Vapers in Power condemn doxing attacks on our party officers

Vapers in Power note with concern that our press officer, Martin Cullip, was recently the victim of a doxing attack initiated by a notorious public health activist. We find it extremely disturbing that this sort of harassment is apparently, judging by the lack of condemnation from the perpetrator’s colleagues, regarded as acceptable by many who claim to have the best interests of the public at heart.

For several years now Mr Cullip has written a very popular blog centred around libertarian and lifestyle topics; if you’re a vaper it’s very likely you’re familiar with it. However, you are probably not familiar with the name Martin Cullip. Like many bloggers he writes under a pen name to preserve a degree of privacy and anonymity, as is his right. Online, we can all use any identity we choose; if we prefer to keep our real identity private, this should be respected. Revealing someone’s personal details against their will – doxing – is rightly regarded as a form of cyber harassment and most decent people see it as unacceptable.

Sadly, many opponents of vaping can in no way be described as decent people. We regret to say that one of this disreputable crew, an Australian pensioner by the name of Simon Chapman, recently uncovered the link between Mr Cullip and his nom de plume and saw fit to broadcast it to his 9,800 Twitter followers. This was a gross, and completely unacceptable, invasion of Mr Cullip’s privacy.

ViP regret that unqualified people like Mr Chapman – a retired sociologist – are lobbying against our freedom to vape in the first place; we particularly regret that they are using such obnoxious and underhanded tactics to do so. Therefore we call on the public health industry to condemn behaviour such as that of Mr Chapman and to disassociate itself from extremists of his ilk. Public health have no right to criticise vapers and the vaping industry when they have so conspicuously failed to put their own house in order.

Fame! Glory! Adoration!

 

Or, more prosaically – are you up for appearing on the news to try to repeal the TRPR?

See, this is the thing. There’s going to be a surprise general election in the UK. We’ve stood in elections before and good things happen, we get a ‘free’ (£500 is the cost of standing) mailshot to tens of thousands of homes, we get media coverage, we get to speak at public events. This time, we want more.

When elections happen, the media descend on a few select locations and both broadcast the result from those places live, and play them in the news programmes later – wouldn’t it be great if OUR message, repeal the TRPR, was included in those broadcasts?

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could keep buying tanks bigger than 2ml and bottles bigger than a gnat’s bawbag?

We can’t predict where all the cameras will be, but we can be sure they will be at the main party leader’s constituencies:

Theresa May – Maidenhead

Jeremy Corbyn – Islington North

Tim Farron – Westmorland and Lonsdale.

We want someone to stand, for us, in one of these.

That person has to be willing to attend the count and stay to the bitter end when the returning officer announces the result.

We will handle the deposit, most of the paperwork (the candidate has to do some, but it’s easy and we will help); we’ll provide backup, guidance and support.

Liam stood in 2015, it was, to quote him: “a gas”. This will be fun, it will also help promote the vaping cause.

IF YOU LIVE IN OR NEAR ONE OF THESE AREAS PLEASE MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN IN THE COMMENTS BELOW

Most of the readers of this won’t live in or near these constituencies. Please help us get this spread. Share it like you’ve never shared anything before, share it generally and individually to anyone you know who lives in these places, or who might know anyone that does.

#vipcandidate

Time is short, we have one week to find a vaper willing to stand and be on the news. It’s the 19th April as I write this, the deadline for this stage is 26th April.

Help us to help vapers.

Vapers in Power responds to the RSPH

Yesterday the Royal Society for Public Health put out a press release and video based on an “undercover investigation” they had conducted into a sample of UK-based vape shops. To their apparent shock, RSPH found that nine in ten vape shops were “prepared” to sell products to non-smokers, and called for all retailers to adhere to a code of conduct released by the Independent British Vapour Trades Association.

In a ridiculously biased diatribe RSPH chief executive Shirley Cramer railed against the use of e-cigarettes as a “lifestyle product” and insisted that they only be used as a quit aid for existing smokers. She then demanded that retailers interrogate their customers about their smoking behaviour, and only sell to those who Ms Cramer thinks should be using the products.

This sort of bossy, patronising attitude is wrong on so many levels that we barely know where to start. We could take a utilitarian approach, for example, and point out that it is actually a good thing if people who don’t smoke, but are tempted, take up vaping instead. We could remind Ms Cramer that more than 90% of the UK’s vape shops are not members of the IBVTA and so are under no obligation to obey its code of conduct (which, incidentally, we have serious issues with). We could approach it from a philosophical angle and question why Ms Cramer thinks she has a right to tell other people how to run their businesses. But we will not. We will simply remind Ms Cramer of the law.

The UK used to be a free country. At Vapers in Power we hope to see the day when it can be called one again. Therefore we will defend the freedom of every adult in the UK to buy vapour products if they so choose. This is what the law says, Ms Cramer. Your opinion and the IBVTA’s code of conduct are utterly irrelevant; anyone aged 18 or over is free to buy e-cigarettes because this is the law. If you don’t agree with the law then summon up the courage of your convictions, stand for election and try to have it changed. But if you’re not willing to do that, just shut up and leave us alone.

It’s 1am, Saturday, I’ve had vodka.

Vaping is being squeezed so much it is dying, I can’t help feeling that. Public Health Wales released a position statement this week so grudging you could sense the teeth being pulled. America, is, interesting. Finland is fucked. We wait. Bans continue around the world.

And here? In a couple of months DIY is dead (or underground) and tanks are so small they are irritating. Vaping will become faffy again. When innovation had made vaping pretty much faff-free, regulation restores the faff. Well done EU.

Arriva trains have agreed to amend their anti-vaping posters to say “not permitted” rather than illegal, so that’s good right?

Canada seems hopeful, France is moving in the right way (although, TPD). Malaysia? Maybe. Australia are so slowly starting to see the light. When you look around the world, it’s a pretty depressing picture – the regulators are out for us.

But.

More and more people are vaping. That is our weapon. Vapers won’t go back to smoking when the rules change. Not all of them anyway, they’ll break the rules. Vaping is here to stay.

Personally, I’m one of those soon-to-be rule-breakers. When the 20th May comes round, the next time I need to order nicotine I’ll be ordering more than the allowed 20mg/ml, making the person selling it to me a criminal. I’m guessing enough of a demand will survive that the supply will be there.

Tbh, I’ve yet to see an ecig rule I could throw my weight behind, even though there’s a few I would be happy with: don’t sell a battery without a safety leaflet and a case for one.

Vaping will, survive, of that I’ve no doubt. But will it be available to new users, acceptably? No. Or at least, much less so.

Will some vapers go back to cigarettes? Yes

By the way, if you haven’t already told the EU to shove their ecig tax, you can do it here.

nn 🙂

It’s not taxing

Respond to this consultation, it’s important. The wrong decision will shut shops and deter new ecig users.

The European Union wants to tax ecigs. As they have to – to pretend they are democratic somehow – they have a consultation on their suggestion, closing date 16th Feb. Replying to this consultation is about the best thing you can do for ecigs right now – and I’ve tried to make it simple!

If you don’t want simple, here is the link to find the consultation, here is Clive Bates on it, and here is the NNA’s take.

For the rest of us morons, here is the easy way to tell them how they can stuff it:

1. Click this

2. You get some background info, don’t even bother to read it, just click Next.
3. You get some personal Q’s, answer as you will 
4. After clicking Next, you get a no-brainer!
5. The next two Q’s are similar:
6. Ignore the scary lime-green text, you are more of an expert than these people will ever meet, next Q …I’m not entirely sure I’ve read this the right way but that is my guess, you can guess yourself! Next!
7. Easy – computer (i.e. me) says no:
8. With the next two Q’s, the last option is the most important.
9. Heat-not-Burn, I’m in favour, however, up to you, answer as you will, next!
10. Next page, the cigarillos one, seems safe. Answer if you want, or just click next like I did.
11. ditto
12. Raw tobacco – now I’ve never had any interest in this before, but are the EU saying I can’t grow a plant? At least do this:
13. Click Next! We’re doing well…
14. Waterpipe, say what you want, next!
15. I’d leave this one out, I don’t know the relevant codes, non-ecig anyway:

Next Q – whatever you want, then Next leads us on to the final page …

Bonus points here (shedloads of them) for adding extra arguments as to why taxing ecigs (over and above VAT) is a monumentally bad idea via a document upload. Like most consultations, this one doesn’t really give us a chance to address what is really important. You can take cues, should you need any, from the NNA and/or Clive Bates. If you have any questions, or suggestions for improvements to this walkthrough, please comment.

Phew! Well bloody done, you now get an advocacy medal. Tiaras are available but you have to convince someone else to do this to get one of those …

New Leader

UPDATE!

We had one candidate, so no need for an election.

Fergus Mason is the new Party Leader.

Watch this space to see if it’s a changing of the guard or something quite different …

 

UPDATE!

The deadline for nominations is midnight on 7th December 2016.

Vapers in Power will publish the list of candidates on 8th December 2016, on this page.

People who sign up as members between Dec 8th and Dec 21st 2016 will not be eligible to vote in the election.

Voting opens at midnight on Dec 14th and closes at midnight on Dec 21st.

Members can vote by emailing info@vapersinpower.co.uk . If not emailing from the email they originally signed up with then they should include their membership number (if known, it’s on your membership card) or postal address, so that we can check their identity against our records.

Please note that only current members can vote, so please renew your membership if necessary via http://vapersinpower.co.uk/join

————————————————————————-

Vapers in Power is a single issue party which aims to give a voice to vapers.  We don’t expect to win many votes or any seats but we do strive to effect change by raising awareness of the issues amongst vapers and legislators.  Our manifesto is here. Our constitution is here.

We need a new leader. Could it be you?

Jessica, our current party leader, is no longer able to dedicate the time needed for the role of party leader. She will be continuing as Treasurer (thank goodness) but her commitments mean we need a new party leader.

What it takes:

You need to be available and sane. Maybe an hour a day, or equivalent? You need to want to make vaping more available to more people. You need to be able to sometimes pour oil on troubled waters.

Patience is a key skill – you don’t need to be an expert in herding cats, but if you can actually do that it would be AMAZEBALLS.

What we do:

We think of things to do to help vaping. Then we do them. That’s it. We are often wrong, we are ever so occasionally right. Can you think of stuff? Can you do it?

What you get:

The prestige of being the leader of the world’s first political party for vapers. A committed and supportive team backing you up 100%. OK maybe 99% lol, see “herding cats”.

What you would need to do:

• Liaise with the Electoral Commission, ensure we comply (actually a lot easier than it sounds-the EC are very helpful and do answer the phone),
• Keep an eye on what’s happening across all of the Vapers in Power actions, making sure it’s “joined up”.
• Work to ensure that Vapers in Power adheres to its core values, as outlined in the Constitution and Manifesto.  

All nominations are welcome, the result will be decided by a simple, first past the post vote among members. We need you, vapers need you. Don’t hesitate.

To put yourself forward as leader please send an email to info@vapersinpower.co.uk with the subject line LEADER. The closing date for the nominations is midnight 7th December 2016. We’ll do a virtual hustings thing, then the paid-up members will decide.

Good luck!

Open Letter to Heidi Alexander MP

Dear Ms Alexander

Thank you for your reply regarding your thoughts on Lord Callanan’s motion.

We agree that switching to vaping can be a safe and effective way to give up smoking, and that the Government should be doing more to promote e-cigarettes as a potentially useful aid to help people quit smoking.

However, the “incredibly important changes” you refer to that were threatened by Lord Callanan’s motion, are dwarfed by the actual health improvements that a properly regulated vaping market could produce.

Are you aware that the European Commission has estimated that the Tobacco Products Directive will only “lead to a 2% drop in consumption of tobacco over a period of 5 years.”? (1) That represents 183 000 current smokers in the UK. Compare that figure to the 11.5% fall in tobacco prevalence over the last five years directly attributable to vaping: that’s 1.3M current vaping ex-smokers (2).  Electronic cigarettes, under the current regulatory regime, massively outperform all other tobacco control measures, both present and proposed, combined. Why on earth would anyone want to threaten this?

Are you also aware that whilst only 9% of current vapers (252 000 people) use strengths over 20mg/ml (3), for a new switcher that proportion is much higher (4)?

These results from a survey of 2700 experienced vapers might give you some indication of this:

Vaping Truth Survey 2015 (Kevin Crowley)

As you can see, although experienced vapers can be happy on lower nicotine concentrations, for new switchers a much higher concentration is need for the switch to be successful (5). We know this because we are vapers and have lived through it. Other organisations you may hear from have a more “academic” understanding of the issues and often miss relevant points.

The 10ml bottle limit and 2ml tank size limit are of course simply pointless and ungrounded inconveniences – in fact both scientists whose research the EU used to come up with these limits complained bitterly that their results had been misunderstood and misused (6). The limits will cause some damage (as does anything that reduces the value proposition of ecigs versus cigarettes), but the real harms of the TPD lie elsewhere:

• A less vibrant ecig market will halt the recent reductions in young adults taking up smoking (7) – this is the main and most disastrous unintended consequence of the TPD. Two thirds of smokers start when they are teenagers. At present they have a non-addictive (8) (9) and safe (10)  way to experiment. Make ecigs vastly less attractive (as the TPD will do) and they’re back to experimenting with cigarettes, which leads to smoking for many years. We all know this because we all did it.
• It has created a piecemeal market across the EU, with some countries allowing but most banning cross border sales. This is already affecting previously thriving UK businesses.
• It imposes absurd levels of testing on e-liquids – testing not required for cigarettes – which will massively reduce the variety of e-liquids sold, and hence the chance that a smoker will find something which they prefer to cigarettes.
• The testing costs will be far beyond the reach of most of the UK’s hundreds of e-liquid manufacturers, shutting down promising small businesses, with the associated misery that entails.
• The advertising restrictions shut down opportunities for smokers to find out about ecigs.
• It adds a warning: “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance. It is not recommended for use by non-smokers”. This is not only scientifically illiterate (nicotine has only ever been found to be addictive when delivered via lit tobacco) but not required for other nicotine containing products on the market.
• It promotes the false impression that ecigs are as harmful as cigarettes, preventing switching.

It is a shame the EU was seen as more important than the people who make up the EU. Politicians, by ignoring vapers, have just killed 105 000 of their constituents, across the EU, every year.(11) Thanks for that.

The Vapers in Power Team

 

1 – http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-14-134_en.htm

2 – http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_93.pdf

3 – http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_891.pdf

4 – http://www.nature.com/articles/srep04133

5 – http://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/Satisfactory-throat-hit-is-a-need-to-switch-from-tobacco-to-e-cigarette-lesson-for-an-e-liquid-blind-test,62918,0,2.html#.V07cWpzqPS0.twitter

6 – http://www.theelectroniccigarette.co.uk/blog/1729/the-eu-has-misrepresented-scientific-evidence-and-the-scientists-fight-back/

7 – http://ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_108.pdf

8 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25561385

9 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3466669/

10 – http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-18

11 – http://londoneconomics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/High_nicotine_e-cigs_ban-Feb14.pdf

 

#RIPVape

 

Effective vaping as we know it died on 20th May 2016. The fact that the government put  vaping on life support for another year doesn’t change that.  

 

Yes you can still buy tanks which are over 2ml and juice which is over 20mg/ml, but in a few months time you won’t be able to. Yes, even then we will be ok (some of us have been stockpiling nicotine and we will continue to buy direct from China) but what about the people who are smoking and who might want to stop at some point in the future? New vapers do need higher nicotine strengths and are often using less efficient devices (not sub ohming, in other words). It’s easy to forget that most of the 2.8m vapers in the UK are using cigalikes or egos and CE4s. The TPD of course, pretty much destroys DIY  and ruins small boutique eliquid businesses, so yes, #RIPVape. And yes,  adverts are banned – some EU countries are even trying to ban promotion on social media, so yes, #RIPVape.

 

We knew that there would be a range of sentiments and feelings the day the TPD came in:  some people would be sad but many would be angry.  #RIPVape was a tag that could be used in a number of ways. Importantly it also made it clear to the target audience what topic was being discussed. Vapers and the vaping community were not the target audience. The media was.

 

It now is #RIPVape in most of the EU member states. Vaping has taken off in the UK and there’s a sheer force of numbers: it is a tsunami and that makes it much much harder to shut it down. That isn’t the case in much of the EU and the TPD will wipe out vaping in many countries. Vapers in Power is a UK registered political party but we have members from many countries and we are very aware that this is a global fight.

No surrender!

Did anyone else try to mark the passing of the TPD into law?

We planned to use #RIPVape before the news broke that Lord Callanan had proposed a motion which could overturn the TPD in the UK. We ran with #RIPVape and added #LordsVapeVote into our social media postings too. #RIPVape was adopted by many people and trended on Twitter. It evolved too into #RIPVaping. That trended as well – because enough people used the hashtag – it spoke to those people. Trending hashtags are investigated by the media, so the campaign achieved its aim.

 

RIGHT NOW is what we have to do to save vaping: https://vapersinpower.wordpress.com/lordsvapevote-writing-campaign/  

 

Now is the time for action

Vapers in Power #Wales2016 results

Vapers in Power candidates Lee Woolls (Cardiff West) and Bernice Evans (Central South Wales) received 96 and 470 votes respectively. We applaud them both for standing up for the Freedom to Choose a much less harmful alternative to smoking.

“It was a vote by vapers against an abhorrent policy-maker and a vote for Vapers in Power. Thanks to all that worked so hard and to those that voted against Drakeford.”  Lee Woolls

“The increase in voters is evidence of the fact that Welsh people are unhappy with the way Wales is controlled. Mark Drakeford no longer has the comfort of a large majority after this result.” Bernice Evans

Mark Drakeford’s much reduced majority is a vindication of the ‪#‎VoteVaperNotLabour‬ campaign and sends a strong message that those who make policy without regard to credible evidence will be held to account. We congratulate Neil McEvoy, a supporter of e-cigs, for fighting such an effective campaign against the Welsh Health Minister and for winning a regional seat.
We would also like to congratulate Kirsty Williams of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Darren Millar of the Welsh Conservatives for getting re-elected and thank them for their continued support for vaping.   We are very confident that the new Assembly will take a sensible approach to vaping and we propose the setting up of a cross party group to hammer out science based policies.

How to Vote Vaper Not Labour in Wales Tomorrow

The attitudes of the major Welsh parties towards vaping

 

Welsh voters go to the polls on Thursday to elect Welsh Assembly members.  Vapers in Power, along with the other parties, has released a manifesto (1).

The Vapers in Power candidates’ details are here:  

Bernice Evans 

Lee Woolls.

Please remember  to #votevapernotlabour

Wales found itself at the centre of a vaping storm when the Labour Welsh Health Minister, Mark Drakeford, put forward the Public Health Bill with controversial proposals to ban vaping in some public places.  The Bill was narrowly defeated but it seems safe to assume that Welsh Labour will try to force it through a second time if they are re-elected.

So, if you want to give your vote to vaping who should you vote for?

The short answer:   #votevapernotlabour

The longer answer:

1.  Cardiff West and South Wales Central

Vapers in Power is putting up two candidates forward under the Freedom to Choose description on the ballot paper:  Lee Woolls is standing against Mark Drakeford in Cardiff West and Bernice Evans is standing in South Wales Central. Voting for Vapers in Power in Cardiff and South Wales Central will show the main parties that vapers are a force to be reckoned with.

You have two votes for the region so if you do vote for Bernice you could consider using your second vote for either of the next most pro-vaping parties after Vapers in Power:  the Liberal Democrats or the Conservatives.

 

2.  Everywhere else in Wales – #VOTEVAPERNOTLABOUR

Here’s a summary of the main parties’ attitudes to vaping:.

Welsh Liberal Democrats:

Kirsty Williams, the Lib Dem leader, championed the opposition to the vaping proposals in the Health Bill.  The Lib Dem manifesto (2) pledges to:   “Protect an individual’s free right to use electronic cigarettes where they like by opposing Labour’s ban on e-cigs in public places.”   

Welsh Conservatives:

The Welsh Conservative manifesto (3)  promises to: “Support vaping in public and pilot the use of e-cigarettes in NHS smoking cessation services”. The Welsh Conservatives did not support the Health Bill and put forward amendments to remove vaping from the bill.    

Plaid Cymru:

Plaid Cymru’s manifesto can be read here: (4), there are no references to vaping in it and it supports outside smoking bans;  something which Vapers in Power is opposed to.  Plaid Cymru were partly responsible for the Health Bill getting so close to the statute books as they didn’t adopt a party line and allowed their assembly members a free vote.  We have to conclude that they are the least vaping friendly party out of the first three.  

UKIP:

UKIP’s Welsh manifesto can be read here (5) It doesn’t mention vaping, but the position of the party as a whole in the UK is quite vape friendly.   

Welsh Labour:

This is the party you should most avoid if you are trying to use your vote in a vape friendly manner. Their manifesto (6) does not specifically mention vaping but there is widespread evidence that should they come back to power they intend to reintroduce the bill which would have banned vaping in both indoor and outdoor public spaces. (7)

 

(1) http://vapersinpower.co.uk/welshmanifesto

(2) http://www.welshlibdems.wales/full_manifesto

(3) http://www.welshconservatives.com/news/launch-welsh-manifesto

(4) https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/plaid2016/pages/328/attachments/original/1459864681/2016_Plaid_Cymru_Manifesto.pdf?1459864681

(5) http://ukip.wales/2016-manifesto/#1460812410673-72fde7f6-fb99

(6) http://www.togetherfor.wales/read_manifesto

(7) http://www.ehn-online.com/news/article.aspx?id=15448