Martin Cullip

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Martin Cullip is a British libertarian pro-tobacco blogger who writes under the alias ‘Dick Puddlecote’. He is also an occasional columnist for online libertarian magazine Spiked.[1]

Cullip frequently criticises tobacco control experts, public health science, and tobacco control policies.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

He was given an award by pro-smoking group FOREST in 2017, with its Director Simon Clark saying “Today our award winner is an outspoken advocate of vaping but he still defends smokers' rights and is a persistent thorn in the side of the enemy, otherwise known as Action on Smoking and Health.”[8]

Background

Cullip is a director at a transport company.[9]

He unsuccessfully stood as a Libertarian Party candidate for Sutton and Cheam (Greater London) in the 2010 British general election, standing for “individual liberty, personal responsibility, and freedom from government as long as one doesn’t initiate force or fraud against the life, liberty, or property, of others”.[10]

Relationship with the Tobacco Industry and Tobacco Funded Organisations

Featured in Video Indirectly Funded by Philip Morris

Cullip briefly featured in the 2018 ‘Global Confusion’ video, produced by the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, a tax-exempt corporation entirely funded by Philip Morris International (PMI).[11]

Invited Speaker at Tobacco Industry Event

Cullip was an invited speaker at the Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, an annual tobacco industry event, in 2015 and 2016.[12][13]

At the 2015 event, Cullip was part of a panel that discussed next generation products such as e-cigarettes. The event was funded, amongst others, by British American Tobacco (BAT), Imperial Tobacco, Japan Tobacco International, PMI, Reynolds American, and Swedish Match.[14]

For a list of other speakers, see Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum 2015 and Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum 2016.

Involved in Pro-Tobacco Campaign Funded by Tobacco

Cullip played an active role in the Hands Off Our Packs (HOOP) campaign, which was set up in 2012 by tobacco-industry funded Forest, to oppose proposed plain packaging laws in the UK.

Cullip and other HOOP campaigners (including Simon Clark and Angela Harbutt, were photographed in August 2014 in front of the Prime Minister’s Office delivering 2,500 letters opposing plain packaging.[15]

The campaign’s website stated that “the tobacco companies are proud to support this campaign”.[16] BAT also confirmed that the tobacco company had financially supported the HOOP campaign.[17]

See: BAT Funded Lobbying Against Plain Packaging.

Cullip had collaborated with Forest previously. He was a columnist for The Free Society, a Forest project launched in 2007 to give voice to the industry’s ‘slippery slope’ argument, i.e. that the “denormalisation of tobacco” and tobacco regulation is only the beginning of “excessive government regulation” that will spill into other industries.[18][19][20]

Attempted to Discredit Tobacco Control Experts, Science, and Policy

In his blog, Cullip has frequently used abusive rhetoric to describe public health experts, science and policy. Following the 17th World Conference on Tobacco or Health held at Cape Town in March 2018, Cullip wrote on his blog: "Their cult - because that it exactly what it is - has become so pervasive in its brain-washing that the vacant, weasel-headed, blovating cocksplats in Cape Town last week can't even see what is good for them".[21]

“Health Nazis” and “Junk Science”

Whilst saying that tobacco control academics and advocates “lie 24-7 and smear and bully anyone who doesn’t submit to their will”,[22] Cullip has called public health experts and advocates “vile, disgusting”, “cretins”, “irretrievable morons”, “cranks and charlatans”, and “parasitic junk scientists”, and “health nazis”, among others.[2][3][4][22]

Cullip’s attacks have often focused on individuals that played a key role in exposing and resisting tobacco industry interference, including:

  • Stan Glantz, Professor of Medicine at University of California San Francisco. Cullip has referred to Glantz as a “senile fantasist” and “a horse’s arse”, and labelled his research as “laughable”, “hysterical”, and “junk science”.[3][23][24]
  • Simon Chapman, Emeritus Professor in the School Public Health at The University of Sydney, who was made an Officer in the Order of Australia for his career in public health in 2013. Considered by Cullip the “prime architect of plain packaging laws in Australia”, he has been labelled by Cullip as a “global joke”, “a crusty Aussie crackpot” and "a swivel-eyed loon" by Cullip, and his work as “majestic delusion”.[25][26][27]
  • Anna Gilmore, Professor of Public Health at the University of Bath. Referred to by Cullip as “Anna ‘anything for a grant’ Gilmore”, Cullip has accused Gilmore of “making herself very rich on the back of producing anti-tobacco reports favourable to her funders” with her trademark 'torturing of statistics for hire'.[28][29][30]
  • Gerard Hastings, Professor of Social Marketing at the University of Stirling and awarded the OBE in 2009 for his services to healthcare. Following Stirling University’s reluctance to release research data to PMI, Cullip described Hastings as "Stirling's chief bansturbator" and an "utter clown".[31] For more information about PMI’s data request go to FOI: Stirling University
  • Linda Bauld, Professor of Socio-Management at the University of Stirling. Cullip, who refers to Bauld as “a career anti-smoking advocate”, has called Bauld’s research on the impact of smoke-free policies as "superlative bullshit", “propaganda", and a "systematic exercise in avoiding the truth at all costs."[32] When Bauld received physical threats in 2011, Cullip commented that the threats were "unacceptable",[33] but also wrote that "if you will insist on talking bollocks in pursuit of derogating the lives of others, what else did you expect? Cry your crocodile tears if you like, but console yourself by wiping your nose on the Department of Health cheques you are happy to cash. OK?"[34]

Cullip has also labelled British health advocacy Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) as more “barmy” than “creationists” or “flat earthers” that produces “fantasy” material.[35] Cullip also quotes Tim Worstall who wrote on his own personal blog: "When Deborah Arnott’s [ASH’s Chief Executive] screen and radio appearances, public utterances, are accompanied by a “this wanker is paid for out of your taxes” warning then I’ll make sure that my income, and thus my funding, is similarly disclosed. Until then you’re all cordially invited to fornicate and travel."[36][37]

Affiliations

Cullip is lined up as speaker at the 2018 Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN).[38]

He has been an associate of the New Nicotine Alliance, since its inception in 2015.[39] The NNA promotes tobacco harm reduction, including the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products.[40]

Cullip is a spokesperson for The Freedom Association’s Freedom to Vape campaign, set up in August 2016.[41]

He was also a member of Freedom2Choose, a smokers' rights campaign group set up in 2007.[42] In an email to the University of Bath in August 2018, Cullip said he had not been a member of Freedom2Choose for about 7 years, and was not sure the organisation still existed.[43]

TobaccoTactics Resources

Relevant Link

Notes

  1. ↑ Spiked, Articles written by Martin Cullip, latest contribution 3 April 2018, accessed April 2018
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 M. Cullip, First The Pubs, Now For The Corner Shops, Dick Puddlecote blog, 27 March 2018, accessed April 2018
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 M. Cullip, More Junk Science From Glantz, Dick Puddlecote blog, 6 April 2018, accessed April 2018
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 M. Cullip, ++Breaking++” Vape Marketing Discovered At a Vape Marketing Event?, Dick Puddlecote blog, 21 March 2018, accessed April 2018
  5. ↑ M. Cullip, None So Blind.. Dick Puddlecote blog, 2 April 2018, accessed April 2018
  6. ↑ M. Cullip, Plain Packs: The Failure Continues, Dick Puddlecote blog, 15 March 2018, accessed April 2018
  7. ↑ M. Cullip, Our Job is Difficult, So the World Must Change, Dick Puddlecote blog, 18 March 2018, accessed April 2018
  8. ↑ S. Clark, Voices of Freedom 2017, Taking Liberties blog, 30 June 2017, accessed April 2018
  9. ↑ Companies House. Record on Supreme Freedom to Travel Limited, accessed April 2018
  10. ↑ A. Raccoon, Sutton and Cheam Guardian skewered by blogger for misreporting Election, Onlinejournalismblog.com, 2010, accessed April 2018
  11. ↑ Foundation for a Smoke-Free World, Global Confusion, section 0:28-00:30, March 2018, accessed April 2018
  12. ↑ Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, Look who’s talking, GTFN website, 2015, accessed December 2017
  13. ↑ Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, Look who’s talking, GTNF website, 2016, accessed November 2017
  14. ↑ Global Tobacco and Nicotine Forum, Made Possible By…, GTNF website, 2015, March 2018
  15. ↑ S. Clark, Special delivery: PM receives 53,196 letters opposing plain packaging, Taking Liberties blog, 6 August 2014, accessed April 2018
  16. ↑ Hands Off Our Packs, About, archived 11 August 2014, accessed April 2018
  17. ↑ S. Millson, Group Head of Corporate Affairs for BAT, Letter to Deborah Arnott, ASH, 20 May 2013
  18. ↑ The Free Society, Columnists: Martin Cullip, archived 20 March 2014, accessed April 2018
  19. ↑ The Free Society, Full Site Launching Spring 2007, archived 1 May 2007, accessed April 2018
  20. ↑ The Free Society, Who Are We?, archived 9 February 2008, accessed April 2018
  21. ↑ M. Cullip, The Cult-Like Stupidity At #WCTOH2018, Dick Puddlecote blog, 12 March 2018, accessed April 2018
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 M. Cullip, Caution: Health Nazis At Work, Dick Puddlecote blog, 22 September 2016, accessed April 2018
  23. ↑ M. Cullip, Stanton Glantz Produces a Study Which Proves Himself Wrong, Dick Puddlecote blog, 25 June 2015, accessed April 2018
  24. ↑ M. Cullip, The Tobacco Industry Is More Honest Than Stanton Glantz, Dick Puddlecote blog, 11 March 2013, accessed April 2018
  25. ↑ M. Cullip, Swivel-Eyed Loon Speaks of Basket Cases And Corruption, Dick Puddlecote blog, 8 March 2012, accessed April 2018
  26. ↑ M. Cullip, It’s Personal, Plain and Simple, Dick Puddlecote blog, 31 January 2012, accessed April 2018
  27. ↑ M. Cullip, Beyond Plain Packaging, Dick Puddlecote blog 29 May 2012, accessed April 2018
  28. ↑ M. Cullip, He Who Pays The Piper…, Dick Puddlecote blog, 20 February 2010, accessed April 2018
  29. ↑ M. Cullip, Sock Puppet Outraged About Curbs in Sock Puppetry, Dick Puddlecote blog, 6 March 2016, accessed April 2018
  30. ↑ M. Cullip, It’s Only Helpful If WE Get Paid For It, Dick Puddlecote blog, 9 January 2012, accessed April 2018
  31. ↑ M. Cullip, Gerard Hastings Utter Clown, Dick Puddlecote blog, 21 September 2011
  32. ↑ M. Cullip, Top drawer propaganda commands a significant fee, Dick Puddlecote blog, 22 March 2011, accessed April 2018
  33. ↑ S. Connor, Smoked Out, Tobacco Giants War on Science, The Independent, 1 October 2011, accessed April 2018
  34. ↑ M. Cullip, Vindication In One Day And An Indirect Endorsement In The Indy, Dick Puddlecote blog, 1 September 2011, accessed April 2018
  35. ↑ M. Cullip, It’s all in your Imagination, Dick Puddlecote blog, 18 March 2012, accessed April 2018
  36. ↑ M. Cullip, Stop Accepting Tax Cash, Stirling, And Your Problem Is Solved, Dick Puddlecote blog, 13 September 2011, accessed April 2018
  37. ↑ T. Worstall, Your tax money at work: Not quite George old boy, not quite, Tim Worstall blog, 13 September 2011, accessed August 2018
  38. ↑ Global Forum on Nicotine, Speakers: Martin Cullip, GFN website, undated, accessed April 2018
  39. ↑ New Nicotine Alliance, Associates: Martin Cullip, undated, archived 10 April 2016
  40. ↑ New Nicotine Alliance, Why NNA supports all forms of tobacco harm reduction, NNA website, 7 March 2018, accessed April 2018
  41. ↑ New Nicotine Alliance, Associates: Martin Cullip, undated, accessed April 2018
  42. ↑ Freedom2Choose, Newsletter August 2011, 12 August 2011, accessed April 2018
  43. ↑ M. Cullip, Email to the University of Bath, 14 August 2018
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