25 Comments
Jul 19Liked by Bryce Edwards

Congratulations Bryce for making clear the multiple influences of Big Tobacco and naming the individual connections. Could this cynicism by Coaltion decision makers be an all time low for New Zealand politics? Almost as bad as when much of the British empire was funded by trade in opium in the 1830s, leading to war with China which tried to stop that trade, but lost and was penalised with the seizure of Hongkong.

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Bryce articulated it really well - and I only wish it were true that this is the lowest point.

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We need Bryce to explain to us that businesses promote their products….

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Ms Costello obviously doesn't have the "learning gene" or her last smackdown by a Judge would have taught her to be less arrogant? And where is the Prime Minister in ensuring maverick Ministers/Assoc Ministers behave responsibly & transparently? Incidentally, how can an Assoc Minister just arbitrarily reduce a specific tax? Imagine if the Labour/Greens coalition was behaving this way the likes of Luxon, Jones, Seymour et al would be screaming from the rooftops, & rightly so plus ALL the media would be in an uproar.

Appreciate being kept informed ...

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Good virtue signaling Cindy!

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Well done. This is a clear example of corruption in the democratic political process. We simply cannot allow politicians who have been in the pay of the tobacco industry writing legislation that is enabling people to continue in their addiction. Casey Costello needs to be removed from her position as associate health minister. She won't of course because Luxon hasn't stomach for confronting Winston First.

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I never believed i would see New Zealand politicians so unapologetically bought by big tobacco, as we are now.

And make such an unjustifiable decision to reduce tobacco tax! Against health advice.

This is a scarey precedent, they clearly can be bought by mining, racing, road transport ,tobacco fishing and fossil fuel.

And don't mind showing it.

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It's the use of fascism in the name of capitalism. It's a fascinating development, in my view, but New Zealand is merely copying the playbooks developed by right wing figures overseas. We're still in the infancy stages for now, but the trend line is not looking great.

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"It's the use of fascism" - Mussolini stopped smoking in middle age and was very against it from then on and Hitler was very anti-smoking.

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Jul 19·edited Jul 19

Yes, I agree, it's widespread throughout the west, power that has been skillfully and patiently assembled, and no it dosnt bode well.

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It's actually a very simple play for those with money, what is unfortunate is how many fall for it.

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I would call it democracy, cos people dont want authoritarian prohibition. Just say no.

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Here’s the thing.

I have never smoked. I hate secondhand smoke. I encouraged others to stop smoking. I think it is a bad habit and “believe” it is bad for one’s health. I also warn people who eat or drink too much because I “know” it is bad for their health.

Up until before Covid I trusted the Public Health system. I would rely on the advice from the WHO. …..

Now not so much.

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I recall many stories of people who died of Covid spitting at health practitioners because they couldn't reconcile their condition with what they called a 'hoax.'

The good thing with reality is it doesn't matter what one believes.

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There were indeed many stories.

Hoax’s are a specific story category.

Humans need stories. But humans also disparately need reliable sources of wisdom, truth and good advice. But we get what we want and what others and “the algorithm” want us to see.

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Doesn't ring true with me-a twenty-year smoker from age 18. The thing about smoking is not just about getting nicotine into the system- it's all the associated business. I can see how vaping would catch on, but not heated tobacco. I fully appreciate the venality of the tobacco industry, but otherwise this is a political beat-up.

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You commented on my substack the other day that Casey Costello is a "good one" and she is doing a lot to help vaping.

Then when I showed you the articles that showed Casey is helping the vaping products of Philip Morris, you didn't return.

The real question isn't why or how this is clearly the Coalition Government putting lives ahead of tobacco industry profits and interests anymore, but rather why you are working as a plant for them.

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This story is one-sided account of an everyday process in every democracy. A government wants to tax/regulate a business sector, and that sector lobbies elected representatives to stave off or minimize the attack.

Here, Bryce tries to present the Health bureaucrats as disinterested tehnocratic experts, while the business people are greedy profit seekers. In reality, the bureaucrats are obviously emotionally invested in their side of the argument and even see themselves as crusaders. The business argues that they have lost objectivity and are seeing the world through a single lens.

I’m sure there’s merit on both sides and it could be an interesting debate. But it won’t be, because our monolithic media has prejudged the whole issue on our behalf (unbidden) and will only countenance one side of the case.

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It's not just Big Tobacco, either. It's a whole bunch of Bigs, including Big Oil, Big Mining, Big Trucking, Big Fishing...

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Big Media...

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Great article. Thanks for all the detail. How does Casey Costello still have her job? Where is the mainstream media and opposition on this? She has been told by the Court she is acting against the law for refusing to comply with OIA requests. When cabinet was considering abolition of the anti-smoking legislation she withheld ministry advice on the monetary advantages of continuing with the anti- smoking legislation which amounted to billions of dollars. Reducing tax on a product which health professionals say is just as carcinogenic as tobacco doesn't add up. She doesn't seem to want to be questioned on any of it.

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Storm in a teacup. No-one cares why people are dying anymore, and Coroners are redundant. People dont care if the Covid vaccine is killing people, so why would they worry about tobacco ? It is just virtue signaling by people that dont even smoke tobacco. Efeso Collins was pro vaccination and anti smoking, but look how young he was when he died, and no-one cared why. So I dont think prohibition of Tobacco is justified.

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Good Troll Mark!

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Какая сегодня погода в Санкт-Петербурге?

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Some of you may die, but I'll get free durries for life: Winston Peters

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