More or less Addicted or Dependent?

 This tweet from Dr Jonathan Foulds , has prompted this blog 

This is the study in question https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7905831/  

Using Dr Foulds Penn State dependence score gives 

No or low dependence accounted for in excess of 60% of respondents, this would tally with my own personal experience of Vaping/use of e-cigs. 

Previously when I was a person who had smoked(45 years at upwards of 40 cigs/day) there was rarely a time in the day where 30-60 minutes would pass without me lighting up yet another cigarette. This was only ever tempered when I was unable to do so, usually work related, the most extreme was when I worked for 20 years as a Mining Engineer in coal mining. Due to the nature of coal mining, explosive methane was an inherent danger underground and consequently smoking was an impossibility, strangely, even though I considered myself very strongly dependent or indeed addicted, my mind unconsciously rationalised this such that I never missed smoking for my underground time. 

Nowadays as an 11 year Vaper, I have a number of workarounds if my device malfunctions, loses charge,runs out of juice ie that I am simply unable to vape......it becomes a nuisance, irritation would be an exaggeration,nothing like that same 'manic' feeling when I was a person who smoked who was incapable of concentration or performing anything much until that cigarette was smoked. 

Lastly, dependence or addiction? 

Whether or not this distinction matters .....I think it does 

Dependence : the dictionary definition 

a situation in which you need something or someone and are unable to continue normally without them 

I don't think this describes what my 'condition' is exactly. It may describe some users who use nicotine to modify/mollify their behaviour eg ADHD 

In my case and hopefully not simply trying to fool myself, I genuinely derive pleasure from nicotine, it helps to stabilise my mood and believe rightly or wrongly it isn't doing me any obvious harm, or harms to anyone around me. 

Addiction 

Dependence + harm to self and/or to those around me 

I really think many of these terms are used in a stigmatising, pejorative manner by opponents who wish to see the elimination of nicotine (an impossible pipe-dream) and of course has been seized upon by populist politicians and a gullible unquestioning press/media. Many definitions of dependence and addiction are used, maybe it's my layman reasoning, but no clear universally accepted definitions exist for nicotine, possibly due to the various methods of consumption. Of course I am well aware of the Fagerstrom Test  and a minor addition  

For example I object to this type of definition in Substance Use Disorder  there is no disorder in my personal circumstances afaik. I freely choose to use nicotine and believe that it's use is pleasurable and benign. 

A very interesting recent piece of research from Principal Research Fellow Sharon Cox from UCL TARG is well worthy of a read 

Safer Nicotine Wiki gives a multitude of entries < take out of that what you wish!! 

*If* you ploughed through to the end of this blog, might I suggest a read of another vaguely similar one 

Better still, a topical blog/article by Chris Snowdon features much of what I have written about in this 24th August 2024 entry, I found it an excellent read and highly commend here 

ASH ORG UK :- Policy Leaders or Followers re Safer Nicotine Products 2012-2024 ?

 This blog is my attempt to make some sense out of ASH actions/inaction over the the previous decade or so,regarding safer nicotine products. This could go back even further in time,but I will leave it to the period 2012- 2024 and deliberately confine my commentary to e-cigarettes/Vaping. 

ASH is a government funded campaigning charity who has a primary aim of reducing Smoking rates to at most 5%, which would be considered as 'Smokefree'. However, a government sponsored campaigning organisation that campaigns that same government has been described as a 'sock-puppet' from some quarters.

Run up to TPD (2013) 

UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt who was very anti e-cigs circulated a letter to all UK MEP prior to EU Parliamentary debate and vote, regarding making ecigs a medicinal product with a minimal nicotine strength of 4mg/ml. Fortunately consumers were very active across the EU in contacting their MEP to get the Commission proposals somewhat watered down. This quote comes via Clive Bates''Looking back to the last TPD, we should recall that the Commission, the Council, the scrutinising committee in the European Parliament (ENVI), and nearly all tobacco control NGOs all agreed on medicalising vapes in June 2013''.

 - this was also outwardly the position of ASH at that time .

Which came 1st, was ASH guiding or following? 

Nudge Unit circa 2013-14 

This unit took a far more pragmatic approach to e-cigs and managed to persuade the UK PM David Cameron of the virtues of advancing safer nicotine products as an alternative for folks who smoked. Jeremy Hunt the self-same Health Secretary also adopted this pragmatic approach culminating in the Public Health England Report of 2015, further supplemented by the Royal College of Physicians report of 2016 . All credible Public Health bodies in the UK welcomed both reports. ASH were outwardly supportive of this new found approach.

The UK medicines regulator MHRA who previously were quite dogmatic in what they would allow, introduced a registration and yellow card scheme that in effect licensed existing registered products even if not approved as medicines. To date, this has worked well, unlike it's US counterpart the FDA that has left virtually all Vaping products either in limbo or simply unapproved or worse. 

Which came 1st, was ASH guiding or following? 

2015-2022 

Various Ministers of Health throughout this period and the supportive, pragmatic position adopted post 2015 was maintained if not particularly reinforced. Of note the Health Dept spokespersons attended various COP meetings of the WHO #FCTC and never once outwardly voiced opinions or objections to draconian proposals or communiques issued by this opaque organisation. ASH attended as observers 

What part did ASH play throughout this period? 

It must be noted here though that ASH does produce invaluable information that has been v. useful for all users of that information, whether from government running through to interested private citizens, sometimes the assessment/analysis could be lacking balance but overall is generally very good .

2022- present 

A marked shift from both Ministers and ASH, ostensibly due to a large uptake by youth, this has been exacerbated by a number of factors, eg Covid, boredom of youth unable to attend school or college due to Covid, cheap disposables, poor to non-existent enforcement, start of a grey market with illicits .....an endless list . This has meant that 'Something must be done' approach has replaced the previous pragmatic one. This is a genuine issue, but one that has been stoked up in the media, maybe with malicious outside intent from anti-THR groups .  

The UK Government introduced the Smoking and Vaping Bill in the Spring of 2024 following pitiful scrutiny from various hand-picked committee members and a clearly biased Minister of Public Health(Andrea Leadsom) who has made a series of illogical non-factual comments towards Vaping in general. The Vaping part of the bill was designed to limit marketing and appearance, restricted flavours, along with a disposable ban, throughout the period a Treasury 'consultation' (from the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt...yes,him again!) was in place to get the opinions from everyone regarding punitive increases in vape fluid graduated from low to high nicotine content . 

Interestingly, D.Arnott was involved as a co-author of this research paper  , which recommends no differential taxation, interesting quotes are in this Guardian article . Paper here 

This above research collaboration featuring an ASH presence is far from unique 

So the government was/is proposing quite a drastic change overall, this is reinforced with support from all of the other traditional political parties, with Labour Party Shadow Health Minister(Wes Streeting) saying that the Australian Prescription model was under investigation (made a few months ago, prior to the recent terrible incidents of firebombing and deaths that have resulted from the gravely flawed policy,hopefully this madcap prescription model gets ditched asap)

I was given this quote regarding ASH 

'Internally they want to see consumer vaping banned by 2026, and prescribed vapes with plain packaging, minimal flavour'' I won't attribute this to anyone

Hopefully this is spurious nonsense, but even if a genuine quote, I would hope and expect that this ASH 'wish' is rapidly ditched, the unintended consequences would be catastrophic and wouldn't be simple to reverse the nonsense once set in motion.

But are ASH once again leading or following what the current (past tense) or future expected Labour Govt Health Ministers thoughts and proposals?

Recent published research(referred to above) from respected UK researchers seemingly challenges the Vaping aspects of the bill especially the disposable ban, along with the differential strength nicotine e-liquid taxation.

Internal and external pronouncements seemingly don't always tally, this is one area where the accusation of mixed ASH messaging comes from.

This blog was not intended to be an anti-ASH diatribe, simply a collection of thoughts of where and what their true position is on this contentious issue. There have been some glorious highlights eg where ASH CEO Deborah Arnott and Martin McKee were involved in a C4. TV interview, this again was an outward manifestation .......'What do they really think behind the scenes though? or is it a case of action speaks louder than words, how many times do we see media reports or demonstrably false information plastered across social platforms where there is little or no response forthcoming from ASH. I can understand that they cannot counter all mis or disinformation, but for it to be so sparse to non-existent isn't helpful.

Will anything be any different with the upcoming change of CEO from D.Arnott to Hazel Cheeseman?

Does ASH lead(advise) or follow Govt policy .........this of course is totally unknown to outsiders, known only to the participants.

From a consumer point of view it would be greatly appreciated if a consistent long-term tone was advanced towards THR, I can count at least 4 distinct changes in approach since 2007 , this report featuring Prof John Britton et al and received ASH support .

 

A complete move to the Darkside on the cards

 A little Background

The last time I owned an MX-5 it was circa 2005, when I purchased an NA (ie the 1st generation) reg /year ? I cannot recall now, but it was pretty ropey, with a roof that blew from shut to open at 70 mph on a Spanish Autoroute, mediocre handling from probable tired suspension, lastly, a terminal issue, when the coolant disappeared, rapid overheating ensued, the car towed to a Spanish garage never to re-appear! 

An all too brief experience with two Honda CRX(Del Sol) circa 1994 age of cars, happened just afterwards :- a CRX Vti and a heavily modified B-18  engine converted Trans-top, both were excellent cars for where we were living at the time :- Costa Brava, Spain. A major forest fire put paid to the Vti, whilst the missus hated the other one, which had overly firm suspension and thus was sold on. 

Story Continuation 

Following the miserable experience with the MX-5, a few years elapsed until circa 2016, when I decided to have another go at buying an affordable convertible. This time I avoided MX-5, so the 'affordable' Roadster/Convertible category consisted of Fiat X1-9, Fiat Barchetta, BMW Z3 and Z4 , and finally my choice, a Toyota MR2 mk3 .

This Toyota had only 12k miles, silver with a hardtop, located in a different part of the country :- Edinburgh, whereas I live in Mid-Wales.3 train journeys later, taking at least 6 hours, I was met by the seller at a train station, after a few hours of checking the car out, I was happily driving home with the hardtop on, at a steady 75-80 mph. 

The MR2 was a source of great joy, but 2 factors combined to take away from the driving experience, namely I always ended up with quite severe headaches after a 1-2 hour drive. This turned out to be down to 2 factors :- cold on the forehead, when driving with the roof off, secondly,a lack of good sunglasses to reduce the glare. BUT I only discovered these were factors after I had sold the MR2. I didn't replace the convertible until maybe a further year, then an Audi TT convertible was bought.

The higher screen of the Audi took away any wind blast onto my forehead, also the wearing of headgear helped.  Quite a few Audi TT later of various guises of fwd/awd, and from 160-300bhp varieties were bought. However I decided that although the cabin quality, general ambience, paintwork were excellent, it really couldn't overcome the lack of joy and fun that the TT gave to the driver ie Dull but worthy in it's own way......just not a drivers car!

So I decided to go back to MR2 mk3 , this time suitably attired to avoid the headache issue, I owned maybe 6-7 for various periods of time, indeed I was that besotted with how very good a mid-engined rwd could be, I ended up with four at once :- madness!! but it must be said at this point that each one was a source of great joy and really couldn't contemplate ever not owning at least one in future years.

Story Conclusion

Full circle and back to the MX- 5 story (this was written on 19/3/24)

Today, I bought an Orange 30th Edition with 15k miles on the clock, crucially it also came with a raft of BBR kit(s) 

220 bhp engine kit

Big Brake kit with cf pads 

Exhaust + manifold kit 

Ohlins suspension kit 

Great geo done by the previous owner 

This is just what I can recall 'off the cuff' . The upshot is though, its a wonderful relaxed cruiser , 6th gear at 70mph = ~ 2800 rpm and very economical at those speeds , maybe high 40's-low 50's mpg . 

But the car transforms into a supremely planted, very rapid sports car, when the revs rise over ~ 5500rpm , I did see 7500rpm today , with a delicious accompanying howl . 

The car has exceeded all expectations with it's multi-faceted character , I travelled on a few well-known to me back-roads today, at a far higher speed than with any other vehicle I have owned previously,all achieved without any fuss or drama, such was the excellence of the chassis/ride and roadholding . 

So what will I do with my existing MR2 mk3 (2 off) ? 

I'm very strongly considering selling both, as their virtues and strong points are at least matched by this MX-5

The MR-2 is a less common sight on UK roads, and just maybe the driving position is a tad more generous than the MX-5, but these would be the only area where my existing cars have any very slight advantage.

Maybe a Final Twist in This Saga though 

A friend who was a previous MR-2 owner, purchased a well sorted, great service history, but ancient 05 reg Porsche Boxster 987 2.7 engined car, in mid Summer last year. I drove the car, and was suitably impressed with the very solid nature of it in terms of the car controls eg pedals,switches,levers , maybe overly heavy in fact, but the overall driving impression was very positive. Little did I imagine less than 9 months later, that the car now belongs to me. So, as I was driving the Boxster along today,I'm thinking ''did I need to also have the newly bought MX-5 as well'?  The previous owner of the MX-5 did indicate that he would like to have 1st refusal if ever I wanted to sell. So.....what to do? enjoy all of my crop of cars over the Summer and then see what to do for the best, or start to have a much needed cull of a 5 car stable, where I am the only driver in the family.  

Two MR2 for Sale

MR-S 

MR2 (now sold) 

Updated situation in late July 

As per usual in my car-owning history, nothing was straightforward. A friend who I have known for many moons, offered me yet another MR2 in May, but this one was an unusual solar yellow Facelift in great condition, with a low mileage of 46.8k(now bought) so couldn't pass up the opportunity. This had followed me swapping the black MR2 mentioned above (that was For Sale) for a Honda CRZ, but the Honda has subsequently been donated to my son who 'blew-up' his only car:- a battered MX-5. So, once again all change, but at least I am at 4 cars now! The MR-S that I also mentioned for sale above, generated some initial interest, but I must confess that I haven't strongly pushed to sell it as it is such a delightful relatively cheap (not quite valueless) car. However it doesn't make much sense to have 4 cabriolets however much I like each of them. So, over the next few weeks/months it's the intention to replace the MR-S with a winter-runabout, and probably trade in the recently bought yellow MR2 along with with the manual Boxster to get a PDK paddle-shift 987 Gen 2 Boxster .....this would bring the stable to a far more manageable 3 cars 

The Planned 'Fleet'

MX-5 

Boxster 

A cheap runabout eg Audi A2, Ford Fiesta ...... 

Tangible Benefits of Social Drugs?

 A simplistic and relatively shallow series of muses here,  prompted by repeated commentary from naysayers, particularly in reference to nicotine.

Social Drugs I shall confine to just three varieties, although many more exist. I shall discuss  Caffeine, Alcohol, Nicotine but not include another very popular Social Drug :-Cannabis, for whatever reasoning. 

Caffeine 

A straight rip from Google yields this commentary 

''Low to moderate doses of caffeine (50–300 mg) may cause increased alertness, energy, and ability to concentrate, while higher doses may have negative effects such as anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, and increased heart rate. [2] Still, the cumulative research on coffee points in the direction of a health benefit.''  < via this 

So just maybe some Health benefits here! 

Alcohol 

again a Google rip 

''Moderate amounts of alcohol raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or “good” cholesterol), [37] and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease. '' via here  see Nutt et al here to put into context with other social drugs.

Nicotine 

Interestingly no Google rip is available here to post 

but a multitude of entries are shown via this link 

So can I make any conclusions whatsoever here, other than Google and hence TC Chan who provided the commentary on caffeine and alcohol are not predisposed to writing or recording anything positive about nicotine <Why is this??

I can still recall a commentary from a now retired researcher:- Robert West who I have admired for his published works and Tobacco Harm Reduction conference speeches, however he startled me when he stated there are no benefits associated with nicotine. 

I have no intention of regurgitating the Google link above, but simply refer any long suffering reader of this, to Safer Nicotine Wiki  namely this section here and from New Nicotine Alliance especially this entry  a recent entry by Brad Rodu is well worth a read another via Carrie Wade also a good read .Lynne Dawkins 2019 address at GFN entitled Beneficial effects of nicotine.  Finally the GFN'2022 Day #2 Conference on Benefits of nicotine . Yet another very readable entry from Jim McDonald is this . Further detailed research with pros and cons of nicotine use 

Positive benefits of nicotine exist, but seemingly well hidden (ie deliberately ignored by the media) from the vast majority of the general public, who have been consistently and continually brainwashed for many years  largely because of the association with combustible Smoking. 

Nicotine has been researched for very many years,but the overwhelming number of research papers is associated with combustible use, comparatively recently this has changed to research of safer forms. However,funding models especially in the US are frequently designed to find problems and harms, as opposed to benefits. To justify that last comment see Charles Gardner via Regwatch (12:00 onwards)

It could certainly be strongly argued that alcohol is way more dangerous than any of the safer forms of nicotine consumption, similarly are safer forms of nicotine equally as benign as caffeine? and arguably offer more tangible benefits?

But of course the obvious must be stated that both Caffeine and Alcohol have far greater public 'acceptance' than nicotine, this is unjustifiable, from a risk or benefit perspective, but changing public perception will certainly not happen quickly, if at all. This probably because caffeine and alcohol is used by significantly higher numbers in many Western and non-Muslim societies, compared to nicotine(exceptions exist of course). 

Roger Bates neatly summarises the different approaches to caffeine and nicotine in this https://brownstone.org/articles/coffee-nicotine-and-the-politics-of-acceptable-addiction/

Finally, even if Robert West was correct in his assessment that there are no benefits from using nicotine, how does one measure pleasure in any context, not just in the case of nicotine? To this nicotine user who just happens to be a Vaper, there are very many pleasurable flavours that collectively are unique to my palate, how can these possibly be quantified or assessed ?

Competing Interests for Nicotine

 As per usual, this is far from an in-depth analysis, but rather for me to attempt to assemble a few shallow thoughts into print. I shall write about Consumers, Tobacco Industry, Tobacco Control, Bloomberg, Government and hopefully see how each has an impact in relation to one another. 

Consumers

Nicotine vies with Alcohol and Caffeine as one of the three most popular ***social drugs of choice, but due to many years of negative messaging, has an undeserved awful reputation, widely held by the general public. Smoking has been increasingly vilified since the early 1960's following the Royal College of Physicians report into the dangers. However, since that time few attempts have been made by Tobacco Control to give a complete message to separate Smoking and nicotine in their communications. This lack of clarity is extremely counter-productive, but is increasingly a deliberate ploy in certain countries(notably in the US with the FDA and CDC) to deny safer nicotine products gaining acceptance, thus maintaining smoking rates. 

Consumers of nicotine are unwittingly caught up in this battle of competing interests, they simply wish to have access, but an overwhelming alliance of Tobacco Control, Bloomberg, and Government are making this problematic in terms of price and increasingly hostile messaging and restriction. 

In my personal experience, following 45years of Smoking 40 cigarettes per day, I was initially angry with the Tobacco Industry for having me 'hooked' for that period, but this ire was replaced with mild suspicion towards them over the next 9 years. My increasing anger and disquiet have now been directed towards Tobacco Control, Bloomberg, WHO, and Government who (with a few exceptions) have singularly failed to fully educate the public with full truthful information to allow them to make an informed choice regarding all nicotine products. 

*** note Cannabis could well be replacing Nicotine in certain parts of North America as a more popular option, even as a very occasional user I find this 'concerning' see 

Tobacco Industry 

Rightly vilified for its past marketing and efforts to increase Smoking numbers around the World, viewed with suspicion by many ex-smokers, hated by Tobacco Control and Bloomberg but a lucrative cash-cow by Government(s). They are in the seemingly impossible position of trying to adapt to the requirements of nicotine consumers whilst at the same time receiving zero encouragement and outright hostility from Tobacco Control,Bloomberg and most Governments. The Tobacco Industry has attracted much anger from some nicotine consumers when they have tried to influence legislation to give themselves a competitive advantage over Independent sources as was the case in the EU with vaping. 

Giving a date to cease cigarette production are a frequent demand from Tobacco Control, but if any company attempted to unilaterally adopt this policy, their market happily taken onboard by a competitor and the management replaced by its shareholders. 

Despite the Catch 22 situation the Tobacco Industry seemingly finds itself in, it is an incredibly wealthy enterprise that has had many years to prepare for the inevitable changes it must face, thus very well prepared scenarios must have been well researched by them. Change will happen, but would it happen far sooner with a less confrontational approach from its vehement opponents? 

Tobacco Control 

Legislation to control the sale of cigarettes certainly was a  necessary success of the early campaigners, but increasingly the case in certain countries is a constant demonisation of Smoking that has morphed into all nicotine consumption. This demonisation of nicotine puts Tobacco Control into conflict with nicotine users, certain pragmatic countries such as the UK and increasingly the case New Zealand have a more liberal approach to aspects of nicotine use, but not all-embracing eg SNUS remains illegal in the UK despite its undoubted safety and effectiveness. 

Alarmingly, Tobacco Control around the World seems to be increasingly influenced directly by Bloomberg funded organisations or World Health Organisation (indirectly funded via Bloomberg)....this means that Bloomberg has an unaccountable unreasonable voice (see a recent article here )

Bloomberg 

Lazily I shall just leave this from Marc Gunther here 

WHO  here

Government 

Arguably the peoples' representatives have the greatest opportunity to rise above the various competing interests and to apply policies that can satisfy all quarters in an equitable manner. But, high tobacco taxes and excessive lobbying from everyone but Consumers result in stilted, poor policy making to suit the well-financed lobbyists. Few governments around the World seem to have got the balance right 

Lastly 

I should mention that certainly in the case of Vaping, the Independent sector represents the largest part of the market with approximately 75%, but unscrupulous opponents always portray the Tobacco Industry as the majority number.

A few muses about Vaping Consumer Associations

 I must state initially to professing to have very limited experience at either helping to establish, or belonging to a Consumer Association, so my commentary will lack expertise, but rather reflect a few of my assembled thoughts which are UK centric. 

Early Experience

My first encounter with a Consumer Association was in early 2013 when the now-defunct organisation ECCA was going through its 'death throws', if I recall correctly there was an extraordinary AGM organised in about April or May of that year, attempting to organise officials and policy for the upcoming year and beyond. 

The meeting was via internet link and was well attended, but rapidly became unruly, with anarchy setting in, largely instigated by an 'elitist group' who repeatedly caused chaos throughout 2013 onwards, 'agent provocateur was a label given to some of those. ECCA continued briefly but was increasingly beleaguered and irrelevant, despite the best efforts of those who were left in charge. 

Throughout 2014 a new organisation the New Nicotine Alliance (NNA) was in the process of formation, trying to combine Scientists, Academics, and Consumers alike to appeal to a far greater audience, and crucially to increasingly gain the respect of the key decision-makers and influencers. 

These efforts in the early days were certainly a result of the efforts of a few key individuals and were always on a threadbare budget. I briefly served on the Board for maybe about 6 months, but for a variety of reasons felt that I was unable to fully contribute so stood down. 

The organisation through that period is worthy of highlighting for others, there were formal titles for Chairman,Vice Chair, Treasurer, etc but by and large, the organisation was run by a small committee of about 7-8, with monthly internet meetings. Decisions arrived at by consensus. 

The NNA has now been successfully in operation for 7 years, with a few changes in the Board over that time frame, but remains an influential body in the UK, greater influence would of course be better still. 

Other Organisations and Other Countries 

Again, I was aware of well organised French and German Consumer organisations, following my switch to Vaping in 2013. During the EFVI campaign of 2013-14 it seemed obvious that both Trade and Consumer organisations in the UK, Europe and even more widely, needed to evolve and collaborate on a far more organised basis. Now a bewildering array of such organisations exist, as well as NNA models in some other countries.

One country however has seen the rise and fall of its Consumer Association(s), Australia. It would be presumptuous of me to offer remedies or any advice as I know absolutely nothing of the difficulties or the persons involved, but suffice to say I hope that they can rapidly overcome whatever obstacles exist. 

The Spanish Bank Card Saga and associated ramifications

This is a complicated story that as is usual in such cases commenced from humble,simple beginnings.It may provide entertainment, but far more skilled storytellers and wordsmiths would probably do a far better job of outlining this woeful tale.

Background

I have regularly travelled to Spain for the previous 20 years and 3 years ago decided a Spanish bank account would be a useful addition. I duly opened an account at my local branch of Banco Sabadell(from now referred to as BS) in La Jonquera and received a Visa debit card, usefully, this card was acceptable through the French autoroute tolls and at all petrol outlets en-route. The card had an expiry date of Feb 2020. In October 2019 I sent an e-mail to BS requesting that,when due, a new card be sent to my UK address, followed up by a visit into the branch in November to reinforce that request .....no problem was the response.

Unexpected Recent Trip to Spain 

Last Friday 17/1/20 I received the tragic news of the death of a dear close friend who lived in Spain, and that the funeral was to be on Monday 20/1/20 so with zero time to organise much other than booking ferry and hotels en-route using my BS card we set out virtually immediately, arriving at a hotel in La Jonquera on Sunday, close to where the funeral was to take place the next day. The BS card used without incident for tolls and fuel.
As I had not received my replacement card with less than 2 weeks before expiry I decided yet again to go into the BS branch on the morning of the funeral to reiterate the necessity of providing this replacement card in good time and sending it to my UK address. I signed a form and thought no more about this, but the ramifications were just about to begin.
Later that day following the funeral we called into a Spanish supermarket, filled a trolley up with vast amounts of Kas(Spanish soft drink), San Miguel (lager) and other delicacies. To our horror the transaction was refused, even removing the bulk of the contents the card was still refused. Luckily we still had some cash remaining, so purchased a vastly reduced quantity of 'goodies' and resolved to call into BS in the morning to sort the issue out.

Storm Gloria 

When we arrived in Spain on the Sunday it was a balmy afternoon of sunshine and 14 degs C, however Google and the local weather forecast was full of dire warnings for the next 3 days, again we were only mildly interested in this thinking it would have minimal impact. The storm seemed to commence just prior to the funeral on Monday am with torrential rain and high winds, by the time next morning when we wanted to go to the BS branch to sort out our card woes, the weather had continued to worsen and all main roads into and out of Spain( at La Jonquera) were closed due to snow,flooding etc. Our hotel had a power cut just about 2 hours before the bank was due to open and yes you have guessed correctly by the time we fought our way through the carnage of backed up lorries and cars....the bank was closed.
I could continue this horror story with further details where my partner Eirlys, given instruction to try the card in a BS card machine to see if 'active' put it into a non-proprietary machine and the duff card retained - after I went into this bank to ask for the return of the card, they gave the helpful(???) advice of going to BS and ask for a new card,and refusing to return my card.
We had decided at this stage that the only plausible way of escaping Spain was to travel via the tortuous coastal route, but that we would need some money for the journey. Combining the two requirements we travelled to Llanca where amazingly I went into a BS branch without card but showed passport and driving licence and after a little hassle secured 400 euro. This allowed us to commence our journey home.
A few minor dramas continued but we managed to get home at 04:00, 23/1/20

BS seem to have angry disgruntled customers with a very poor rating

https://www.google.com/search?q=banco+sabadell&oq=banco&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j0l7.7019j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#lrd=0x48760352a11eec1f:0x6ecf35a2e217468,1,,,

Stupidity:- Yes totally guilty

A really silly tale here, something we all may have done at some time or other. I was unaware I had left a drivers door window slightly ajar just over a week ago, a neighbour remarked that it was open and unthinkingly at that stage I went out and closed the window.
Later, upon reflection I was a little more concerned as we had experienced(along with many parts of the country) much heavy rainfall. Next day I started the car, and my attention diverted by operating a powered roof that was 'playing up' and operating sluggishly, when I looked at the dashboard it was to my horror still lit up like a Christmas tree of warning lights.
So, even though the floor and seats in the car were bone-dry, rainwater had clearly got into/under the dashboard and some damage the result. The ECU, ABS lights were just 2 of the warning lights that warned me to stop the car and get to a garage or auto electrician asap. Last week was abysmal in terms of weather and this caused me to abandon all thoughts of attempting to limp to a garage, my rationale was that a damp atmosphere would exacerbate the situation.
As happens in Beard life, my thoughts turned to potentially swapping the car, but fortunately this came to nought, the car in question is relatively worthless, but a gem (27k miles 2010 Audi TT convertible, Autotrader value < £6k)
To end this tedious tale ... GOOD NEWS...

Exactly 1 week after last trying to use the car I had to move it a few yards, lo and behold NO warning lights were on the car, and after using it on a short journey stopping and starting it a few times the problem seems to have gone away.

Trivial stuff I know, nothing profound, but a very timely warning of what could have been a major expense , fuses,relays,ECU ....£Hundreds even Thousands and lingering doubts about future reliability.

This blog post is a carry on from here, for those who may not have read it!
https://alanbeard.blogspot.com/2019/01/unashamedly-cars.html

Agggh Brexit!

No, I am far from bored or disinterested in this ever-fascinating subject. I will state from the onset I was and remain a Brexit supporter.

I don't propose to do a highly detailed account charting such things as a seeming May/Robbins betrayal of the work of Brexit Ministers David Davies and Steve Baker arriving at 'her deal' with the contentious Irish backstop.

The whole negotiating process was deeply flawed from the outset and well argued here  that the EU had outmanoeuvred the UK even before the Referendum results were announced, by contrast we had done zero preparation.

On a personal level the level of demeaning,bitterness and bile hurled towards folks who supported Brexit has been truly galling, Lorien summarises this phenomenom very well - here 

So, I have set the scene somewhat.

$64k ?  Where does this now go, with Parliament in turmoil ...a multitude of options exist BUT

I am not a defeatist by nature and do not give in readily to bullies .... the various options leave me with a measure of distaste for all . The only one that has any appeal is the EEA/EFTA option, if we are not able to manage a purpose made option that avoids the Irish border difficulties.

So ...... I think that, heaven forbid, we should simply revoke Article 50 for now, settle in with the EU again for at least 1 EU Parliamentary term of 5 years.  STRONG well supported Brexit parties  need to emerge.that learn from this whole debacle. Clear policies and negotiating positions need establishing well before any repeat of triggering. This sadly though is probably a pipe dream, the 1st past the post system ensures the domination of the 'big-two' parties.

In conclusion, it's fairly clear to this author where HMG and Parliament should be moving to, but up to date revoking Article 50 seems to not feature in any Parliamentary debate, so is an unlikely option.

Unashamedly Cars

I have been a fully paid up state pensioner for just under a year, but the love of owning and driving cars remains undimmed.
My earliest recollections of childhood all revolve around cars, some of my most memorable and pleasurable memories throughout my life revolve around road trips,journeys,whether by camper van,motorcycle,or ....yep...cars.

My love of cars has never been especially about the inner workings or self- maintenance of whatever vehicle I happened to own. This was ingrained into my psyche with my first ever car, a Mini,where I decided to strip an SU carburettor to make the vehicle run 'better' - the resultant mess of missing springs,needle-jets etc forever cured that budding mechanic. I prefer to leave the maintenance to enthusiasts and genuine experts, it's the driving that's the attraction.

I'm sure that it would be truly boring to anyone who has managed to get this far, for me to list and appraise the various vehicles I have owned over the years(assuming I could attempt to recall 45+years of ownership). Instead of that, my focus will be on the last 12-13 months in an attempt to make sense of a flurry of car activity.

December 2017 total cars owned (3) :- Toyota MR2 (Mk 3), Honda Civic Type R(new shape), 2002 Honda Accord Type R

Just over 12 months ago this was my 'stable', all very good cars and each capable of delivering much pleasure but two were sold within a few months.The first to go was the MR2 roadster that was a 2006 model with ~ 30,000 miles in excellent condition, bought following extensive research into affordable roadsters with good driving characteristics. Yes I knew it had minimal to zero storage with no boot, but it did provide many happy moments throughout its life with me, but decided it had to go for another slightly more practical vehicle ....so opted for a 2011 Honda Civic Type R with ~10k miles in wonderful condition.

June 2018 total cars owned(4) Honda Civic Type R (old +new shapes), Accord Type R,  Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4 

My experience with the new shape 316bhp Civic Type R was very mixed throughout my short ownership of 6 months. The car is immensely capable and far exceeds my capabilities to explore its true potential, however what I could state is that the cornering ability, acceleration and braking were outstanding BUT my car was beset with silly niggling issues that spoiled my ownership experience. The fuel filler neck was frozen up with a 3'' block of ice,just as we were about to go on a long journey, another troubling non-Honda issue was that rodents loved to chew upon the battery and associated cables. Trivial, but sufficient to leave me slightly dissatisfied, enough though to make me look at a Skoda to replace it!
The UK Winter of 2017-18 was harsh including a number of 'beast from the East' episodes, the second of which left us without hot or cold water due to frozen water pipes and the consequent inability to use our gas boiler, to compound this our roads were blocked with snow. Following this episode I decided that a cheap 4x4 runabout was needed, after much deliberation a petrol Skoda Octavia Scout 160 bhp was acquired and immediately was impressed by its ability,quality and sturdiness.
This Octavia purchase led to me replacing the Type R mentioned above from a dealership that had both Honda and Skoda in its group, so after test driving a Skoda Superb DSG 280 4x4 petrol I did a swap.
Car fever had clearly taken hold of me at this stage as I was also a little dissatisfied with the hard riding older Type R and managed to swap for a nearly new Hyundai i30N

July 2018 total cars owned (4) Skoda Superb 4x4, Skoda Octavia Scout 4x4, Hyundai i30N, Honda Accord Type R 

So now I have 4 cars! and nagging doubts start creeping in, why on earth do you need 4 cars ffs!, why are all of them of a similar ilk (the Skoda Scout was remapped from its stock 160 bhp to 210bhp)? I tried to donate the Scout to my daughter, the Accord to my son, but alas .....this failed to happen. As is usual in Beard life, events then happened suddenly,rapidly but just maybe for the better! roll on now to the end of 2018

January 2019 total cars owned(4) VW Polo Gti (1.8), Audi TT roadster 1.8, Skoda Fabia 1.0 (110), Honda Accord Type R 

Virtually a complete overhaul of my 'garage' and my son is going to take the Accord this weekend. All of the 3 other cars have been remapped as all feature turbochargers, the expert who did this has done all of my vehicles for the past 10 years and I am always delighted at the result. All are exceedingly pleasant to drive, the humble Fabia is the workhorse, but it's a little gem.

Conclusions 

I must be mad! Car dealers around the UK rub their hands with glee whenever I make contact, but its both my hobby and passion,however this constant tinkering does come at a price so a period of stability must now be the regime.

***** barely finished writing this, when AAAAAAAGGGHHHH a dealer contacted me to see if I want to swap my recently purchased 2010 32k mile Audi TT for a 2018 Fiat 124 Spider 3k miles! The madness never ceases it seems.

*****
24 hours on, 2 Fiats later, I am back to a previous deal from 2 weeks ago :- a newer TT, a Mk3 circa 2016.

Beard nonsense continued, the newer Audi mentioned has been traded in along with the Polo for a 17 reg Audi TTs

So by early Feb. maybe, just maybe sanity has returned and now this 2 person 'family' has returned to just 2 cars, especially as only one of us drives.

Early April arrived and the recently purchased Skoda Fabia traded in for a Honda Civic Sport (1.5 Turbo)......yes exactly like the one I traded in at the end of 2017.....gone full circle in 18 months

Mid- April - even more nonsense, the newly acquired Honda Civic has been found to be giving me way too much back pain so has been swapped for a new Hyundai i30N, to finance that I have once again shuffled the Audi TT stable, selling a very expensive TTs for a lesser and much older 1.8 Tfsi.

Owned the Hyundai i30N for a month < 1k miles , sold it for a 2016 Audi TT Coupe (230 bhp, but now 300 bhp) - reasoning? I liked the driving experience of the TT cabriolet that much I reasoned the Coupe would do as my 'transporter' having a largish boot and nominally 4 seats. My 'tuner' Fahad had his usual go at the car ......simply Wow!

But at least only 2 cars in total!

Definitely the last post on this subject, my mind needs to focus on other needs in my life :-)

Vaping,Vultures and Cars

Please bear with me whilst I do a characteristic waffle,before arriving at the nitty gritty and the real purpose of this post

Starting in reverse order with cars and their power plants, some induce a feeling of pleasure whilst others are nonedescript,functional and bland. PreTurbo era, naturally aspirated cars that I have some knowledge of, include a Honda Accord Type R with a 2.2 litre VTEC, BMW M3 3.2litre, Porsche Boxster 3.4 litre S, all of these have wonderful engines with a delicious exhaust note in my opinion, but how does one quantify a subjective opinion into facts.

We are now in the Turbo era, where naturally aspirated petrol or diesel cars are as rare as hens teeth. From their introduction into F1 and rally cars in the early 80's usually fairly unreliable, and 'peaky' ,turbocharging has improved in leaps and bounds regarding reliability,driveability and efficiency so much so that they are the norm in even the most mundane of vehicle. Just to highlight the staggering evolution, a 4 cylinder 2.0 litre Ford Fiesta of mid 2000's was producing 150 bhp., whereas the latest offering is a 3 cylinder 1.5 litre producing 200 bhp. and is actually more economical. For me though the turbocharger has dulled the sensory pleasure of hearing an engine being 'wrung-out' or extended at 'full chat'.

Continuing my evolutionary story, I must include electric/hydrogen vehicles of which I know little, these are supposedly the future of motoring, speed, zero emissions are among the virtues. High purchase costs even after government assistance, incomplete and patchy charging infrastructure has meant that current sales are modest. My initial impression of these vehicles is that pleasure is even further eroded from the naturally aspirated era, but that is maybe an 'old fogie' with luddite tendencies speaking. The UK Government recently announced that by 2040 all new cars must not include petrol or diesel as their powerplants.........

Now just imagine that was not 2040 but in 6 weeks time, and all existing vehicles must be removed from the road . This is in effect what the latest FDA announcement on #ecigs was implying in a worst case scenario, others have covered this folly in far greater depth than I wish to dwell upon here. It is my contention that Gottleib in cahoots with the likes of the Truth Initiative and Tobacco Free Kids hatched a devious plan probably 12 months ago to knobble ecigs via the commercial success of JUUL. As we know he is proclaiming an epidemic, whilst producing no data, having to act upon public outrage that he and the other organisations have fuelled via a gullible media.This is truly depressing to examine from afar, I can only imagine the despair of US Vapers and the Vape Industry at this ongoing uncertainty. This is where my Vultures could be applied to from the title, but no it's in the next brief paragraph

Very Low Nicotine Containing Content (VLNCC) cigarettes was the other hobbyhorse that FDA head Gottleib was promoting very soon after taking up his post, in conjunction with attempting to move smokers to #ecigs.
I have written about this in a previous blog and I shall now reveal VLCOS (Very Little Chance of Success) is my acronym that for some reason was bastardised into Vultures.

A Few Reflections

My recent blogging attempts have been rather curtailed for a variety of reasons, shoddy internet availability,far more gifted peers,the lack of anything much to contribute. This blog will follow a typical pattern of a scattergun approach, and trust that someone, somewhere, may find it interesting or at least a discussion starting point.

Newish products tried and tested

I am not a reviewer, and typically if happy with something eg my current Vape set up(s) will not stray too far from them, however I was curious enough to see what the fuss about IQOS and JUUL was about, to buy one when they became available. My initial impressions of IQOS were mild disappointment and thus slightly underwhelmed,but with persistence I found I was looking forward to my 'daily treat' of maybe 2-3 Heets, however the cost of these will always be a prohibiting factor for myself. JUUL in the UK of course has a TPD spec limiting it to 20mg/ml,compared to 58mg/ml availability in the US, however, even though lower than 'ideal', my initial experience is positive and can see this as a useful addition, especially for when driving.

These and other similar products are coming thick and fast, despite the regular nonsense in the media and from the withering voices of rogue 'Public Health' renegades, choices for smokers(considering switching) have increased greatly. I shall not get involved in the curious debate amongst some Vapers opposed to stores stocking these products, but simply state that it's entirely up to the store to decide what they wish to sell.

Following on from my last passage, it would be great to see far more co-operative schemes, where a Vape store works in tandem with an enlightened,pragmatic local Stop Smoking Service eg Leicester, Southampton. Generally SSS have seen a reduction in footfall and a reduction in their staff numbers and budgets, this is a natural consequence if seen by the consumer as irrelevant and by cash strapped councils who are not always seeing value for money. It is still very concerning that over 66% of local govt have not adopted an e-cig friendly approach as implicitly advocated by Public Health England, Royal College of Physicians .....etc, the Public Health Minister Steve Brine states it's advisory!

Taxes 

This raises its head either at an EU or UK level, the EU has a 'consultation' that is ongoing, the UK if the SUN newspaper is to be believed is proposing a sin-tax in the November budget to raise £40 million to be used for the NHS. To state the obvious this would be nonsensical when other Departments and Agencies are supposedly in favour of Harm Reduction. I hope this is/was a 'planted' story with no substance, if that is not the case and the Chancellor does indeed announce a 'sin-tax' this UK Government will confirm its ineptitude in no uncertain terms

The level of Support Required for New #ecig Switchers and a few suggestions

None of what I shall be writing here is rocket science or even original content,apart from a wacky idea that I shall advance towards the end of this blog

After this quite encouraging but slightly misguided RCGP conference summary was published,it triggered an instant response from me in the comments section

Without rehashing the same comments, it ran along the lines that GP and most Stop Smoking Service(SSS) have neither the knowledge, or in particular the financial resources(+staff) to fully support new switchers, if they have chosen to use e-cigarettes in place of tobacco cigarettes. Please note, I do not expect, or am advocating for free kits to be provided by SSS, however if their budgets allow,this could well be very helpful(but piss off non-smoking taxpayers?) Hampshire and Bristol have just  introduced such schemes .

The vast majority of #ecigs users will have transitioned from tobacco cigarettes without any GP or SSS involvement whatsoever. There are a few notable exceptions, such as Louise Ross from Leicester SSS, who have been incredibly supportive since 2014 pioneering and campaigning for an e-cig friendly service(along with so much more).

How, many of the 1.5 million UK sole users have been 'supported' to date

1) Vaping Forums  eg AAEC , Planet of the Vapes , UK Vapers , E-Cigarette Forum are the 'Big Four' in the UK

Each of these have new user sections, the level of knowledge,guidance, general product and mental support awe inspiring, and certainly not to be dismissed or discounted.

2) Dedicated Facebook Groups :- way too numerous to make a meaningful list, but try this 

3) Twitter - very quickly can get support from #Vapefam, most folks very willing to help new users. try this site to get you started  as a suggestion(thousands of others also exist)

4) Bricks and Mortar Vape shops - again a vast amount of knowledge exists here

Items 1-4 have supported 'many', but I cannot and would not estimate how large a proportion of the 1.5 million sole users(out of 2.9million total users) were exposed to this knowledge and information

**Note, after writing my blog, this academic article appeared on twitter, which covers the above points in a similar, but more rigorous manner, covering 4192 former smokers.

Hare brained Suggestion Time to provide additional useful Support

 a) Social Media from Central Governmentt Sources/ Public Health England/NHS dealing with Smoking eg #Stoptober here 

 b) As above but local Government based + funded (eg pre-existing SSS.)

c) 'Sympathetic' University Departments

could

Operate a dedicated #Switch2Ecig  website+ Social Media sites with  both a) +b)+c) providing funds + personnel to establish and operate, BUT crucially involve the genuine experts :- VAPERS to help run this (try NNA and VIP, even IBVTA /ECITA for knowledgeable volunteers).

It only needs a handful of folks to operate,and potentially be a very cost effective scheme, especially as austerity measures continue to bite. Empowerment is a word frequently used...this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate just that!

** NOTE

E-Cigarettes are primarily a pleasurable consumer device, that have the added benefit of being a highly popular and effective aid to stopping smoking . Other aids are available, having varying effectiveness, the key to cessation success, is consumers having access to detailed accurate information, and making an informed choice of method. This blog was not intended to 'knock' SSS(many of which are under great financial pressure), rather to inform GP and interested others, of what *alternatives* currently exists for new switchers and how that could be enhanced.

As mentioned above,and as we are all aware  many local authority SSS have received massive reductions in their budgets  which politicians and NGO such as ASH and CR_UK are campaigning Central Government to address. However this is further complicated by many local authorities antipathy towards Vaping , without a wholehearted embrace of Vaping as a valid cessation method , ,they should be defunded or have their budgets slashed, as has been the case.

Why should Central Government bale out rogue councils who have decided that the advice and guidance from themselves via PHE,NCSCT, Stoptober(NHS) is ignored for ideological reasoning, to the detriment of their citizens. This commentary from LGE  (2016)is illuminating, giving a glimpse of the conflict and ignorance that exists(recently reinforced via this damning follow up survey) .

In economic terms the costs/quitter figures do not make for enthralling or edifying reading  this quotes £55,571 per quitter, although I have read estimates of £74,000 elsewhere...... naturally a price cannot be attached to a smokers life BUT surely a more radical commonsense  approach needs examining and implementing?

The solution is staring cash strapped councils in the face, what are they waiting for? All professional and responsible bodies apart from the BMA have made positive reports or commentary towards Vaping in England, surely the WHO negativity(heavily criticised) should hold zero credence!

Lengthy reply Removed by Moderator

One of lifes' little frustrations, is writing what you consider a courteous detailed reply to someone, only for the moderator to jump in and remove the commentary(their prerogative of course!)

This happened today Monday 21/8/17 in reply to  Prof Michael Eriksen in the Conversation here 

my reply was thus :-  .....

'Prof.Eriksen….Michael

Much to admire in your article referring to the recent announcement from the FDA, I wish to make a few points regarding a few of your comments

You stated ‘I can assure you that few smokers derive true pleasure from their addiction. My research team has found that most smokers regret that they ever started, and they desperately want to quit the habit.’

I have seen varying reports/surveys ranging from 40-90% that state smoker regret having started see for eg https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4163128/ at 83%, http://www.gallup.com/poll/163763/smokers-quit-tried-multiple-times.aspx at 74%, https://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/story/switching-low-tar-cigarettes-halves-chance-quitting-smoking-pitt-study-finds at 43% and indeed your own https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28383508 at 71.5%

I make the observation that many of those surveys compiled data from smokers who had a clear determination and motivation to quit as they had accessed stop smoking services.

As an ex-smoker myself, it is not quite as cut and dried as you imply,I cannot provide counter-data, but believe a 'love-hate' affair is probably nearer the truth for many smokers,unrecorded by researchers.

Additionally the notion of smoking pleasure was dismissed, however these  items(many others are available) present a different picture.

https://nicotinepolicy.net/neil-mckeganey/6587-the-enjoyment-of-smoking and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP1GCLeVXn8

http://www.spiked-online.com/newsite/article/smokers-enjoy-cigarettes-deal-with-it/19161#.WZr1FiiGPtQ

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3789591.stm  

I have no desire to labour the point further, but a substantial number of smokers derive pleasure from their smoking and have zero desire to quit.

However, even though now a non-smoker for well over four years, I read some of the claims from tobacco control with ever increasing scepticism. Truth and facts should not require embellishment, 'the end must not justify the means' in what has become an ever more acrimonious pro-anti nicotine 'debate', with the consumer as the casualty in this war.

********

The notion and appeal of Very Low Nicotine Content Cigarettes(VLNC) to Smokers having no desire to Quit is either very low or zero. These gentlemen put across the arguments against VLNC,far more succinctly than I could hope to achieve

Dr Siegel
http://tobaccoanalysis.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/anti-tobacco-groups-publicly-lie-about.html

Prof. Kozlowski

https://theconversation.com/why-requiring-low-nicotine-cigarettes-is-still-ill-advised-66545

Clive Bates

https://www.clivebates.com/huge-fda-announcement-on-future-tobacco-and-nicotine-strategy/

Prof. West

http://www.rjwest.co.uk/blog.php  

Regarding the possible size of the black market you said ‘Of course, regulators would have to figure out how to prevent black market sales of high-nicotine cigarettes.’

I honestly believe that you,the FDA and all who are advancing VLNC have grossly underestimated the scale of this market, and the unintended consequence of empowering and emboldening the criminal element who would willingly supply and satisfy the demand. 1920’s-30’s alcohol prohibition was not a glorious chapter in US History, it will be repeated if this VLNC folly continues.

Nothing rude,maybe some items are contentious,but that is debate?

Challenges for Vendors and Desirability of Compulsory Membership of a Trade Association

Firstly,
I am not a vendor and so claim zero expertise or deep knowledge on the details of running a successful business, but as a consumer directly influenced by their current and future viability these thoughts are directed towards them.

I do not propose to rake over the sad history of how and why TPD2  evolved as it did, or bleat about how the MHRA is implementing such as this, despite Lord Prior stating

• “the promise of Italian light-style implementation”

But rather concentrate upon what was said in these tweets via ECF 

'It's obvious that without consistent, professional and unified industry representation vaping will face continual challenges.''

More to the point, how to convince this disparate industry that without a well-funded professional body the future is not good?''

The disturbing reality is that out of 2000 vendors,equipment manufacturers,juice makers....etc there exists only a tiny number who are involved or members of a trade association

see ECITA , IBVTA and yes even the infamous TVECA , also a newer entry UKVIA for current UK membership numbers *please note,no details of subscription costs are included in my blog*

whilst some of the big players are contained here,there are vast numbers who are not involved whatsoever. Again, I don't want to now start a long script extolling the virtues of belonging to a trade association other than saying 'strength in numbers, helps to protect your business', 'helps to guarantee the quality of the ''product'' and to avoid rogue traders'................. 

It is inexplicable that vendors have not joined up, and a false economy to save upon the membership fees, when the very future of their business is in the balance.

Maybe controversially, I shall advance a thought that all vendors should  belong to a trade association (of their choice ), on a compulsory basis. I am a libertarian by nature, but something along these lines has to be at least considered, before regulators decide that for you. 

Licensing(of e-cig outlets) appeared in recent Welsh and Scottish proposed legislation,inevitably this will be passed eventually.This is but one example of where a meaningful 'lobby' that a strong trade association could represent, may help favourably frame the debate with legislators.

The same circumstances exist in the US(and elsewhere), with the same unwanted outcome expected so fgs. Get yourselves organised NOW!  

Join one of the 3 UK based Associations asap or if you are from a European country without a Trade Association consider ECIV 

** I regularly listen to Dimitris  on here  bemoaning the lack of vendor involvement in the various state trade associations ** so the problem is far from unique to the UK 

*** Further updated 2021*** 

I am reliably informed from one of the Trade Associations that they now estimate that 75% of all businesses now belong to an Association(by volume), but still only 10% of business belong to a Trade Association,  with membership packages from £600 pa.(up to 4 shops) that seems a foolish economy.