Archive | Updated | 31 December 2007
In this section we list a small selection of the many press reports, magazine articles, TV and radio programmes that have featured spokesmen for (or made reference to) FOREST. Where possible we provide a link to the relevant article. For a full list of BBC Online articles that feature quotes from FOREST, go to www.bbc.co.uk, find the search facility and key in 'smoking, forest, lobby group'.
BBC1, 31 December 2007
Six-month anniversary of smoking ban
FOREST patron Antony Worrall Thompson was a guest on BBC Breakfast where he was asked about the impact of the smoking ban. A filmed report also featured a soundbite from director Simon Clark.
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INDEPENDENT, 27 December 2007
Gaity of the nation
Columnist Philip Hensher wrote, "A charming CD arrives from Forest, the pro-choice in smoking organization. The Boisdale Blue Rhythm Band play a number of fag-related standards and new numbers, including Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, I'm Going Outside and Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette. If only the anti-smoking fanatics showed a tenth as much good humour."
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EVENING STAR, 27 December 2007
A law too far?
Motorists who smoke at the wheel are to be targeted for the first time by police as a potential threat to safety on the roads. The move has met with opposition from campaigners for the freedom to smoke who have described it as 'persecution'. Neil Rafferty, spokesman for Forest, the pro-smoking lobby group, said: "This is going too far."
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NEWS GUARDIAN, 6 December 2007
Doubt over smoking in tunnel
Transport officials have warned motorists who smoke in their cars as they use the Tyne Tunnel they could be fined up to £200. FOREST spokesman Neil Rafferty said: "I used to live on Tyneside and I've driven through the tunnel many times. It's full of exhaust fumes and someone's cigarette isn't going to make the slightest difference. I don't think people should break the law but, if I still lived on Tyneside, I'd be tempted to ignore this."
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THE PEOPLE, 1 December 2007
Death of the cigarette machine
Ciggie vending machines in pubs and clubs will be BANNED next year. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, branded the ban "utterly ridiculous." He stormed: "The idea children are breezing into pubs and clubs to use vending machines is utter nonsense."
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BBC RADIO DERBY, 2 November 2007
Midland Mainline draws white line for smokers
Responding to the news that a white line has been drawn outside Derby Railway Station across which smokers cannot cross, FOREST director Simon Clark denounced the idea and said that smokers were being treated like lepers.
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BBC NEWS, 12 October 2007
Cab driver fined £50 for smoking
A taxi driver has been fined £50 under new smoking free legislation for lighting up in his own cab. A spokesman for FOREST said it was an example of the new legislation going too far. "It shows just how extreme and draconian the law is that a guy cannot have a cigarette in his break when there is nobody else in the cab. It seems extraordinary we are prosecuting people for a victimless crime."
See also: Manchester Evening News (12 October)
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WESTERN MAIL, 12 October 2007
Smoking ban has hit trade, says LVA
Six months after the introduction of the smoking ban in Wales pubs have lost up to 20% of their trade, according to the Licensed Victuallers Association (LVA). Neil Rafferty, a spokesman for FOREST, said as a result of the Irish smoking ban around 7,500 people lost their jobs.
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SUNDAY HERALD, 7 October 2007
Revealed: how increasing tax makes poorer youths smoke more than the rich
A new Scottish study has revealed that contrary to expectations, young people from poorer backgrounds have the most cash in their pockets to spend on tobacco. In addition, they are also more likely to be able to buy cigarettes on the black market or obtain them cheaply or free from friends and family.
Neil Rafferty of FOREST said efforts to drive down smoking rates through legislation often had the effect of widening inequalities. "That is one of the problems with government interventions; quite often these policies do actually widen the health divide," he said. "Research finds it also tends to ghettoise smokers. Ultimately the best long-term impact is going to be better education for young people, on the choices available and the health risks with those choices."
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ICWALES, 3 October 2007
Lorry driver fined for smoking in his cab
A lorry driver was fined a total of £260 for smoking inside his cab, a council said today. Neil Rafferty, spokesman for FOREST, said: "The ban on drivers' smoking is the most ludicrous aspect of the law and this case shows how ridiculous it is."
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AFP, 1 October 2007
Minimum age for purchasing tobacco rises from 16 to 18
The legal minimum age to buy cigarettes went up Monday from 16 to 18 as the government tries to slash the number of young smokers in Britain. FOREST criticised the measure. "You're considered old enough to have sex at 16, drive a car and join the army at 17, but the government doesn't want you to smoke until you're 18," spokesman Simon Clark said.
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BBC RADIO FIVE LIVE, 28 September 2007
Smoking while driving
FOREST director Simon Clark was a guest on the late night Stephen Nolan Show, discussing the day's news that smoking has been added to the list of driver "distractions" featured in the updated version of the Highway Code.
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BBC NEWS, 28 September 2007
Smoking drivers risk prosecution
Motorists who smoke at the wheel could be prosecuted under a new rule in the latest edition of the Highway Code. FOREST director Simon Clark said: "There's not a shred of evidence that smoking is a cause of accidents, or any more of a distraction than changing a CD or air-conditioning controls.
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LIVERPOOL DAILY POST, 17 September 2007
Council's smoke-free plan could prevent home visits
Smokers may be refused home visits by council workers if they smoke in certain rooms of their own homes in Wirral. FOREST branded Wirral's plans: "heavy-handed petty bureaucracy".
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WALES ON SUNDAY, 16 September 2007
Big puffer is watching
Smokers are being targeted by CCTV cameras and issued with on-the-spot fines for dropping their ciggies outside pubs. The move has incensed action group FOREST, who feel smokers are being victimised by the Big Brother tactics.
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BBC NEWS, 29 August 2007
Smokers to face picture warnings
Images highlighting the dangers of smoking will be printed on all tobacco products sold in the UK by the end of 2009, under regulations being set out. Anti-smoking campaigners welcomed the move but smokers' lobby group FOREST said they were being "victimised".
Also: Politics.co.uk, Scotsman, Daily Record, Daily Telegraph, BBC Radio 1 (29 August 2007)
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BOLTON EVENING NEWS, 27 August 2007
Smokers urged to quit by phone
Smokers in the poorest parts of Bolton are to be targeted by telephone cold callers who will try to help them to quit. Neil Rafferty of FOREST branded the move an invasion of privacy. He said: "It's bad enough when you get kitchen salesmen phoning you, but the idea of public money being spent calling smokers and nagging them to give up smoking is appalling."
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BBC NEWS, 16 August 2007
Half 'are smoking less' since ban
Half are smoking less since the ban on smoking in indoor public spaces in England took effect six weeks ago, a survey reveals. A spokesman for FOREST said: "The statistics do sound very much in line with what happened in Ireland when they banned smoking in public places. Initially you see a small drop in consumption and smoking rates. But I suspect, as occurred in Ireland, over the next 12 to 18 months we will see the rates go back up to be very near to what they were before the ban."
Source: BBC News (16 August 2007)
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ITV GRANADA, 15 August 2007
Electrical chain accused of discrimination
Interviewed on Granada Reports, FOREST director Simon Clark described as "bizarre" the refusal of an IT engineer to fix a couple's computer because it was allegedly full of nicotine.
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LANCASHIRE EVENING NEWS, 13 August 2007
Couple in smoking row over computer
A major electrical retailer has been accused of discrimination against smokers after an engineer refused to fix a computer that was "full of nicotine". Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said: "It seems like this is just somebody else jumping on the anti-smoking bandwagon. It seems a remarkable coincidence that this occured just after the smoking ban came in."
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SUNDAY HERALD, 12 August 2007
Move to license sale of cigarettes
Scotland has taken its first major step towards introducing licences for shop owners selling cigarettes, after a private member's bill was launched by an SNP minister. Simon Clark of FOREST said: "I think the Scottish Executive needs to give serious consideration on the impact this could have on local communities."
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BLACKBURN CITIZEN, 3 August 2007
Cafe takes stand against cigarette ban
Non-smokers have been banned from sitting outside a town centre cafe as smokers hit back in the war over lighting up in public. FOREST said it could understand why the sisters had taken a stand but disagreed with their efforts.
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LANCASHIRE EVENING POST, 2 August 2007
Mall smoking signs replaced
Mall managers pulled down posters and stickers wrongly proclaiming that smoking was "against the law" in the outdoor parking lot behind Fishergate shopping centre. Replacement notices state that the car park is a "designated smoke-free zone" and make it clearer that cigarette-smoking customers will not be breaking the new laws against smoking in public buildings and enclosed spaces, which apply only inside the mall. The new signs were welcomed by spokesman for smokers' rights group Forest, but he called for managers to scrap the outdoor ban altogether.
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LANCASHIRE EVENING POST, 26 July 2007
Car park's open air smoking ban
Smokers caught lighting up in an open-air car park at a Preston shopping centre could find themselves banned from the aisles for six months. FOREST's Simon Clark said: "They are within their rights if it is private property but it just seems very petty and pointless. These people need to live in the real world, not in some smoke-free Utopia."
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EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES, 23 July 2007
Smoking ban prompts landlords to quit
Landlords of a Suffolk pub have become the first victims of the smoking ban - and last night a campaign group predicted that hundreds of pubs across the country will close as a result of the controversial crackdown. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said: "Several hundred pubs could close in the next two years because of the ban. Our big concern is that, particularly in rural areas, the local pub is the heart of the community and if they go to the wall it will have a major impact on rural communities."
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SUNDAY SUN, 15 July 2007
Northern smokers tolerant of new ban
Local councils in the North East are taking an informal approach to the smoking ban. Neil Rafferty of FOREST said that in Ireland and Scotland smokers had adapted to the new situation because of the threat of fines. He said: "However, this does not mean that they have embraced the ban. There will be thousands of people across the North East who will feel that their rights have been taken away.
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THE SUN, 14 July 2007
Mad council stokes fag-ban fire
Council officials ordered a pub to shut its windows to stop cigarette smoke drifting inside. Enforcement officers warned that fumes from smokers outside could waft through and violate the ban. Neil Rafferty of FOREST said: "It's an absolutely ridiculous situation. It just shows what an effect the scaremongering from the anti-smoking fanatics has had. There's no risk to anyone from a bit of smoke off the street. It goes to show what a stupid law this is."
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WESTERN MAIL, 7 July 2007
Wales' first fine for smoking in car issued
A driver caught smoking in his boss's car has been issued with what is thought to be Wales' first fixed penalty notice for his action. A Conwy Council spokesman added that, in the future, smokers could be named and shamed if they fell foul of the ban. FOREST said it was "rather sad" that councils had nothing better to do than fine drivers.
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INDEPENDENT, 2 July 2007
Smokers choke on 'injustice' as ban starts
Chef Antony Worrall Thompson, a supporter of the Forest smoking group, described the ban as an "infringement of civil liberties" and pledged that campaigners would "fight on". The singer Joe Jackson, who quit New York because of its smoking ban, said: "I happen to be allergic to dogs [but] I'm not screaming for a total dog ban."
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INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, 1 July 2007
Today's ban is just the start
"The Government has manufactured a climate of fear about the effects of passive smoking and used it to justify draconian legislation out of all proportion to the actual risk," said Simon Clark, director of the smokers' rights group Forest. He warns that there is increasing anger over "institutionalised bullying" and that if smokers are penalised further, the Government is going to have a serious revolt on its hands. "The more smokers are told what to do, the more they will reach for their fags in defiance."
See also: BBC News (1 July 2007)
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THE TIMES, 29 June 2007
Where there's smoke
Rod Liddle "Spent a wonderful valedictory evening chain-smoking at a bash organised by FOREST on Monday night. There were some fine speeches - pugnacious and rabble-rousing from Anthony Worrall-Thompson; politically-loaded and sharp from Andrew Neill; counter-intuitive from the excellent Clare Fox.
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DAILY TELEGRAPH, 27 June 2007
Huffing and puffing
Adam Edwards joined "a pack of rebellious smokers and pipemen for a last-gasp celebration of tobacco at the Savoy". The event, titled "Revolt in Style: A Freedom Dinner'', was organised by Forest and Boisdale Restaurant, the gloriously politically incorrect Westminster eatery where jazz, cigars and red meat are daily consumed in huge quantities by the great and the greedy. It was an opportunity for an angry, articulate minority to have "a jolly" while putting across their political message.
See also: Bloomberg News (1 July)
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HERALD, 5 June 2007
18 will be minimum age for buying tobacco
No-one under the age of 18 will be able to buy cigarettes in Scotland from 1 October this year. Neil Rafferty, spokesman for FOREST, said: "We've got no problem with raising the age limit to 18 because cigarettes are not for children. The problem is that the existing age limit has not been enforced."He said the number of prosecutions "is pitifully low and so unless there is a proper enforcement regime to back up this new age limit, then you may as well raise it to 118".
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DAILY TELEGRAPH, 4 June 2007
Smokers who won't quit denied surgery
Smokers could be denied routine operations on the NHS unless they quit a month before surgery. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said it was wrong for the NHS "to play God". "Smokers contribute a lot to the NHS through tobacco taxation on top of income tax and national insurance and it would be quite disgraceful for them to be denied treatment."
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BBC NEWS 24, 1 June 2007
Smoking ban
FOREST director Simon Clark was interviewed live from a London pub. He dismissed claims that thousands of non-smokers die each year from passive smoking and argued that people should be allowed to choose between smoking and non-smoking pubs.
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BBC WORLD SERVICE, 29 May 2007
Effect of smoking bans
FOREST director Simon Clark featured in a programme about global smoking bans. He explained that the ban in Ireland had done little to reduce the smoking rate, despite the fact that bans are designed to force people to give up.
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INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY, 26 May 2007
As smoking ban looms, fewer are kicking the habit
Simon Clark, director of FOREST, dismisses the idea that millions may kick the habit after the smoking ban. "Smokers will simply adapt. The idea that large numbers will give up is simply fantasy," he said.
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BBC NEWS, 14 May 2007
Call to ban smoking while driving
Road safety officers are calling on the government to ban smoking behind the wheel to cut the number of accidents. But Simon Clark of FOREST called for evidence to prove it was dangerous and said there were already laws in place to deal with careless drivers. He said: "Are we going to ban people retuning the radio or changing a CD?"
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GUARDIAN, 14 May 2007
Do bans help people quit?
What difference have smoking prohibitions made in places where they have already been introduced? Neil Rafferty of FOREST says: "Smoking bans don't affect whether people smoke. Smokers will adapt. You can't force someone to stop smoking."
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BBC NEWS, 11 May 2007
Smoking warnings for US movies
The US film ratings board has announced it will now take smoking into account along with sex, violence and adult language when classifying movies. Simon Clark of FOREST said, "Films have to reflect real life. In most of the western world, a quarter of the adult population smokes and I don't see why films shouldn't represent that, as long as it's not totally gratuitous."
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BBC NEWS, 11 May 2007
A English passengers' smoking ban
Rail passengers at 24 English stations run by a Welsh train company have been stopped from smoking despite a ban in England not yet being in place. FOREST's Neil rafferty said, "They should have a bit more respect for their English customers who are smokers."
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DAILY MAIL, 4 May 2007
Smoke, lies and the nanny state
A new booklet by Joe Jackson, published on the FOREST website, is the subject of a generous review by columnist Andrew Alexander who describes it as "an admirably ruthless study of the lies, exaggerations and junk-science of the anti-smoking lobby" The Jackson analysis, he concludes, can be found at www.forestonline.org. "It's a good read."
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DAILY MAIL, 30 April 2007
Millions too fat for NHS surgery
Millions of patients could be denied some NHS treatments because they are overweight or smoke. Simon Clark, director of FOREST said: "Smokers pay enormous sums in tobacco taxation in addition to income tax and National Insurance. They have every right to be treated equally by the NHS. It's totally wrong for doctors to be playing God in this way."
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SCOTSMAN/REUTERS, 30 April 2007
Smoking stubbed out in Northern Ireland
Smokers in Northern Ireland risk a 50 pound fine if they light up in pubs, offices and other indoor public places after a smoking ban came into force. FOREST, the smokers' rights campaign group, said the ban would do little to encourage people to give up smoking. "The ban makes Northern Ireland a less liberal, more intolerant place," said the group's director Simon Clark. "Tobacco is a legal product and it is very sad that there is not a single pub, club or bar in the country where anyone can light up without being fined."
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THE ARGUS, 27 April 2007
Angry smokers criticise fag break ban
Lewes District Council has stopped all staff and councillors from nipping out for a cigarette during working hours. Neil Rafferty, spokesman for Forest, strongly criticised the move and said: "It is really unfortunate that Lewes District Council has decided to be so heavy handed and to be so abusive towards its staff. This is fascist behaviour from them and they should be ashamed of themselves."
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DAILY TELEGRAPH, 25 April 2007
Firms told to help smokers quit the habit
Smokers should be allowed to attend clinics in working hours to help them kick the habit, according to public health guidelines issued yesterday. But Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said, "It's wrong to expect employers to accept employees taking time off, and I imagine their non-smoking colleagues will be very unhappy about it."
Also: The Times, Independent, Guardian, BBC News,
Channel 4 News, Sky News, Daily Mail (25 April 2007)
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THE ARGUS, Brighton, 24 April 2007
Workers set to lose fag breaks
Lewes District Council aims to go further than the Government's legislation by banning smoking on all council property, except private residences, introducing the ban one month early and stopping staff members from taking cigarette breaks. Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "People are entitled to a break and if they choose to have a cup of coffee or perhaps make a personal phone call then that's a matter for them and not the council."
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BBC NEWS, 16 April 2007
Ireland smoke ban cleans pub air
The smoking ban in Ireland has cut air pollution in pubs and improved bar-workers' health, according to a study by an anti-smoking group. But Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said self-reporting of exposure and symptoms could not be taken seriously. "It's the dose that makes the poison and although second-hand smoke may increase people's exposure to carcinogens, the concentration of particles is usually very small. A good ventilation system can reduce it even further." To comment click here.
Also: Morning Advertiser (19 April 2007)
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BBC NEWS, 2 April 2007
Wales starts public smoking ban
A ban on smoking in enclosed public places has come into force across Wales. But tobacco lobby groups have called the new measures "draconian" and say the public would rather support more options than an outright ban. Simon Clark of Forest said: "A consequence of the ban is that more people will smoke in the street, increasing cigarette litter, and more people may smoke at home in front of their children. The best place to smoke is in a well-ventilated bar or restaurant but politicians have chosen to ignore what is blatantly obvious."
Also: Publican, Guardian, InTheNews.co.uk, Politics.co.uk
(2 April 2007)
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SOUTH WALES ECHO, 2 April 2007
Shisha tradition falls victim to ban
The smoking ban is under attack for not taking into account ethnic traditions and customs. Under the new law, restaurants are banned from offering customers shisha pipes, an age-old Arab custom of smoking flavoured tobacco in a water pipe. Simon Clark of Forest, said: "At this particular time in world politics it's an extraordinary moment to be attacking what is an historic ethnic custom," he said. "I think it shows how Draconian and how thoughtless the legislation is."
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BELFAST TELEGRAPH, 1 April 2007
No shelter!
Environmental health officers may have to slap fines on their own bosses - if they catch people lighting up in no-smoking BUS SHELTERS! Forest branded the legislation relating to bus shelters as "madness". A spokesman said: "This legislation was originally meant to ban smoking indoors, but with the inclusion of the likes of bus shelters it has crept outdoors. It's sheer madness and all commonsense has gone out the window."
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WESTERN MAIL, Wales (31 March 2207)
Street noise complaints 'likely to increase'
Welsh towns and cities could become canyons of noise when smoking is banned on Monday, an academic has warned. Forest director Simon Clark said, 'One of the unintended consequences of the smoking ban is that more people will smoke in the street, increasing cigarette litter, and more people may smoke at home in front of their children.'
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WESTERN MAIL, Wales (31 March 2007)
Last gasp for smokers
Welsh smokers have only two days left to enjoy a pint and a cigarette before the ban on smoking comes into force at 6am on Monday. Forest, the smokers' lobby group, said the smoking bans in Ireland and Scotland had had little impact on the smoking rates. Simon Clark, director of Forest, added, "Wales will be a poorer place. The ban will do nothing to improve the health of the nation. It will simply encourage those who like telling the rest of us how to live our lives."
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NORTHERN ECHO, 29 March 2007
Change your clothes if you want a smoke
Smokers working for Sunderland council will be banned from having a cigarette in public while wearing their uniform. Neil Rafferty of Forest, has hit out at the policy, claiming it is one step too far. "It's an absolutely outrageous abuse of power by the council," he said. "If someone is on a break they have every right to smoke regardless of what they are wearing. It's an absolute grotesque invasion of workers' privacy and is fanatical and extreme."
Also: Sunderland Today (29 March 2007)
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SCOTSMAN, 27 March 2007
Ban 'has prompted 46,000 people to try quitting'
Scotland's smoking ban was yesterday hailed a huge success by Jack McConnell, the First Minister, as figures revealed more than 46,000 people tried to quit as a result of the change in the law. However, Forest, called for concessions on the ban, insisting the legislation is an infringement of civil liberties.
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BBC NEWS, 26 March 2007
Ban means year of 'freedoms lost'
Neil Rafferty from Forest looks at its impact one year on: "It's been a year of freedoms lost, of businesses damaged and communities undermined all for the sake of some highly dubious claims about passive smoking and a strange, totalitarian obsession with the 'good of the nation'."
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GLASGOW HERALD, 26 March 2007
15,000 quit smoking after ban
The smoking rate has dropped to 24.6% for the first three-quarters of 2006, down from 26.2% in 2005. The figures were welcomed by anti-smoking campaign group ASH. A spokesman for Forest, took a different view. He said: "The fall in numbers smoking is roughly in line with what you would expect over the past 30 years, so in that respect the ban has been a failure."
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SCOTSMAN, 26 March 2007
Smoking ban most important initiative
SCOTLAND's smoking ban has been hailed as the most important development in public health for a generation, as research predicts up to 22,000 people will kick the habit in the next year. A spokesman for Forest insisted the law was an infringement of civil liberties and disproportionate to the second-hand smoke problem.
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WALES ON SUNDAY, 25 March 2007
Beware of smoke detectors
The Welsh Assembly is asking drinkers to report people breaking the new smoking ban by ringing an anonymous shop-a-smoker hotline. Neil Rafferty of Forest said: "This is encouraging us to do something really horrible by grassing up our fellow citizens. It's a cynical ploy to try to divide society - how long before we have hotlines for every little thing? Politicians seem intent on creating a Big Brother society and smoking gives them an entry into it. It's a really troubling development."
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WALES ON SUNDAY, 25 March 2007
Rebel pubs set to flout laws
Rural pubs could be tempted to risk massive fines by sticking to the rules during normal opening hours, but letting smokers light up during late-night lock-ins. Simon Clark of Forest said: "We know that this has been the case in places like New York. Clearly they are not going to say that publicly. We believe there are pubs in Ireland which do allow it after a certain time when they know that the health and safety people have gone home."
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INDEPENDENT, 22 March 2007
Chancellor's tax double-whammy
For the fifth consecutive year, the Chancellor announced that excise duties on beer, wine and cigarettes would rise in line with inflation with the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes rising by 11p. Forest said it was disappointed with the budget for hitting smokers and urged the Government to stop using smokers as a "cash cow". Neil Rafferty, its spokesman, said: "Gordon Brown gets £7.5bn a year from smokers that pays for services that non-smokers use, too."
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BBC NEWS, 21 March 2007
Anti-smoking aids VAT cut
Campaigners have welcomed the move to cut VAT on nicotine patches and gum announced in the Budget. But Neil Rafferty of Forest, said he was disappointed by the rise in duty and he also criticised the move on VAT. "People choose to smoke. If they choose to quit they should not be subsidised by the rest of the population. This is great news for the pharmaceutical industry but bad news for the British taxpayer."
Also: Guardian, Press Association, Glasgow Herald, 24.dash.com, Manchester Evening News, (21 March 2007) Daily Record, Belfast Telegraph (22 March 2007)
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BBC NEWS, 19 March 2007
Scots 'back smoke ban exemptions'
Three quarters of people in Scotland believe there should be exemptions to the smoking ban, a Populus poll for Forest suggested. The majority of the public has always supported a choice of smoking and non-smoking facilities. Forest spokesman Neil Rafferty said: "The ban has been in force for a year now and most people still feel that places like private clubs should be able to permit smoking in separate, well-ventilated rooms. The Scottish Executive should be looking at reversing some of its regulations and introducing more licensed exemptions."
Also: Daily Record , Herald, Press & Journal, Publican, Morning Advertiser (19 March 2007)
icScotland (20 March 2007)
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NORTHERN ECHO, 19 March, 2007
Council plans to buy 'anti-smoking' ashtrays
Easington District Council in County Durham plan to spend £2,400 on ashtrays with anti-smoking messages on them to help enforce the smoking ban legislation. Forest criticised the huge national outlay on the scheme. "We've learned from Ireland and Scotland that their bans are mostly self-regulated, and the publicans themselves will want to police it because the don't want to lose their licence." said spokesman, Simon Clark.
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WALES ON SUNDAY, 18 March 2007
Countdown on to smoking ban
Welsh landlords reckon the ban is bad news for takings. Forest says Scottish businesses have suffered badly and it expects the same in Wales. Spokesman Neil Rafferty said: "Scottish pubs are suffering and Scottish smokers feel victimised and marginalised. Bingo clubs, which are very important to working class communities in Scotland, have taken a terrible battering, at least a dozen have closed in the last year."
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SCOTSMAN, 15 March 2007
Half an hour per working day up in smoke
Smokers each lose an average of 30 minutes a day from their workplaces to satisfy their habit, according to a report from the Benenden Healthcare Society. Neil Rafferty of Forest, says: "If you're going to stop people from smoking [in the workplace] you have to accept that they are still going to smoke, and not constantly victimise them. Smokers are just as productive as other workers. Everyone takes a break at work, whether it's emailing your friends or having a coffee, and there's nothing wrong with that. Smokers choose to have a cigarette during their break."
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BBC NEWS, 14 March 2007
Children ask mums to stop smoking
Almost half of children whose mothers smoke have asked them to quit, a survey has found. Simon Clark of FOREST said: "I don't think parents should give in to emotional blackmail. There are so many things in life that carry a health risk; drinking too much or eating the wrong food. Smoking comes under that category."
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ITV MERIDIAN, 14 March 2007
Smoking ban on open air platforms
FOREST director Simon Clark was interviewed on the local evening news slamming the decision by South Eastern Trains to ban smoking on its open air platforms.
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ITV BORDERS, 14 March 2007
No Smoking Day
FOREST director Simon Clark appeared on the local evening news discussing No Smoking Day and its impact of current anti-smoking campaigns on Britain's 12m smokers.
Also: BBC Three Counties, BBC Radio Oxford, Talk 107
(14 March)
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EDGWARE TIMES, 14 March 2007
No smoking sign
Health experts expect July's smoking ban to contribute to record numbers of people kicking the habit. But Simon Clark, director FOREST, said smokers would dig in their heels and not give up. "After the ban was introduced in Scotland and Ireland, initial reports suggested many people were giving up, but now the figures for smokers are almost exactly what they were before the bans. People do not like being told what to do."
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BBC NEWS, 12 March 2007
Smokers 'waste 30 minutes a day'
Smokers take on average half an hour from their working day to enjoy a cigarette, a survey by the Benenden Healthcare Society suggests. Simon Clark of FOREST said such studies were unscientific and that criticising smokers for taking breaks was "pathetic". "Most of us no longer work on a conveyor belt and we all work in different ways," he said.
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BBC News, 8 March 2007
One in 10 'are secret smokers'
One in 10 people are "secret smokers" who try to keep their habit hidden, a survey suggests. Neil Rafferty of Forest, said: "It's another example of how those in authority are determined to make us all feel like naughty children. Smokers, secret or not, should not allow themselves to be browbeaten and chastised like this. It's your body and your life and you should tell the health freaks to butt out."
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DAILY TELEGRAPH, 7 March 2007
Pipe down
When it comes to craven political correctness, the BBC is up there with the best of them. In the forthcoming series, Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Regulars, the producers decided that it was time to make Holmes a little more health-conscious. "Holmes without his pipe? It's unthinkable," blasts FOREST director Simon Clark. "How is he going to solve all those dastardly crimes if he's denied the opportunity to think, ponder and reflect while lighting his briar? Fictional detectives need their nicotine. What next? Rebus without his fags? Even Poirot enjoyed the occasional cigarette to stimulate those little grey cells."
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ARGUS, Brighton, 6 March 2007
Smoking ban by hospital trust
The largest hospital trust in Sussex is to ban smoking in all its buildings and grounds next month. The director of Forest Simon Clark, said: "We feel very strongly about this. A hospital environment can be extremely stressful not just for patients and visitors but for staff as well who have to see some terrible things. We already have the sight of people in drips and wheelchairs having to stand outside to have cigarettes but now they are being told they cannot even do that any more."
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BBC RADIO FIVE LIVE, 3 March 2007
Smoking in the home
A fierce argument between FOREST director Simon Clark and Deborah Arnott of ASH on Saturday night's Stephen Nolan Show led to the BBC's switchboard being jammed with hundreds of callers, producers said. Clark and Arnott clashed on the issue of passive smoking and the Government's latest anti-smoking advertising campaign.
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SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY, 4 March 2007
Children are victims of smoking ban, says study
Smoking bans increase the exposure of children to potentially deadly levels of tobacco fumes, according to new research by independent analysts. Neil Rafferty of Forest, said: "MSPs were warned that a comprehensive smoking ban would mean greater exposure for children but, typically, they ignored this and instead forced through a law which not only exposes children to tobacco but robs adults of their personal freedom."
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BBC NEWS, 3 March 2007
Anti-passive smoking ad unveiled
The government has unveiled the first ad campaign to highlight the "invisible dangers" of passive smoking. Simon Clark of Forest, said: "There's a fine line between education and propaganda and once again the government has crossed the line. The smoking ban, and campaigns like this, are out of all proportion to what is a relatively minor health risk. This is yet another attempt to stigmatise smokers and turn non-smokers against them."
Also: Observer (4 March 2007)
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18 DOUGHTY STREET, 27 February 2007
Vox Politix and The End of the Day Show
FOREST director Simon Clark was one of three guests on two programmes discussing topical issues of the day and reviewing the papers.
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THE TIMES, 19 February 2007
Smokers, snoopers and the cloud of uncertainty
Responding to the story that thousands of undercover tobacco control officers are to be deployed to enforce the smoking ban, a letter by FOREST director Simon Clark asks, "Is it proportional, for example, that covert surveillance be employed to combat public smoking? Are smoking-related offences to be policed significantly more seriously than other criminal offences? Does the smoking ban supersede or bypass the proper checks, balances, authorisation and protection the public has a right to expect from a democratic state?"
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SUNDAY HERALD, 18 February 2007
Thousands of warnings issued since ban
Thousands of Scots have been handed warnings or fines for lighting up in public places. However, the figures also reveal wide variations in how councils are dealing with those caught breaking the law, with some almost exclusively issuing fines (of up to £200), and others mainly handing out written or verbal warnings. Neil Rafferty of FOREST, said: "It seems there is a postcode lottery when it comes to punishing smokers. The Executive has told the councils do your own thing, when what there should be is a national standard where only repeat offenders are fined."
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SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 18 February 2007
Smoke detectives are taking over the streets
Thousands of council officers will be on the streets this summer, patrolling bars, restaurants and shops to police the smoking ban. Smokers' campaigning groups said the scheme would be a "complete waste of public money". The British Beer and Pub Association said the plan was "heavy handed". Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "The idea of getting public officials to snoop on people is distasteful."
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BBC NEWS, 15 February 2007
Thousands to police smoking ban
Thousands of staff are being trained to police the smoking ban in bars, restaurants and shops in England. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said: "The idea of getting public officials to snoop on people is distasteful and disproportionate. It is like taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Smokers will abide the law so it will be a complete waste of public money."
Also: Sun, Independent, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Mirror, Daily Express, Islamic Republic News Agency (16 February 2007), e-Politix.com, Politics.co.uk, ITV News, BBC Radio Five Live, BBC Radio Wales and many more (15 February 2007)
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EVESHAM JOURNAL, 12 February 2007
Hospital staff "scared" to tackle smokers
Staff at Evesham Community Hospital are too scared to ask members of the public to stub out their cigarettes because of a fear of abuse, it was claimed. But Neil Rafferty for FOREST said the policy of banning smoking in the open air was "drivel", adding, "hospitals are incredibly stressful places - for staff as well as patients - and the most humane thing to do would be to at least have a smoking shelter."
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BBC RADIO 1, 7 February 2007
'Stubbed out'
FOREST director Simon Clark went head-to-head with Professor John Brittan of ASH to discuss the forthcoming smoking ban. The six-minute live interview, conducted by DJ Colin Murray, was part of a 40-minute documentary, 'Stubbed Out'.
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BBC NEWS, 6 February 2007
Picture smoking warnings 'best'
Pictorial health warnings on cigarette packets are more likely to encourage smokers to quit, a study says. Deborah Arnott, of anti-smoking group Ash, said: "This study provides evidence to support the UK government's proposal to add picture warnings on tobacco products." But Simon Clark, director of Forest, said the warnings were "disproportionate." He added: "It is all about stigmatising smokers. Why don't we put warnings on cars about the risk of crashing?"
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SCARBOROUGH EVENING TIMES, 3 February 2007
Hospice to impose smoking ban
From 1 April terminally ill patients will no longer be able to smoke inside or outside Scarborough's St Catherine's Hospice. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said: "I cannot imagine how they can possibly justify it. It shows how utterly ridiculous the anti-smoking crusade has become."
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BBC RADIO ULSTER, 2 February 2007
Call to ban smoking in apartments n Ireland
FOREST director Simon Clark warned listeners to Good Morning Ulster that the long-term goal of anti-smoking campaigners is to ban smoking altogether. Banning smoking in the home is "the next logical step".
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BBC NEWS, 1 February 2007
Council adopts 'total' smoke ban
A Lincolnshire council has prohibited smoking on its playing fields and leisure centres. Under the comprehensive ban, smoking is prohibited in all buildings and facilities operated by West Lindsey District Council and staff are barred from smoking in homes when they are on council business. Simon Clarke, of Forest, said: "This is really out of all proportion to the problem. Are they going to start to monitor what employees drink and eat in the staff canteen?"
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ITV1 CENTRAL, 30 January 2007
Smoking in public places
FOREST director Simon Clark went head-to-head with old foe Paul Hooper of ASH on Extra Tonight. However the 'debate' was dominated by Doug (a self-confessed tobacco "addict") and Adrian who admitted to having punched a smoker. Charming.
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SUNDAY LIFE, Belfast, 28 January 2007
Dragged before law
Drinkers who nip out for a quiet smoke in a pub or club doorway could still face fines of up to £200. For many don't realise that pub doorways are also covered by the proposed smoking ban in Northern Ireland. FOREST said: "To ban people smoking in doorways is unnecessarily punitive. We believe the law will have to show some commonsense and flexibility."
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18 DOUGHTY STREET, 18 January 2007
Big Brother and the nanny state
FOREST director Simon Clark made a return visit to the Internet TV channel 18 Doughty Street when he appeared on Vox Politics, presented by Iain Dale, followed by Blogger TV. To view go to 'Programmes', click on 'Last 7 Days', and scroll down to find the relevant programmes. Click here. PS: Live TV is fraught with danger. To see three minutes of classic 'corpsing' click here.
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HERALD, 16 January 2007
Council leader broke smoking ban
The leader of one of Scotland's largest councils has been forced to apologise after being caught smoking in his office. Jim McCabe, the Labour boss of North Lanarkshire, repeatedly lit up in an interview with a reporter despite having local responsibility for enforcing the smoking ban. Neil Rafferty of Forest said: "It seems to be one law for us and one law for them. It is disgraceful. The Labour Party duped people into this law. It was not in their manifesto. Now they are sitting back, laughing at us."
Also: Scotsman (16 January 2007)
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BBC RADIO FIVE LIVE, 11 January 2007
Should smokers receive hospital treatment?
A debate in the British Medical Journal prompted further debate on the mid morning Matthew Bannister Show. Guests included FOREST's Simon Clark who pointed out that one of the NHS's founding principles was equality for all, irrespective of race, creed, colour - or lifestyle.
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SCOTSMAN, 10 January 2007
Pensioner accused of flouting ban
A pensioner has become the first person to be taken to court for allegedly defying the ban on smoking in public places. John Wraith, 66, has appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court accused of illegally lighting up in his local pub. Neil Rafferty of FOREST, said: "This is the first time I've heard of a person facing prosecution. Normally it's the publicans who are spoken to first and who are hit with the fine."
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BBC RADIO 2, 9 January 2007
Smoking in the home
FOREST director Simon Clark was a guest on the Jeremy Vine Show where he discussed the implications for people smoking in the home after a neighbour in North Wales complained about the "odour" generated by the smokers next door.
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EAST ANGLIAN DAILY TIMES, 9 January 2007
Pubs have their say on smoking ban
About half of pubs in Suffolk and north Essex believe this year's smoking ban will initially harm their trade, a survey has revealed. Simon Clark, director of FOREST said: "It certainly doesn't surprise me that opinion is divided, that's why we felt there should have been a greater attempt by the Government to compromise and allow proprietors to choose their own policy."
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NOTTINGHAM EVENING POST, 5 January 2007
Ban 'will save lots of lives'
From July 1, 2007, the Government is set to ban smoking nationally in all enclosed public places and workplaces. But Simon Clark, director of Forest, said he saw the ban as being disproportionate to the effects of second-hand smoke.
"What's driving the ban is less to do with passive smoking and more to do with the Government campaign to reduce the smoking rate from 25 to 21% by 2010." He said one of the ideas they put forward as part of a consultation process, was a licensing system where people would have to obtain a licence if they wanted to permit smoking on their premises.
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BBC RADIO DERBY, 4 January 2007
Smoking ban
FOREST director Simon Clark was one of three guests discussing the forthcoming smoking ban on an hour-long phone-in. Clark explained that FOREST had favoured a compromise along Spanish lines where bar owners, consumers and staff can choose between smoking and no-smoking bars and restaurants. (Thanks to the listener who emailed the programme to say "Simon Clark for prime minister"! No, it wasn't his mother.)
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THIS IS LOCAL LONDON, 3 January 2007
Kicking the habit
This year, smoking will be banned in nearly all enclosed public places in England, including pubs, restaurants and cafes. Simon Clark of Forest said: "A majority support restrictions in pubs but not a ban. By banning smoking in every pub, club and bar, the Government is ignoring public opinion. What most people want is a choice of smoking and non-smoking facilities, not a ban enforced by threats of fines."
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BBC WORLD SERVICE, 2 January 2007
Smoking bans
FOREST director Simon Clark discussed smoking bans around the world and responded to the claim by ASH's Deborah Arnott that the current wave represent an unstoppable juggernaut.
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BBC NEWS, 1 January 2007
Reaction to smoking age rise
Neil Rafferty, FOREST: "Smoking is an activity for informed adults. We have no strong objection but the difficulties as we see it, is with enforcement. The current age limit of 16 is not well enforced at all. And there's no reason to think that this new age limit will be any different. There are also certain inconsistencies thrown up. You can fight for your country, drive a car and have sex but you can't have a cigarette afterwards."
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THE HERALD, 1 January 2007
Age limit for buying tobacco will be raised to 18
The legal age for buying tobacco is to be raised from 16 to 18. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said the move would be unenforcable and was a form of grandstanding by politicians. "We do think that smoking should be seen as an adult activity but I'm very sceptical about what looks like a shameless political gimmick," he said.
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SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY, 31 December 2007
£10,000 up in smoke for every warning ban
An investigation by Scotland on Sunday has established that seven councils, between them employing at least 11 full-time smoking ban enforcers, have failed to issue a single penalty ticket or warning since they began work in March. Neil Rafferty, from smokers' rights organisation FOREST, said: "Councils should not be employing this army of snoopers. It must be the easiest job in Scotland. If I were a taxpayer in some of these areas I'd be very angry that these people are paid to sit around twiddling their thumbs."
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BBC RADIO FIVE LIVE, 29 December 2006
Stephen Nolan Show
FOREST spokesman Neil Rafferty was a guest discussing the forthcoming smoking ban in England and Wales. Other speakers included representatives of SmokeFree Manchester and Cancer Research UK. Note: click on the link above then click on 'Listen again to Stephen Nolan's Friday show' to replay the programme.
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INDEPENDENT, 26 December 2006
Smokers may be denied priority NHS care
Smokers could be denied priority treatment on the NHS if they do not try to change their lifestyle. The suggestion is bound to provoke criticism. Forest has claimed that some smokers have already suffered discrimination. It argues that tobacco revenues, which bring in £7bn a year for the Government, dwarf the cost of smoking-related illness.
Also: Daily Mail (27 December 2006)
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YORK PRESS, 21 December 2006
Cigarettes outlawed on entire hospital site
Lighting up outside York hospital will be banned from the New Year under a strict new non-smoking regime. Simon Clark, director of Forest, said: "I think it's a great pity that hospitals take this stance. I understand that they don't want to condone people smoking but hospitals are supposed to be caring institutions and they should be making life comfortable for patients and even members of staff who want to smoke. Hospitals can be very stressful places, not just for patients but also for members of staff."
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LANCASHIRE EVENING POST, 18 December 2006
Anger over new council smoking bans
Smoking is to be banned on all county council-owned car parks and playing fields. And from May 2007 residents will be requested not to smoke near county council-owned doorways or windows. A spokesman for FOREST said: "This is bordering on health fascism. What they think they are doing is encouraging people, or forcing people, to quit and they have got no right to do that whatsoever."
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SUNDAY HERALD, 17 December 2006
Breath of fresh air in Scots pubs
Mixed feelings in Scotland following the introduction of the smoking ban earlier this year. Neil Rafferty from FOREST said: "It has been a pretty tragic year in Scotland for smokers and anyone who respects the freedom of the individual."
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HANSARD, 5 December 2006
Public health debate
Speaking in the House of Commons, Ivan Lewis, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, declared: "In The House Magazine, the organisation FOREST recently had an advert saying, 'No thanks' to the nanny state, which, it says, tells people not to eat, drink, smoke or think. It attacks politicians for having a dialogue with people about responsible approaches to their health. Big government, it says, is watching. It says, 'Eat, drink and smoke.' At the Conservative party conference in Bournemouth, however, almost 400 people tried to get into FOREST's fringe meeting, and hospital staff were forced to turn people away, citing health and safety reasons." [NB. Does anyone have the slightest idea what point he is trying to make? Hospital staff?!! Does he mean hotel staff? And no, we still don't know what he's trying to say!!]
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HERALD EXPRESS, 3 December 2006
Cancer charity slammed for 'bad taste' beer mats
Beer mats produced by Cancer Research UK linking smoking with polonium, the deadly radioactivity that killed the former Russian spy, have been condemned by FOREST. Director Simon Clark said: "The timing of this campaign is not just offensive, it's in appalling bad taste."
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SOUTH WALES ECHO, 2 December 2006
Smoking ban pub does a U-turn
A Pontcanna pub has given up its non-smoking policy just four months before a total ban takes effect because it had been refused planning permission for a covered smokers' area in the beer garden. Forest spokesman Simon Clark said: "It certainly wouldn't be the first pub to reverse a smoking ban."
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GMTV, 1 December 2006
Date set for England smoking ban
Director Simon Clark told presenter Penny Smith that all FOREST wanted was an element of choice. "Why ban smoking everywhere?" he asked. Clark disputed the evidence on passive smoking, saying it was inconclusive. Good ventilation, he added, could remove up to 90 per cent of all the gases and particles from secondhand smoke.
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BBC NEWS, 1 December 2006
Date set for England smoking ban
Smoking in enclosed public places will be banned in England from 1 July next year, the government has announced.
Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said, "From July next year it will not only be illegal to smoke in every pub, club and bar in the country, it will also be impossible to set up a private club run by smokers for smokers. That's an amazing state of affairs but typical of a government that seems determined to interfere in every aspect of our daily lives."
Also: Independent, Daily Mirror, Lifestyle News,
Legal & Medical Magazine (1 December 2006)
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BBC NEWS, 28 November 2006
Heavy smokers 'must quit totally'
A long-term Norwegian study suggests that stubbing out completely is the only way to cut the risk of smoking. Simon Clark, director of FOREST, said it was important to take into consideration the fact that many smokers tended to lead a generally unhealthy lifestyle, eating a poor diet, and not taking exercise. He said: "Unfortunately, campaigners prefer to emphasise the 'quit or die' message, which is a gross exaggeration, but if you are a heavy smoker it is surely better to reduce consumption, combining that with a healthy diet and plenty of exercise, than not cut down at all?"
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LINCOLNSHIRE ECHO, 24 November 2006
Patients won't be treated
Patients who refuse to put out their cigarettes when health staff call at their homes will be left without treatment, according to United Lincolnshire Hospital Trust. FOREST spokesman Neil Rafferty said: "This is the most extreme threat we have seen in terms of the withdrawal of services. This is blackmail. When these patients paid their taxes, and their National Insurance, there was no condition attached. They deserve treatment regardless of their lifestyle."
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REUTERS, 23 November 2006
EU court ruling
The European Union's top court has ruled that shoppers must pay domestic duties when having goods delivered from the continent. However FOREST said the decision was bizarre.
"There is no logic to this decision," said its director Simon Clark. "As usual, the people hardest hit are the low paid who can least afford the cost of alcohol and tobacco in the UK, and the elderly and infirm who are less able to take advantage of cross-channel shopping."
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SCOTSMAN, 23 November 2006
Toughest anti-smoking laws in the West
Scotland is to introduce some of the toughest anti-smoking laws in the world, after ministers backed raising the legal age of buying cigarettes from 16 to 18. Neil Rafferty of Forest said: "Scotland now had some of the strictest anti-smoking laws in the world except for Bhutan - where tobacco is illegal - and certain American states. Scotland is one of the most puritanical societies in the western world. The government is determined to take away people's freedom of choice."
See also: Politics.co.uk, BBC News, Reuters (23 November 2006)
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BBC RADIO 4, 15 November 2006
Council to ban staff from taking cigarette breaks
Interviewed on the Today programme, FOREST director Simon Clark said plans to ban smoking breaks to improve workers' health was a form of "health fascism". What next, he asked presenter James Naughtie. "Are they going to monitor what staff eat or count the units of alchol they drink each week?"
See also: BBC News, Press Association (15 November 2006)
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BBC RADIO FIVE LIVE, 14 November 2006
Council to ban staff from taking cigarette breaks
Interviewed on the early evening Drive programme, FOREST director Simon Clark told presenter Jane Garvey that people don't have a right to smoking breaks at work, "but they do have a right to a break and if they choose to have a cigarette during that break it's a matter for them, not their employer."
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DAILY MAIL, 14 November 2006
Council first to ban staff from taking cigarette breaks
A council is to ban all its staff from smoking during working hours in the latest draconian crackdown on tobacco. Neil Rafferty of FOREST said it was an example of politicians thinking they know best for the public. "Taking a cigarette break doesn't affect productivity and helps people to get through the day. Non-smokers who whine about smokers taking breaks are usually those playing Solitaire on their computers or sending emails - everyone takes little breaks during the day."
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THE SUN, 14 November 2006
How to save £200 on your Christmas hamper
Customs duty on EU-bought wine, beer and cigs could become illegal for online orders. So 200 cigarettes, normally £54.50 in corner shops, could be bought for as little as £8 from a country such as Latvia. Simon Clark, director of smoker's group FOREST, said: "If this goes through the Chancellor will be under huge pressure to reduce tobacco taxation to avoid losing billions of pounds. Smokers have had a very raw deal on tax in recent years and this verdict could finally offer them a level playing field."
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BLACKBURN CITIZEN, 13 November 2006
Council will spy on litter droppers
Darwen Council will use its network of 48 CCTV cameras and a mobile camera van to catch people dropping cigarettes, chewing gum and litter in Blackburn town centre. A spokesman for FOREST said: "It seems like an abuse of technology to use something that was originally designed to catch muggers and rapists." She said the council should concentrate on providing more bins and public ashtrays.
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VIEW LONDON, 10 November 2006
Airline chief brands passive smoking as "baloney"
Smokers International Airways, also known as Smintair, is to introduce flights on which passengers are permitted to smoke. FOREST described the planned Smintair flights as a "very exciting development". Director Simon Clark said the group were "constantly" receiving calls from people in the UK asking whether there were any airlines which still allowed smokers to light up onboard their flights.
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PRESS AND JOURNAL, 9 November 2006
Poll shows Scots think ban on lighting-up is enough
A poll for the smokers' lobby group, Forest, suggests most Scots believe the current [smoking] ban goes far enough. The survey found further restrictions on smoking ranked low on a list of priorities for improving public health. A ban on smoking in cars, public footpaths, parks, beaches, outside pubs and clubs and workplaces was also overwhelmingly rejected.
Also: Evening News, Leisure Opportunities (9 October 2006), The Publican (10 November)
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18 DOUGHTY STREET, 8 November 2006
Political correctness and the nanny state
Devoted to politics and current affairs, 18 Doughty Street is Britain's first Internet TV station. FOREST director Simon Clark was a guest on Vox Politix, presented by Iain Dale, where he discussed political correctness, the nanny state and smoking bans. Note: the discussion on political correctness takes places 38 minutes into the programme.
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BBC RADIO 4, 6 November 2006
Smoking ban will "eradicate lung cancer"
Brian Monteith MSP and "former spokesman for smokers' rights group FOREST" was interviewed on PM about the claim (see below) that smoking bans could "eradicate lung cancer". Monteith dismissed the idea, pointing out that societies with a greater prevalence of smoking sometimes suffer less from lung cancer. He also rejected the idea that passive smoking causes lung cancer, arguing that those who promote such ideas are "health fascists" who repeat lies ad nauseum until they are accepted as the "truth".
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BBC NEWS, 6 November 2006
Ban will 'eradicate lung cancer'
Lung cancer could be virtually wiped out in Scotland as a result of the smoking ban in public places, according to Scotland's chief medical officer. Dr Harry Burns said lung cancer rates would be reduced to just a few hundred cases a year in the future. FOREST's Neil Rafferty accused Dr Burns of being irresponsible and painting a "completely misleading picture". "The evidence from other countries shows that smoking bans have no significant effect on smoking rates," he said.
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YORKSHIRE POST, 30 October 2006
Fury at NHS trust ban on smoking at home
A Yorkshire health trust ordered patients receiving out-of-hospital treatment to not smoke and ventilate their homes before and during visits by health workers or lose their right to care. FOREST spokesman Neil Rafferty attacked the threat to withhold care. "There weren't conditions attached when these old and ill people paid their taxes and they have a right to get their treatment regardless. It's an example of how extreme the anti-smoking lobby has become," he said.
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DAILY MIRROR, 25 October 2006
A smoke screen
Responding to a question by director Simon Clark in yesterday's Sun ("Do smokers REALLY deserve to be the victims of state persecution?"), columnist Sue Carroll writes, "As a member of FOREST, I'm surprised, given the way smokers are demonised, that we all haven't been taken out and shot. To answer his question, no one deserves to be a victim of state persecution. Not smokers. Not the obese. Not alcoholics. The NHS is there to support free health care, not run our lives."
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INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, 24 October 2006
In Europe, smokers 'need not apply'
Many European employers are trying to reduce the opportunities for their employees to smoke. "The break issue is becoming increasingly controversial," said Neil Rafferty of FOREST. He sees such a narrowing of options for smokers, however, as "a state sector problem". He said: "Private companies are more efficient than the public sector because they don't impose stupid rules."
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THE SUN, 24 October 2006
Should ops be denied to people who keep smoking?
No, writes Simon Clark, director of FOREST. "The NHS was founded on the principle of equality of healthcare for all. And it's not just smokers who should be worried. After all, it's only a small step from this to preventing people who have a poor diet from getting medical treatment as well."
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THE SUN, 24 October 2006
Smokers fuming over ban
Health chiefs plan to save money by refusing surgery to people whose smoking, they say, would make the treatment less effective. Neil Rafferty of FOREST said: "This is blackmail, pure and simple. Smokers pay their taxes like everyone else. In fact, because of the high duty on tobacco they probably pay a lot more tax than the average person. They are entitled to free healthcare and health trusts do not have the right to make up conditions."
Also: Daily Mail, Daily Express (23 October 2006)
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SKY NEWS, 23 October 2006
Should operations be denied to smokers?
There may be some cases when the risk of an operation is too great, FOREST director Simon Clark told Sky News, but discrimination against smokers as a group is unacceptable.
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DAILY MAIL, 23 October 2006
Ban on cigarette breaks
Workers have been banned from taking cigarette breaks by London's Croydon Council. Simon Clark of FOREST, said: "Croydon is jumping on the anti-smoking bandwagon. It seems incredibly petty. If some people think that having a cigarette break makes them better at their job then that's their choice. If the break is not impacting on the ability of people to do their job, then (Croydon) have no right to dictate this to their employees."
Also: Evening Standard (23 October 2006)
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SUNDAY MAIL, 22 October
£1.3m a day goes up in smoke
People living in Scotland's most deprived areas are spending £1.3million on cigarettes every day. A 20-a-day habit costs Scots £1900 a year with 89 per cent going straight to the taxman. Simon Clark of FOREST said: "We have a ludicrous situation here. The taxation of tobacco products has been counterproductive and contributes towards poverty. The people it hits are the less well off, the elderly and those who find it hard to give up."
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DAILY TELEGAPH, 20 October 2006
Freedom fighter
The death of Lord Harris of High Cross, chairman and latterly president of FOREST, was reported by many newspapers, which naturally focussed on his 30 years as general director of the influential Institute of Economic Affairs. However his role as an active campaigner in the smoking debate was also recorded. "At the heart of Harris's creed," noted the Telegraph, "was the idea that the state was an evil to be kept at bay, and that nothing should take precedence over the freedom of the individual to be left alone within the law. His contribution to public discourse, economic thought and the idea of liberty was immense. His was, in its way, a heroic life."
See also: BBC News, The Times (19 October 2006),
Daily Telegraph (20 October 2006)
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PRESS & JOURNAL, 18 October 2006
Pub attacks on rise
Traffic wardens have been subjected to torrents of abuse by smokers standing outside pubs since the smoking ban came into force in Scotland in March. Neil Rafferty of FOREST, said: "We warned about this sort of thing. If you force people outside, it is inevitable you're going to have problems in some areas. All this could have been avoided if a mix of smoking and non-smoking areas were introduced in pubs."
Also: Daily Record (19 October 2006)
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BELFAST TELEGRAPH, 12 October 2006
Legal age may change
The legal age of smoking in Northern Ireland could be raised to 18 or over if devolved government is restored, a Government spokesman said. The British Medical Association is in favour of an over-18 policy. FOREST, the organisation which supports the right to smoke, also does not object to the legal age for smoking being changed.
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MORNING ADVERTISER, 12 October 2006
Trade calls for clarity
Trade groups are demanding clearer guidelines on smoking shelters, Government regulation of councils and fairer fines when smoking is banned. In | 
