TICAP, The Hague, March 15th 2010

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The Successful Brussels Conference

by Bloody Blad Tolstoy

Well, here I am, just back from Brussels having attended a very successful anti-prohibition conference.

Indeed, as I write, I am aware that our prohibitionist opponents from anti-tobacco are trying to fool the world that the TICAP conference was stopped. Well, bad news for them, because no, it wasn't. See an example of their attempt to mislead here:

http://www.epha.org/a/3376

Those paying careful attention to the TICAP web page informing the public that the conference had been prohibited, will have noticed that at the bottom of the same page, were written these words:

"Fortunately, the British Delegation of the Independence/Democracy Group in the European Parliament has launched the "Thinking is Forbidden" Conference, Hotel Silken Berlaymont, Brussels (11 - 19, Boulevard Charlemagne, 1000 Brussels), keeping the schedule and dates unaltered."

(http://www.antiprohibition.org/ticap_pages.php?q=6)

So, thanks to our friends, the conference proceeded, under a different title and patron, without much of a hitch, with the only calualty having been the satellite link that should have beamed in Dr Gio B Gori live. However, as we had made good preparation for sabotage, this was replaced by a film of Dr Gori, specially made for the event, which was certainly very well received indeed.

In addition, this little hiccup was also well compensated for by Iro Cyr of CAGE, Canada, who read out a statement by Professor Molimard (professor emeritus of physiology) who said that he supported our aim to preserve and ensure freedom of choice.

All the speeches presented were well received and prompted lively interactions with the audience. The maximum number of those participating at any one time was 95.

See for a more detailed descriptions, Dick Puddlecoate's blog:

http://ticaplive.blogspot.com//

For those wishing to understand the strength of feeling at the conference, please note the number of countries represented:

England, Wales, Scotland, Canada, USA, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

This kind of international attendance at such an event has never been experienced before, and the fact that everyone came under their own steam well demonstrated their resolve to fight smoking bans and other prohibitionist interventions in their lives.

Moreover, this conference was paid for entirely by our members with one prominent medical donor, the Schick Shadel Hospital, in Seattle. Unlike our opponents in tobacco control, we did not need big bucks from any major industry (like big pharma) and nor did we need government grants because we are truly a grass roots movement. They, on the other hand, are not although they like to preserve the illusion that they are. They are NGOs and QUANGOs.

So, despite their dirty tricks campaign, our prohibitionist opponents lost this battle. They could not stop us now and they will not stop what we have planned for the future. We have definitely arrived. WATCH OUT ANTI!