The Alcohol playbook and its web of influence
David Miller Professor of Sociology Co-Director Public Interest Investigations
Taking an evidence-based approach to reducing alcohol-related harm - Balance/ANEC Alcohol conference, 21-22 November 2013 Merchants of doubt
How a loose–knit group of high-level scientists, with extensive political connections, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades… Showing how the ideology of free market fundamentalism, aided by a too- compliant media, has skewed public understanding of some of the most pressing issues of our era.
Doubt is their product
David Michaels reveals how the tobacco industry's duplicitous tactics spawned a multimillion dollar industry that is dismantling public health safeguards.
Product defense consultants… have increasingly skewed the scientific literature, manufactured and magnified scientific uncertainty, and influenced policy decisions to the advantage of polluters and the manufacturers of dangerous products. To keep the public confused about the hazards posed by global warming, second-hand smoke, asbestos, lead, plastics, and many other toxic materials, industry executives have hired unscrupulous scientists and lobbyists to dispute scientific evidence about health risks.
The Orwellian strategy of dismissing research conducted by the scientific community as „junk science‟ and elevating science conducted by product defense specialists to „sound science" status also creates confusion about the very nature of scientific inquiry and undermines the public's confidence in science's ability to address public health and environmental concerns Industrial Actors
• Industrial actors engage in a range of tactics and strategies in order to influence the policy process. • Corporations and their proxies form complex networks across multiple levels of governance in order to develop and extend favourable trading conditions. • Such strategies are not always successful, but they are comprehensively and consciously planned and relatively unexplored.
Multiple corporate voices
• Media Capture: „Journo- lobbying‟. • Science Capture: funding, management, fake institutes. • Civil Society capture: Astroturf, patient groups, think tanks. • Policy Capture: populating the information environment and making that count in action. Multiple corporate voices EU level - Alcohol
• Business wide lobby group .
• Food industry lobby group European • Elite policy Round planning group Table
• Sectoral lobby • Lobby firm group EU
• Science . • Think tank
management .
• International think tank Multiple corporate voices - EU examples
17 memberships Science and civil society capture
• From the provision of information through lobbying to „front groups‟
Social Issues Research Centre
• 'fosters the image of an ultra-concerned public spirited group' and of 'a heavy-weight research body'. • It is also run by a PR/marketing company from the same address. • MCM Research used to announce on its website its approach to open and truthful communications: – „Do your PR initiatives sometimes look too much like PR initiatives? MCM conducts social/psychological research on the positive aspects of your business... The results do not read like PR literature‟.
• Source: Annabel Ferriman „An end to health scares?‟ BMJ 1999;319:716- ( 11 September ) http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7211/716 Civil society capture: Institute of Ideas
• Created in 2000 • Based in Farringdon Road, London • Directed by Claire Fox, a former teacher • Says that it provides a public space where „ideas Claire Fox, Institute of Ideas, can be contested without in 2004. constraint‟.
Institute of Ideas
The Institute of Ideas claims it is committed to:
•The legacy of the Enlightenment: scientific and social experimentation, intellectual ambition and curiosity •Embracing change and making history •Art for art's sake, knowledge for its own sake, and education as an end in itself. •Freedom. To think, to act, to say what needs saying - even if it offends others •Challenging irrational social panics •Open and robust debate, in which ideas can be interrogated, argued for and fought over •Civil liberties, with no ifs or buts
Claire Fox, Institute of Ideas • 2001 – Culture Wars adopted as a vehicle • 2003 – Launched Debating Matters – schools debating competition • 2005 – Launched Battle of Ideas • 2005 – New York Salon, the first in a series of Salons • 2006 – Engaging Cogs – debates on engineering • 2010 – Global Uncertainties Schools Network • 2011 – The Academy launched – Summer school
• 2001 – Culture Wars adopted as a vehicle • 2003 – Launched Debating Matters – schools debating competition • 2005 – Launched Battle of Ideas • 2005 – New York Salon, the first in a series of Salons • 2006 – Engaging Cogs – debates on engineering • 2010 – Global Uncertainties Schools Network • 2011 – The Academy launched – Summer school
Institute of Ideas and Spiked
Address: 49-51 Farringdon Directors and shareholders: Road • Claire Fox London • Ellie Lee (Eleanor Lee) (Writes for EC1M 3JP Spiked; Spiked Shareholder) United Kingdom Shareholders: Officers • Suke Wolton •Frank Furedi - company director (Spoken at the Battle of Ideas, • Jennie Bristow (Spiked launch Debating Matters, Manchester Salon, featured at Culture wars ) team, shareholder and •Helene Guldberg - company director and secretary (Battle of Ideas commissioning editor) committee 2012, featured on Culture Wars ) • Phil Mullan (Registrant of the Staff: Spiked website) •Mick Hume – founder and editor-at-large (Spoken at the Battle of Staff: Ideas, Debating Matters) • Tony Gilland (Written for Spiked) •Brendan O'Neill – editor (has spoken at the Battle of Ideas, • Tiffany Jenkins (Written for the Brighton Salon, Leeds Salon and Manchester Salon) Spiked) •Rob Lyons – deputy editor (Editor Parents Forum, Institute of Ideas) • Dolan Cummings (Written for •Nathalie Rothschild – commissioning editor (writes for Culture Wars, Spiked) is a co-ordinator for the Institute of Ideas, has spoken at the Battle of • Geoff Kidder Ideas, adjudicates for Debating Matters) • Shirley Dent (Written for Spiked) •Tim Black – senior writer (written for Culture Wars, has spoken at • Helen Birtwistle the Battle of Ideas, and the Brighton Salon and has adjudicated for Debating Matters) The road to the Institute of Ideas
• 1973 Split from International Socialists, to create the Revolutionary Communist Group. • 1976 A sizable minority are expelled from the RCG. • 1977 Frank Furedi leader of the expelled faction creates the Revolutionary Communist Tendency • 1981 Changes name into the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) • 1988 RCP establishes Living Marxism • 1990 RCP begins infiltration of academic and media circles • 1996 RCP dissolves itself • 1997 Living Marxism title changed to LM • 2000 LM forced to close after it loses libel case to ITN • Spiked and Institute of Ideas launched Institute of Ideas
Claire Fox, BBC TV Question Claire Fox, on BBC TV Question Time, 2004 Time 2009
Claire Foster AKA Claire Fox, as RCP candidate, May 1986
Claire Fox, 2007 Claire Fox, Sheffield, 2011 Links with conservative think tanks Corporate funding
Corporate funding/support • Arup • BT Corporate funding • Cadbury Schweppes • BT • City of London • CropLife International (BASF, • Hill and Knowlton (PR firm) Bayer, Dow, DuPont, • IBM Syngenta) • International Policy Network (climate sceptic think • Jaguar Land Rover tank) • Pfizer • Luther Pendragon (PR firm) • PWC • Orange • SABMiller • O2 • Shell • Pfizer • The Times • Social Issues Research Centre (PR related firm) • Tech Central Station (PR related think tank) Views on public health Medical Research Council mission
The Medical Research Council is a publicly-funded organisation dedicated to improving human health by supporting world-class medical research across the biomedical spectrum. It gives a high priority to research that is likely to make a real difference to clinical practice and the health of the population. Its mission is defined by Royal Charter[1]
Centres on supporting research to improve human health, disseminating knowledge and technology to improve the quality of life and economic competitiveness of the UK, promoting dialogue with the public about medical research, providing leadership in the governance of medical research, and promoting the translation of basic research discoveries into new and improved healthcare policy and practice.[2] Sources 1. Charter of the Medical Research Council. Further Supplemental Charter. 2003. 2. The Medical Research Council. About Us. [cited 2012 5 October]; Available from: http://www.mrc.ac.uk/About/Missionstatement/index.htm.
Wellcome Trust mission
The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving improvements in human and animal health, primarily by supporting high quality research. The Trust spends approximately £600 million every year to fulfil its mission: “supporting the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities”.[1]… Its broadly defined mission is designed to allow it to respond flexibly to medical needs and scientific opportunities. As well as tackling immediate priorities, it takes a long-term perspective in supporting research with a view to benefiting future generations.[1] Focusing on areas of unmet health need its commitment to maximising the application of research to improve health is driven by the goal of maximising health benefits.[2]… Its funding philosophy (which involves support clinical, population-based and public health research on disease and on new healthcare interventions) centres on supporting and developing research excellence[2]… Finally, Wellcome, strives to embed biomedical science in the cultural landscape, so that it is valued and there is mutual trust between researchers and the wider public…. Understanding the social, political and historical contexts of biomedical science and its application will help to deliver its potential for health improvement.[2]
Sources 1. Wellcome Trust. Organisation. [cited 2012 5 September]; Available from: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/About-us/Organisation/index.htm. 2. Wellcome Trust, Strategic Plan 2010-20. 2010.
ESRC mission The Economic and Social Research Council is the UK's largest organisation for funding research on economic and social issues. It provides advice on, disseminates knowledge of, and promotes public understanding of the social sciences.[1]
Although publicly funded, its Royal Charter emphasises the importance of independence and impartial research.[2] Its mission centres on advancing knowledge through support for high quality basic, strategic and applied research and providing trained social scientists who meet the needs of economy, public sector and civil society.[2]
This is consistent with its overriding aim of contributing to the economic competitiveness of the UK, the effectiveness of public services and policy, and the quality of life.[1]
To maximise its impact it places an emphasis on stimulating creativity and adventure in research, which involves encouraging innovative theory and research methods across the social sciences and justifies its investment in both fundamental and applied research.
Sources 1. The Economic and Social Research Council. Our mission, strategy and priorities. [cited 2012 5 October]; Available from: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-we-do/mission-strategy-priorities/index.aspx. 2. The Economic and Social Research Council. What we do. [cited 2012 5 October]; Available from: http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-we-do/index.aspx. Wellcome Trust funding of the Institute of Ideas
Institute of Ideas received £875 000 Wellcome Trust Strategic Award to support the development of its two flagship projects - The Battle of Ideas festival and the Debating Matters competition - over a five-year period.
Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, commented:
•„Both Debating Matters and the Battle of Ideas have shown tremendous success at getting young people to engage with the contemporary biomedical issues at the heart of our society. We hope that this Strategic Award will help to cement the future of these two important projects, in encouraging scientific literacy and inspiring the decision-makers of tomorrow.‟
ESRC funding of the Institute of Ideas
• ESRC took over as „headline‟ sponsor of the Battle of Ideas in 2007 and 2008 from US pharma giant Pfizer
• ESRC paid the Institute of Ideas almost £200,000 between 2007 and 2011
Bill Durodie: Contributor to Living Marxism, Audacity, Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Manifesto Club ESRC funding of the Institute of Ideas
Munira Mirza: • LM Network (from at least 1999-2010) • Policy Exchange (2006-7) • since June 2008 head of cultural policy for the Mayor of London the Conservative Boris Johnson. ESRC funding of the Institute of Ideas
Source: Institute of Ideas, „We have never needed serious public debate more – sponsor the Battle of Ideas 2009‟. Disclosed by the ESRC under the Freedom of Information Act Claire Fox
Claire Fox, 2007 Public funding of the Institute of Ideas
Battle of Ideas speakers Battle of Ideas speakers: LM network
• Duleep Allirajah – Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Libero, Internet Freedom • Josie Appleton – Manifesto Club, Spiked, Institute of Ideas • Sabine Beppler-Spahl (chair) - NovoArgumente • Justine Brian (Chair) – Debating Matters • David Bowden – Institute of Ideas, Debating Matters, Spiked • Dolan Cummings – Institute of Ideas, Manifesto Club, Spiked • Dr Stuart Derbyshire x2 – Spiked, Institute for Ideas, Academics for Academic Freedom • Alistair Donald – Spiked, ManTownHuman, Future Cities Project • Dr Bill Durodié – Audacity, Manifesto Club, Institute of Ideas, Spiked • Martin Earnshaw – Institute of Ideas, Future Cities Project • Claire Fox (chair) x2 • Tony Gilland – Institute of Ideas, Spiked, Sense About Science • John Gillot – Spiked, Institute of Ideas • Timandra Harkness - Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Audacity, Manifesto Club • Bríd Hehir - Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Parenting Culture Studies, Future Cities Project
Battle of Ideas speakers: LM network (cont) • Dr Ellie Lee (chair) – Institute of Ideas, Spiked, Parenting Culture Studies, Pro-Choice Forum • Kirk Leech – Institute of Ideas, WORLDwrite, Spiked, Novo, Modern Movement, Rising East • Rob Lyons x2 – Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Sense About Science • David Perks - Spiked, Institute of Ideas • Martyn Perks (chair) - Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Big Potatoes, Future Cities Project • Kai Rogusch – Institute of Ideas, NovoArgumente • Hilary Salt – Spiked, Institute of Ideas, Manchester Salon • Jane Sandeman – Spiked, Institute of Ideas, WORLDwite • Jason Smith – Birmingham Salon, Spiked, Culture Wars • Robin Walsh (chair) – Institute of Ideas, Modern Movement, Spiked, Future Cities Project • Dr David Wainwright – Institute of Ideas, spiked Media capture – Science Media Centre
• Created in 2002 • Became charity in 2011 • Based in the offices of the Wellcome Trust from 2010/11
According to the SMC:
The independence of the Science Media Centre is critical to the work we carry out. We do not have any specific agenda other than to promote the reporting of evidence- based science.*
______* Source: Science Media Centre „About Us‟ http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/about-us/, accessed 7 July 2013. Corporate funding (2013)
Pharma Food and drink Abbott Laboratories Chilled Food Association (CFA) Association of the British Pharmaceutical Coca-Cola Industry Food and Drink Federation AstraZeneca Unilever UK Bayer Plc GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Media and publishing industry Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Limited A&N Media, including Daily Mail, The Mail on Novartis Sunday, Metro and MailOnline Proctor & Gamble Elsevier BV Sanofi Aventis John Wiley & Sons Inc Sanofi Pasteur MSD Nature Smith & Nephew Springer science+business media
Biotech Mobile phones Life Technologies Mobile Manufacturers Forum Syngenta Mobile Operators Association (MOA) CropLife International Energy/extractive Oil industry Chemical industry BP International Ltd BASF National Grid Chemical Industries Association (CIA) L’Oreal UK Nuclear industry UK Cleaning Products Industry Association National Nuclear Laboratory (UKPCI) Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) Nuclear Industry Association Funding proportions (2011-12)
The SMC offers the following pie chart breakdown of its funders 2011-2012 Science Media Centre- Quotes from LM network associates Name Affiliations Number of appearances Mike Fitzpatrick Ex RCP, Spiked 4 Stuart Derbyshire LM science 3 correspondent, Spiked, Institute for Ideas, Academics for Academic Freedom
John Gillot Spiked, Institute 3 of Ideas Bill Durodie Audacity, 1 Manifesto Club, Institute of Ideas, Spiked Alastair Kent Genetic Interest 23 Group Fiona Fox
Fiona Foster AKA Fiona Fox, as RCP cadre and leader of the Irish Freedom Fiona Fox giving evidence at the Leveson Movement, 1992 Inquiry, Tuesday 24 January 2012
Fiona Fox, Nature, july 2013 Fiona and Claire Fox
Claire Foster AKA Claire Fox, as RCP Claire Fox, Sheffield, candidate, May 2011 1986
Fiona Foster AKA Fiona Fox, as RCP cadre and leader of the Irish Freedom Movement, Fiona Fox, Nature, july 1992 2013 Battle of Ideas speakers: corporate, corporate funded and think tank actors
• Christoph Lövenich - Netzwerk Rauchen (FORCES Germany - Tobacco industry funded lobby group) (no mention of tobacco connection by IoI)
• Chris Snowdon – pro-corporate activist
• Christine Thompson – Corporate Affairs, SABMiller • Sue Clark – Corporate Affairs, SABMiller
• Andrew Haldenby – Reform (Conservative think tank)
• Patrick Basham – Democracy Institute, Cato Institute • John Luik – Democracy Institute
Science capture: Patrick Basham and John Luik
The Democracy Institute
Alcohol
Tobacco
Food
Gambling John Luik
• Taught philosophy at the Canadian Nazarene College in Winnipeg from 1977 to 1985 • Dismissed from the college for Discrepancies on his CV. • Claimed to have a doctorate from Oxford University. He eventually received his doctorate from Oxford in 1986.
• Appointed at Brock University 1985-1990 • Claimed to have held a full-time position at the University of Manitoba and to have taught three graduate courses at the University of Winnipeg. • However, he never held a full-time job at the University of Manitoba and the graduate course he claimed to have taught at Winnipeg didn't exist.
• Made false statements about visiting professorships and added books or articles to his list of publications that did not exist. • Luik showed „no particular signs of contrition or even embarrassment on being confronted with his misrepresentation.‟
„Professor Patrick Basham‟
• Employed by Johns Hopkins on a contractual basis as an „adjunct‟. • Between 2006 and 2009 he taught „Methods of Social Enquiry‟ , „The Politics of Health Care Policy‟ and „Smoke-Filled Rooms: The Politics of Tobacco Regulation‟.
„Dr Patrick Basham‟ Patrick Basham Policy capture – Partnership governance
• The advent of „partnership‟ governance where public policy is not simply „influenced‟ but is actually co- created and delivered by the private sector.
• This raises new questions about industrial actors and their relations with policy makers. In particular questions about transparency and conflict of interest become of heightened importance
Policy capture: The Revolving Door
• ‘Ensuring that the integrity of government decision-making is not compromised by public officials’ private interests is a growing public concern. New forms of partnership between government and the private and non-profit sectors present new challenges for policy- makers and public managers.’ (OECD, 2010)
• EU institutions fail to take the revolving door seriously and fail to take effective action to block it. (Corporate Europe Observatory)
• ‘the rules are having an effect, and are well known and understood by staff, who therefore do not accept jobs where their position may be compromised.’ (European Commission - October 2013) The Revolving Door
• David Frost Director European Trade at BIS.
• October 2013: Announced as new CEO of Scotch Whisky Association– active at UK and EU level.
• Currently responsible at BIS for alcohol Minimum Unit Pricing policy as well as negotiating TTIP trade deal.
• January 2014 – Takes up new post
• Issue of corporate actors gaining unfair advantage
TTIP
• The purpose of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is to remove the regulatory differences between the US and European nations. I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago. But I left out the most important issue: the remarkable ability it would grant big business to sue the living daylights out of governments which try to defend their citizens. It would allow a secretive panel of corporate lawyers to overrule the will of parliament and destroy our legal protections. Yet the defenders of our sovereignty say nothing.
• …These rules shut down democratic alternatives. They outlaw leftwing politics.
George Monbiot 4 November 2013 The Revolving Door
• Strong supporter of TTIP – involved in negotiating the deal. • Very clear about the advantages for Scotsh Whisky • Already in process of moving while still at BIS
The Revolving Door
• CBI Scotland Ryder Cup meeting – EU Trade commissioner de Gucht the keynote speaker.
• Speech on TTIP
• Alcohol industry present
• Held at the Gleneagles Hotel. Proprietor = Diageo
The Revolving Door - EU
• Issues to be faced at EU level
• European Food Standards Agency - ongoing issues include: • Revolving door - EUFIC, ILSI • More than 50% of experts with conflicts • Inadequate mechanisms for gathering, monitoring and managing conflicts.
• New EU Staff Regulations (July 2013)
• Issue of monetary and ideological conflicts of interest, cooling off period and lobbying
• More transparency and tighter rules will come.
Transparency
Case of the EU Transparency register • Created 2011 • Voluntary • „incomplete and inconsistent‟
The case of Philip Morris (2013) • Code of conduct requires „ensure… information…complete, up-to-date and not misleading‟ • Leaked documents said to show significant under-reporting of activity, staff and spending.
Conclusions
•Tactics of the industry – Industry intent on undermining evidence based science. – Multiple voices and points of access (including indirect routes). – Wide variety of overt and covert tactics. – Sophisticated camouflage strategies for „think tanks‟ and „civil society‟ groups. – Partnership governance heightens issues about transparency, conflict of interest and the revolving door.
. Conclusions
• Questions for governance
– Need to ensure level playing field. – Radical reform of transparency in relation to lobbying – Much better conflict of interest rules so that public, civil society and indeed policy makers better informed on corporate strategy. – Need to resist TTIP and similar deals and turn towards democratic renewal
• Questions for public/research funding agencies – Funding agencies with brief to support world class research and its impact in policy making should not support industry funded bodies that undermine public health.
. Conclusions
• Questions for public health professionals – Perhaps need to prioritise corporate tactics more. – Conceptual development required to understand pro-corporate movements. – Arguable need to be more combative: • By contributing to a more generalised movement for public health measures. • By finding ways to expose industry tactics and take the fight to them. • Corporate lobbying and covert influence depend on secrecy. • Sunlight is a key weapon. • But: Needs to be made effective through investigations and then effective strategies to put the conclusions of such research into practice
.