Tuesday 6 March 2012

The EU's Maltese Muttonhead Burbles Again

"Err, what is 'evidence', again?"

Oh Malta, this is how you repay us?

It won't surprise you to learn, in this article, that the EU are solidly behind the plain packaging of tobacco in the form of that guy up there, Maltese Health Commissioner John Dalli. What comes as a major shock, though, is that he is still utterly clueless on the issues which pass across his desk.
Dalli also said he is looking into how to include electronic cigarettes, which he views as being just as bad as traditional cigarettes, in the tobacco products directive.
Albeit not a direct quote, it comes from a report on a speech he made in Brussels and is quite in keeping with previous incompetent ramblings of his noted here in June.
"We are revising our tobacco legislation to make sure that we expand their scope – not just to tobacco – because there are other products which are more harmful, and also on packaging, advertising and access to cigarettes in shops, which can all help people to give up," Dalli told EurActiv.

He explained: "Electronic cigarettes are an example. They are outside the scope of existing legislation, but if you go up on certain aeroplanes they are marketed all the time. This is the sort of expansion of legislation I am are (sic) talking about"
I made a statement about this at the time.
While we've always known that the anti-tobacco debate is rooted in fantasyland, it's only recently that those leading the campaign have begun to make patently absurd statements like this based on no evidence whatsoever.
But then, that was before the plain packaging bullshit-wagon went into absurdity overdrive, so I take that back. It's been going on for long enough now to be diagnosed as a Europe-wide mental health problem.

It's incredible that - despite the obscene amounts of money swilling around Brussels - no-one, it would seem, has tapped Dalli on the shoulder to whisper that he is talking demonstrable garbage about e-cigs.

Of course, it's possible that they have done exactly that. In which case, it's not just staggering that someone so mind-blowingly incompetent can be the Health Commissioner for around one billion of the Earth's population, it is also unutterably terrifying!

Not a great advert for the level of intellectual evidence being used in the plain packaging debate, is it? Dalli seems to believe just about anything except real life.

Now, I'd ordinarily say that Malta, you can keep your Eurovision* douze points this year if you'll just recall this clown and find him a job cleaning toilets in Valletta, or something. But, sadly, it doesn't look like they want the bumbling moron back any time soon ... they've been there, done that.

* And yes, I will be live blogging it again this year.


5 comments:

c777 said...

The seafoods good though.

Mudplugger said...

Apparently the world's longest surviving terminal prostate cancer victim, Al Megrahi of Libya, had the right idea with the Maltese.  Fly in, give them a good seeing to, then fly back out again.

Lyn Ladds said...

You say 'A Europe-wide Mental Health problem and you are right; sadly it/they are also causing a huge rise in mental health problems for the man/woman in the street and even sadder, the NHS does not have (or doesn't want to have) the resources to help those suffering such problems BEFORE the ban, so there is precious little chance of anyone now getting the help and treatment they need.  If they do, then it is basically just a taster and then they are cut loose again, totally bewildered and just as lost and helpless as when they started!  I know and speak from personal experience.  It is also very sad to see dedicated psychiatrists who desparately want to help their patients having to say 'I know what your problem is and how to help, but there are just not the resources available to give you the help you need!'

As for the incompetence and single minded blathering on 'health' issues - perhaps he was trained by the lesser mortals in groups such as ASH?  It is extremely scary though that he holds such a position and others with power in Europe actually swallow, probably verbatim, everything he says and don't or won't see the gaping flaws in his statements!

God, please save us from these complete and utter morons!

Bill Quango MP said...

I'm very worried about seeing a person with an E-cigarette. What if i suddenly see them, like what i see, and become instantly addicted to E-cigs.
I'm concerned about unborn babies inhaling second hand e-cig-emissions.

Can e-cigarettes be sold to under 16s?
And what about passengers in a car if someone is 'smoking' a plastic cigarette?

I'm very pleased that John Dalli is thinking of the children and tackling these important issues.
The euro collapse and the 20% unemployed rate across the southern EU is of only secondary importance to this valuable work.

Michael McFadden said...

Dalli told EurActiv He explained: "Electronic cigarettes are an example. They are outside the scope of existing legislation, but if you go up on certain aeroplanes they are marketed all the time.
====

OK, I'm not a big flyer, so I may be wrong, but Dalli's statement makes it sound as though it's quite common for e-cigs to be "marketed" on airplanes while I'm pretty sure I've only heard of ONE instance of ANYTHING along this line on ONE rather niche airline.  

Or am I wrong in that?

- MJM