Poor desperate, pathetic ASH

I nominated, not so long ago, that ASH would soon have no recourse but to name every single organisation that dared speak out against their anti tobacco war as 'in the pay of Big tobacco'. I said then that after all the codswallop they have come out with over the past 5 years (especially) they would have to do this in order to justify their position of state funding fighting those that still dare to oppose their ideological, extremist views. At long last they have had the balls to actually say what they mean:
Via jredheadgirl I was alerted to an article in the Kansas Reporter.
The headline reads Congratulations, you are part of Big Tobacco and it begins:

If you oppose smoking bans for any reason — property rights, individual liberty, you like smokers — you’re now apparently part of Big Tobacco.

 Yes, you read that right, it doesn't matter what your thoughts are on the rights or wrongs of this evil, despicably selective ban, if you oppose such as ASH - you are now apparently part of Big Tobacco!
Now I've gotta say that I'm really impressed with that statement. In fact I'm so impressed that I must relate a tale of my trip to coastal regions this week. driving through Lincolnshire I couldn't help but notice a fair number of empty pubs. Some closed, some up for sale, a couple up for auction and those that were actually open had very few customers in them One of them had "fuck the smoked ban" scrawled across the tatty old circus poster on a boarded up window. Now I can only assume that the owner or even ex owner of this once thriving tavern MUST be part of Big Tobacco as he (we will assume) has objected to his loss of business through those four little, but effective words!
I called in at a caravan park on Wednesday to see an old pal of mine. Luckily he was 'on duty' behind the club house bar, but happiness was not on the menu I'm afraid. 'Pete' has never smoked a cigarette in his 42 years on this earth, nope, never even tried one behind the proverbial bikeshed during his teens yet he is totally and utterly pissed off with our wonderful puritanical extremists; aka ASH.
'Pete' told me that custom in the clubhouse has slowly dwindled over the past 5 years-even though 'at least 84% praise the smoking ban'. I was amazed to learn that the caravan park was 'smoke-free', ie each caravan was a no smoking caravan! Now I find this incredible as a caravan is simply another form of a hotel room, which means that the 'park owners' have/had decided that they were to be completely smoke free-a decision I find incredible. He told me that if I wandered round the park I would soon spot many of his 'static' & 'annual' drinkers sitting outside their caravans happily smoking and drinking cans from the local supermarket.
He was absolutely right! The fingers of both hands were soon counted.
This was something, regarding the smoking ban, that I had not previously considered. I couldn't resist it, I had a walk round and asked a few 'smoking cans' and got a very much expected response from them. Quote, "used to spend a fortune in that club, fuck 'em now", another said "plain stooooopid, look at the park this year-nearly empty". I had to agree with them.
When I got back to the clubhouse 'Pete' had busied himself wiping an already wiped bar down and immediately leapt to the John Smith's smooth-flow pump so as to present me with a pint.
Now this clubhouse had two completely separate rooms and when I mentioned the obvious to 'Pete' he threw his arms up in despair, his eyes rolled and he sighed  from deep within. He told me that 5 years ago the clubhouse would be full-at least six nights a week, 5/6 staff working non stop, sometimes until midnight yet here we were at 7.45pm on a Thursday night, just the two of us in the smaller room and the larger 'Variety Room' closed and in darkness.
When I mentioned ASH, 'Pete' went into verbal overdrive, stating that they were like a runaway train with nothing to stop them. He couldn't see this government doing anything except licking their boots and chucking more and more money at them and he certainly couldn't see a point where they would realise how much this was all costing until it was too late.
Now you must remember that 'Pete' doesn't smoke, has never smoked and has no inclination to smoke-but he is well clued up with what is going on in this beleaguered country. It would seem that 'Pete' must be in the pay of Big Tobacco, after all, who would have such strong views if they weren't in such pay? But it would seem that the caravaners were of similar mind as the smoking ban had secured their absence from the site clubhouse. You see the amazing fact is that since the implementation of the smoking ban the smokers refused to 'entertain' the facilities of the site clubhouse-and so did the non smokers. Like the street pubs, the non smokers had the site clubs all to themselves yet totally failed to make them viable.
As previously stated, ASH are now becoming desperate and have now resorted to playground name calling for over at Taking Liberties we find that ASH have released a lengthy list of 'tobacco criminals'; ie, people and organisation's that have the audacity to object to the onward march of dictatorship. Many of those on this 'hit' list are simply protest groups safeguarding the interest of retailers, consumer groups & tobacco users. They are not in any way, shape or form, funded by Big Tobacco. Entitled Tobacco front groups and third party lobbying tactics,  it starts with the following statement:

This document has been prepared by ASH for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health and sets out a summary of information in the public domain at the current time about front groups and third party advocates with links to the tobacco industry and their role in the recent UK legislative process.

 What ASH are really saying is that any of these named already stand convicted of crimes against ideology-that is the puritanical ideology of such as ASH, CRUK, RCP et al. Mr Patel could shout from the rooftops that this action is hurting his business, he could be forced to close his corner shop because of this war on tobacco but dare'st he object he will be tarred with the deadly brush-he must be in the pay of Big Tobacco. What utter bilge and how better to influence the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health (who are already confirmed anti tobacco zealots) to disregard
any reports from any of the named 'factions'. Basically it means that ASH have closed the door to any open discussions on the effects of tobacco-either in health or wealth!
We know they are getting desperate as we now have adverts stating that 80% of cigarette smoke is invisible-what utter gibberish. I don't smoke but I watched with interest tonight as my daughter lit a cigarette. Immediately she lit the end and 'drew', a thin trail of smoke went skyward, the rest went down into her obviously satisfied lungs. With there being no smoke without fire, I would love to know where this mysterious 80% is, was, may be, could be, because she lit a cigarette, she would have to have lit a bonfire to create that amount of 'invisible smoke'. And anyway, if this mysterious 80% is invisible, just how did 'scientists' see it to measure it in the first place? And the final piece in the latest "Junk Jigsaw", look at the figure quoted again. Another ASH special-straight in with 80%! BANG! Straight for the throat, no messing, the usual big number from the Ministry of Dreams (Lies), just like the 84% that 'praise the ban'.
Not only are they now getting desperate, ASH are becoming pathetic!