Successful meeting with my MP

[Sandra (aka Chillax)]

Well done Roy, that is brill news

[sjs]

Well done I've only just started vaping and can't believe it's under threat but it's good to see
there are MPs willing to at least listen to us.

Here's a couple of links to petitions that I've seen elsewhere on the web one European one
and one to the UK Government!

www.petitiononline.com/fr33dom/petition.html
epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38667

[Deleted]

well done Roy #icon_welldone#

[hgvroy]

Thanks for the positive feedback everyone, I think it does make a big difference meeting these people face to face,you have got them in a corner so to speak and you can come back at them immediately with any misconceptions or argument they may have.
You just need to have a good idea of what you are going to say and what order you are going to say it in before you go in, having said that I had about 3 A4 size pages memorised in my head, which mysteriously disappeared from my brain as soon as I went in to his office
Hifistud (Dave) I did point him towards the Clive Bates blog and the Jerry Stimson clip on you tube

[djs]

Well done Roy.

Good for you.

[jeffc]

Well Done Roy.
You are a do-er not a talker.
Great result.
jeffc.

[esmecullen]

Sounds like you had a very promising and constructive meeting Roy

[bing]

Jan 19, 2013 15:48:40 GMT jakethevape said:

Jan 19, 2013 15:17:52 GMT chykensa said:

Jake - you have a good point there - is there such a petition, or should we see about starting one? I haven't the foggiest idea how to start, but I'm sure one of you does!
Andy

Here is the link: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

Anyone can create a petition. And the government have no option but to debate it in parliament until a decision has been made. Also I would suggest that IF it was able to get the desired numbers that as many people as possible arrange a trip to London to help promote this. The more News channels that are informed and the correct people who are good at speaking the better. It needs to be led by someone with good charisma (silver tongue).

The more people in the know, the more of a stand off we have against the EU because it is the Tobacco companies that are lobbying for this regulation along with the pharmaceutical companies. The have more money than any of us can dream of and more money than ANY ecig foundation could raise. They also have the worlds best lawyers / lobbyists and would not bat an eye lid at paying top people off to ensure they get their way.

From their point, if millions of people end up using ecigs they will loses billions. That is not an option for the greedy share holders and directors so they WILL fight it with every single penny they have.

So as you can see in black and white there is a huge mountain to tackle with this (Dont mean to put a downer on anything).

We are in a new age where we can communicate with pretty much all parts of the globe, for the first time we are now able to take on "the man" because WE are connected, WE cant be silenced and WE can be the voice that is heard NOT "The man". But that is not enough to make sure the future of esmoking is kept the way it is. ANY influential people must be in the know, people in legal services, government's etc need to be on our side. There is no middle ground because at the end of the day if it did indeed end up close to a banning legislation it would be supported by the big corporations who are the very people who pay the likes of Labor/Conservatives in "donations" IE: backroom deals to get their way.

I am a barrister, for my sins (admittedly a pretty young one) - not sure exactly what I could do at this stage, but anything I can I will.

Probably more pertinently, however, I do know for a fact that vaping has caught on in the offices (literally) of at least one very large and influential law firm near where I practice. It's a bit 'friends of friends' level at the moment, but I have literally just now only become aware of this Directive, reading this thread.

I will get in touch with my friend and see if there is any possibility of some assistance.

[hgvroy]

Hi bing, great to have you on board, maybe if you could get together with your colleagues and start badgering your MP/MEP,it would carry quite a bit of weight if a law firm got involved and as a barrister you must be good at getting your point across and building a case.
Also a bit of a long shot but how about having a good look at the small print in the directive and see if you can find anything that could be challenged in law, you never know you might find something that would blow the whole shooting match out of the water

[Karma]

Thanks for trying to help Bing, good luck with it #fingers#

[lordbarby]

Jan 19, 2013 14:46:30 GMT jakethevape said:

You do understand that if there is 750,000 esmokers in the UK then only 100,000 signatures are required to get this into a debate in parliament.

Or am I a bit behind on the whole legal element of things?.

Yes with an amazing 768 signatures!

[Karma]

Jan 22, 2013 19:09:59 GMT lordbarby said:

Jan 19, 2013 14:46:30 GMT jakethevape said:

You do understand that if there is 750,000 esmokers in the UK then only 100,000 signatures are required to get this into a debate in parliament.

Or am I a bit behind on the whole legal element of things?.

Yes with an amazing 768 signatures!

problem is that there are too many e-petitions

[hifistud]

Aye, that's true - and most of them are discounted since the ANTZ will dry that each of s is signing every last one of them, so the numbers are inflated. Contact with MPs and MEPs is the most effective route...