Master Manipulators: Exposing Big Alcohol Lobbying in Scottish and British Parliaments

Master Manipulators: Exposing Big Alcohol Narratives and Spin at Alcohol Policy Evaluation Hearings in the Scottish and British Parliaments Season 3, Episode 4

For the fourth episode in the third season of the Alcohol Issues Podcast we discuss the master manipulators. In two very recent Alcohol Policy Evaluation Hearings in both the Scottish and British Parliaments, alcohol industry participation drew widespread criticism and scrutiny.

In this episode, we reveal and discuss the lobbying narratives and spin of alcohol industry lobbyists on display in two separate parliamentary hearings.

Our guests

Jane Gordon, Policy and Public Affairs Officer at SHAAP, the Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems. Jane joined SHAAP in January 2022 as Policy and Public Affairs Officer. She is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, where she completed her Master of Public Health Programme. Jane has a background in global health policy and advocacy, formerly focussing on nutrition policy in her role with World Obesity Federation. She has also previously worked for the NHS during pandemic relief efforts.

Follow Jane on LinkedIn: Jane Gordon

And Prof. Mark Petticrew. Mark is Professor of Public Health Evaluation in the Department of Public Health, Environments and Society of the Faculty of Public Health and Policy, at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is the Director of the NIHR Public Health PRU with a focus on conducting public health research with a social determinants focus, delivered within four broad themes: Understanding what determines people’s physical and mental health, and health behaviours; identifying, developing and evaluating effective and cost effective PH interventions; generating evidence to inform strategies to reduce inequalities in health; and developing new theory and methods, and new ways to apply them to public health challenges.

Follow Mark on Twitter: @petticrewmark

What we discussed

Jane and Mark unpack what the hearings in Edinburgh and Westminster were about, why the alcohol industry was invited and why this is problematic.

Maik discusses with them the conflicts of interest at play and why it matters to identify and take conflicts of interest seriously.

Jane wrote a powerful blog post reflecting on her experience with the hearing in the Scottish parliament. In the blog post, she used the term “master manipulators”. Maik asks her what she means and Jane goes into more detail regarding a number of topics raised in the blog post.

Mark tweeted live from a cold bench in London Bridge Station as he followed the proceedings in the select committee of the British Parliament. In this viral tweet thread he exposed alcohol industry talking points, spin, myths, and lies. Maik asked about those for an in-depth conversation regarding alcohol industry narratives.

Jane and Mark also discuss the effects of this type of alcohol industry talking points, spin, and narratives.

And in this episode, Mark, Jane, and Maik talk about concrete ways to avoid that the alcohol industry is invited to similar parliamentary hearings in the future.

We recorded this conversation on February 13, 2024.

Feedback

Your feedback, questions, and suggestions for future topics and guests is most welcome. Please get in touch at: maik.duennbier@movendi.ngo.

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