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29 Apr 2010
For those who read my thought leadership views regularly and for those who stumble across this on my blog this post is highly unusual – it has nothing to do with thought leadership and is a very personal view on the Australian government’s announcement today about cigarettes appearing in no name brand packs.
Yes you heard right. It could have gone down well as a good April Fool’s joke but sadly it isn’t.
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not a smoker, to the contrary, I’m anti smoking. But this has nothing to do with smoking, rather it has everything to do with the rights of individuals to choose, the rights of brands to be brands and the rights of businesses to responsibly produce and market their brands.
If the government can get away with this the question has to be where does it stop? Are we going to be drinking no name beer and wine in the future and how about no name fast food?
What right does a government have to single handedly turn a perfectly legal industry into an amorphous, plain vanilla mass? Have they really thought this through? What happens when businesses close shop in Australia as some inevitably will and potentially thousands of jobs are lost?
I am well aware of the reasons about reducing health risks to individuals and the burden on the health system, etc. But for it to come to this is a gross admission of failure on the part of the government to address the issue. Alternatively it smacks of the influence of an inordinately powerful, small health lobby group with their own grant-driven agendas.
This is heavy handed governance as its worse – it is nothing short of draconian and a government that resorts to draconian measures is a desperate one. It is a government that has either lost touch or one that is putting up a smokescreen to hide other shortcomings.
When did Prime Minister Rudd and Minister Roxon ask the Australian public about this and what were their views? As a non-smoker violently opposed to smoking I am appalled by this action and I would hazard that there are many more people out there who, like me, see this an assault on our civil liberties.
I truly hope that the industry takes the government to court on this one and wins.
Will the Australian public roll over on this and let Big Brother take further hold over what we can and can’t do in our every-day lives? Time will tell.
What are your thoughts on this?
9 Responses to “Smoke and mirrors as democracy goes up in smoke”
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Thought-provoking piece Craig. Indeed, where will it all end re: other industry sectors? For example, would a “no name” alcopop sound just a little bit too ‘cool4school’?
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Craig Pearce, Craig Pearce. Craig Pearce said: Smoke and mirrors as democracy goes up in smoke. http://bit.ly/a0a4Lk @thoughtstrategy goes wild at civil liberty loss [...]
Adam, that’s why I drafted this because if the government shows that it can go ahead with this sort of draconian measure one really has to ask where will it stop? I’m concerned that it’s the thin edge of the wedge and I’m concerned that Australians seem happy to accept this sort of meddling by government in something I don’t think is their democratic right.
Adam – thank you for pointing me to this commentary I am glad someone apart from me is thinking about it. The question is how do we get other people to recognize the potential dangers. Maybe we could get communications agencies behind a what would it be like in a “bland” brand society. Forget about choice – it’s all just black and white. Maybe this sort of act is actually unconsitutional – I hope the tobacco companies fight it.
Jane, great to have guys like you and Adam taking an interest in this – if you can spread this as far and wide as possible maybe we can show govt that even little guys like us can and should have a say in this instead of them willy nilly making ridiculous decisions with no consultation with the Australian public.
Cheers
Craig
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Adam Joseph. Adam Joseph said: @DreamofNara I agree: see http://www.thoughtleadershipstrategy.net/2010/04/smoke-and-mirrors-as-democracy-goes-up-in-smoke/comment-page-1/ [...]
Tobacco advertising was first banned (radio & TV) in Sept 1976. In the 34 years since, there has not been a single instance of any banning of other product advertising, but 168 nations have signed the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to outlaw all tobacco advertising. The slippery slope argument has not gained any traction for the obvious reasons that the cases against the advertising of food & drink are very different. Get over it. Jane, the gvt has run literally hundreds of public consultations on this in the past year. The report recommending it has been on the web for >6 months. You just missed the boat.
Simon, banning advertising of a product such as tobacco and putting warning signs and graphic pictures on packs is one thing. Banning the company’s name appearing on its very own product is something totally different and globally unprecedented. If the majority of the public do not want the cigarette companies to have their own brand on their pack of cigarettes then so be it but I somehow doubt it.
As someone who is vehemently opposed to smoking and having watched my grandfather die of emphysema I have strong views on tobacco and it’s socio economic and environmental impacts but taking brands off boxes smacks of desperation. Unfortunately in the case of the Australian government with the announcement of an election date in the offing it is probably electioneering puffery designed to take the eye off other balls. I hate to use the much misuesed nanny state but this is nannyisnm at its worst.
Great article . Will definitely apply it to my blog