter Joe Jackson today renewed his attack on the smoking ban. Writing exclusively for Forest's Free Society blog, Jackson says: "I don't want to be ruled by the kind of nannies, prigs and bullies who abound in the antismoking movement. Even with the best of intentions, the health and safety brigade are often wrong. They only look at life from one angle, an angle which is increasingly mean-spirited, promoting paranoia, intolerance, and illusory concepts like zero risk."
__________
Former MSP appointed policy director of The Free Society
03/02/2008
Brian Monteith, a former member of the Scottish Parliament, has been appointed policy director of The Free Society, a new campaign set up by the smokers’ lobby group Forest to fight “excessive government interference in our daily lives”.