Government spending our money to lobby Government: the swine
YOU may or may not be lucky enough to see posters around the place arguing that all cigarettes should be sold in plain packages. This, it is said, will reduce smoking and thus thousands of faerie folk will frolic in our woodlands. That it will do nothing of the sort is only a trivial point.
The background is that at present the government is carrying out a “consultation exercise”. This is where they pretend to listen to people and then decide whether to do whatever it is. Now, if people wish to influence this consultation exercise they’ve every right to do so. This is a democracy with free speech after all.v This is actually what we’re supposed to do, tell the fuckers who rule us how we want to be ruled.
However, there’s a fly in this gobshite. It’s that the poster camapign is being paid for by government.
Is this perhaps funded by a generous donor? Not according to a reply I received from the chocolate box-named Pan Dorset Cluster, no.
“Funding for the plain packs protect project is included within the annual contribution paid to Smokefree South West.”
NHS Devon tended to agree.
“NHS Devon does not specifically fund the Plain Packs campaign. However, it has a standard annual contribution to Smokefree South West which for 2011-12 was £370,409. This funding is the PCT’s contribution to all the activities of Smokefree South West, of which the Plain Packs campaign is one.”
Another jewel robber received a reply even more unequivocal from Smokefree South West itself.
“The Plain Packs Protect campaign has no sponsors or sponsoring organisations.”
So therefore, the budget of nearly half a million comes entirely from regional PCTs receiving their money from the NHS strategic health authority budget, which in turn is funded by the Department of Health.
And guess where the Department of Health gets its money from, ladies and gentlemen. Yes, that’s right. You.
So, note what is happening here. Government is pretending to listen to the public on the issue. At the same time that government is spending millions on persuading the public on the issue. This is not consultation, this is brainwashing.
The total and utter bastards.
Posted: 4th, April 2012 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
