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

EU

.

European Round Table

.

.

• Business wide

lobby group

• Food industry

lobby group

• Sectoral lobby

group

• Science

management

• Elite policy

planning group

• Lobby firm

• Think tank

• 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

can be contested without

constraint‟.

Claire Fox, Institute of Ideas,

in 2004.

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

Road

London

EC1M 3JP

United Kingdom

Directors and shareholders:

• Claire Fox

• Ellie Lee (Eleanor Lee) (Writes for

Spiked; Spiked Shareholder)

Shareholders:

• Suke Wolton

• Jennie Bristow (Spiked launch

team, shareholder and

commissioning editor)

• Phil Mullan (Registrant of the

Spiked website)

Staff:

• Tony Gilland (Written for Spiked)

• Tiffany Jenkins (Written for

Spiked)

• Dolan Cummings (Written for

Spiked)

• Geoff Kidder

• Shirley Dent (Written for Spiked)

• Helen Birtwistle

Officers

•Frank Furedi - company director (Spoken at the Battle of Ideas,

Debating Matters, Manchester Salon, featured at Culture wars )

•Helene Guldberg - company director and secretary (Battle of Ideas

committee 2012, featured on Culture Wars )

Staff:

•Mick Hume – founder and editor-at-large (Spoken at the Battle of

Ideas, Debating Matters)

•Brendan O'Neill – editor (has spoken at the Battle of Ideas,

the Brighton Salon, Leeds Salon and Manchester Salon)

•Rob Lyons – deputy editor (Editor Parents Forum, Institute of Ideas)

•Nathalie Rothschild – commissioning editor (writes for Culture Wars,

is a co-ordinator for the Institute of Ideas, has spoken at the Battle of

Ideas, adjudicates for Debating Matters)

•Tim Black – senior writer (written for Culture Wars, has spoken at

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

Time, 2004

Claire Foster AKA

Claire Fox, as RCP

candidate, May

1986

Claire Fox, on BBC TV Question

Time 2009

Claire Fox, Sheffield,

2011

Claire Fox, 2007

Links with conservative

think tanks

Corporate funding

Corporate funding

• BT

• CropLife International (BASF,

Bayer, Dow, DuPont,

Syngenta)

• Jaguar Land Rover

• Pfizer

• PWC

• SABMiller

• Shell

• The Times

Corporate funding/support

• Arup

• BT

• Cadbury Schweppes

• City of London

• Hill and Knowlton (PR firm)

• IBM

• International Policy Network (climate sceptic think

tank)

• Luther Pendragon (PR firm)

• Orange

• O2

• Pfizer

• 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

Abbott Laboratories

Association of the British Pharmaceutical

Industry

AstraZeneca

Bayer Plc

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Limited

Novartis

Proctor & Gamble

Sanofi Aventis

Sanofi Pasteur MSD

Smith & Nephew

Biotech

Life Technologies

Syngenta

CropLife International

Chemical industry

BASF

Chemical Industries Association (CIA)

L’Oreal UK

UK Cleaning Products Industry Association

(UKPCI)

Food and drink

Chilled Food Association (CFA)

Coca-Cola

Food and Drink Federation

Unilever UK

Media and publishing industry

A&N Media, including Daily Mail, The Mail on

Sunday, Metro and MailOnline

Elsevier BV

John Wiley & Sons Inc

Nature

Springer science+business media

Mobile phones

Mobile Manufacturers Forum

Mobile Operators Association (MOA)

Energy/extractive Oil industry

BP International Ltd

National Grid

Nuclear industry

National Nuclear Laboratory

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

correspondent,

Spiked, Institute

for Ideas,

Academics for

Academic

Freedom

3

John Gillot Spiked, Institute

of Ideas

3

Bill Durodie Audacity,

Manifesto Club,

Institute of Ideas,

Spiked

1

Alastair Kent Genetic Interest

Group

23

Fiona Fox

Fiona Foster AKA

Fiona Fox, as RCP

cadre and leader of

the Irish Freedom

Movement, 1992

Fiona Fox, Nature, july

2013

Fiona Fox giving evidence at the Leveson

Inquiry, Tuesday 24 January 2012

Fiona and Claire Fox

Fiona Foster AKA Fiona Fox, as RCP cadre

and leader of the Irish Freedom Movement,

1992

Fiona Fox, Nature, july

2013

Claire Foster AKA

Claire Fox, as RCP

candidate, May

1986

Claire Fox, Sheffield,

2011

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

Tobacco

Alcohol

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

.