You have to wonder about a Government Minister stupid enough to accept important policy advice from random unknown sources. Or maybe she’s
not stupid, and knows exactly where the advice came from? Namely,
industry lobbyists operating on behalf of well-known ruthless,
profit-driven multinationals with nothing resembling a moral compass
at all?

<https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/chief-ombudsman-peter-boshier-criticises-associate-health-minister-casey-costello-over-withholding-tobacco-documents/2PHU7NLNJBCCNMAH3C7JXVQAM4/>

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On Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:50:35 -0000 (UTC), I wrote:

You have to wonder about a Government Minister stupid enough to accept important policy advice from random unknown sources. Or maybe she’s not stupid, and knows exactly where the advice came from? Namely,
industry lobbyists operating on behalf of well-known ruthless,
profit-driven multinationals with nothing resembling a moral compass at
all?

More on that score, this time the Minister is trying to back up her
decision on dropping the tax on heated-tobacco products, by quoting
some research reports <https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/03/costello-releases-independent-advice-on-heated-tobacco-decisions/>.

What are the problems with this? First of all, the only source of
these products in NZ is Philip Morris. And too many of those research
papers turn out to be authored by people connected to--you guessed
it--Philip Morris. Either that, or they are just plain irrelevant to
the issue (e.g. talking about smoked tobacco rather than heated
tobacco) or don’t say what the Minister seems to think they say.

No way Casey Costello could have any connection to Philip Morris,
could she? Absolutely, positively, nothing whatsoever to suggest that
at all ...

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Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:50:35 -0000 (UTC), I wrote:

You have to wonder about a Government Minister stupid enough to accept
important policy advice from random unknown sources. Or maybe she’s not
stupid, and knows exactly where the advice came from? Namely,
industry lobbyists operating on behalf of well-known ruthless,
profit-driven multinationals with nothing resembling a moral compass at
all?

More on that score, this time the Minister is trying to back up her
decision on dropping the tax on heated-tobacco products, by quoting
some research reports ><https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/03/costello-releases-independent-advice-on-heated-tobacco-decisions/>.

What are the problems with this? First of all, the only source of
these products in NZ is Philip Morris. And too many of those research
papers turn out to be authored by people connected to--you guessed
it--Philip Morris. Either that, or they are just plain irrelevant to
the issue (e.g. talking about smoked tobacco rather than heated
tobacco) or don’t say what the Minister seems to think they say.

No way Casey Costello could have any connection to Philip Morris,
could she? Absolutely, positively, nothing whatsoever to suggest that
at all ...

Well at the least not very likely.
Wow you are a nasty little man. When you fail with poor logic, and that is common, you start more defamatory posts.

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On Thu, 3 Oct 2024 08:09:11 -0000 (UTC), Tony
<lizandtony@orcon.net.nz> wrote:

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:50:35 -0000 (UTC), I wrote:

You have to wonder about a Government Minister stupid enough to accept
important policy advice from random unknown sources. Or maybe she’s not >>> stupid, and knows exactly where the advice came from? Namely,
industry lobbyists operating on behalf of well-known ruthless,
profit-driven multinationals with nothing resembling a moral compass at
all?

More on that score, this time the Minister is trying to back up her >>decision on dropping the tax on heated-tobacco products, by quoting
some research reports >><https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/03/costello-releases-independent-advice-on-heated-tobacco-decisions/>.

What are the problems with this? First of all, the only source of
these products in NZ is Philip Morris. And too many of those research >>papers turn out to be authored by people connected to--you guessed >>it--Philip Morris. Either that, or they are just plain irrelevant to
the issue (e.g. talking about smoked tobacco rather than heated
tobacco) or don’t say what the Minister seems to think they say.

No way Casey Costello could have any connection to Philip Morris,
could she? Absolutely, positively, nothing whatsoever to suggest that
at all ...

Well at the least not very likely.
Wow you are a nasty little man. When you fail with poor logic, and that is >common, you start more defamatory posts.

Don't worry, Tony, yes calling another poster a "nasty little man"
could be considered defamatory, but anyone trying to sue you on those
grounds would be advised to read more of your posts - a defence of
cognitive impairment would probably be enough to see you "Right."

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On Thu, 3 Oct 2024 05:57:53 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D'Oliveiro
<ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:50:35 -0000 (UTC), I wrote:

You have to wonder about a Government Minister stupid enough to accept
important policy advice from random unknown sources. Or maybe she’s not
stupid, and knows exactly where the advice came from? Namely,
industry lobbyists operating on behalf of well-known ruthless,
profit-driven multinationals with nothing resembling a moral compass at
all?

More on that score, this time the Minister is trying to back up her
decision on dropping the tax on heated-tobacco products, by quoting
some research reports ><https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/03/costello-releases-independent-advice-on-heated-tobacco-decisions/>.

What are the problems with this? First of all, the only source of
these products in NZ is Philip Morris. And too many of those research
papers turn out to be authored by people connected to--you guessed
it--Philip Morris. Either that, or they are just plain irrelevant to
the issue (e.g. talking about smoked tobacco rather than heated
tobacco) or don’t say what the Minister seems to think they say.

No way Casey Costello could have any connection to Philip Morris,
could she? Absolutely, positively, nothing whatsoever to suggest that
at all ...

Its been a good week for Luxon - making an extra $70,000 out of a
property sale by fulfilling a promise to owners of multiple dwellings
to extend the period of exemption from tax on capital gains - he was
clever to wait two weeks to settle so that some people may have
thought the proximity was just a coincidence. And now the opportunity
to tell the country that through a handy little regulation that had
been extended back in March, Philip Morris has to modify their heated
tobacco products before they can be legally sold after 1 October (it
seems some retailers had not got the message, but perhaps it was not promulgated widely - both Luxon and Willis looked very happy at the
implication that this made the whole debacle "Right" - especially as
it limits the value of the tax break until the product gets changed;
but quite possibly for this not having been picked up by Seymour's new
Ministry of Regulations - perhaps they haven't yet been told what to
do by their Minister . . . Hanging out Costello for not having been
aware was clearly some compensation for Cabinet having no power over
her or NZ First. Besides, isn't it very likely that Casey Costello did
get good independent advice? - from the Atlas Network through the NZ
Taxpayers Union?

Some of the media have not been as kind: https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350438196/resign-growing-calls-casey-costello-lose-portfolios-over-heated-tobacco-products

https://www.stuff.co.nz/politics/350438196/resign-growing-calls-casey-costello-lose-portfolios-over-heated-tobacco-products

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Rich80105 <Rich80105@hotmail.com> wrote:

On Thu, 3 Oct 2024 08:09:11 -0000 (UTC), Tony
<lizandtony@orcon.net.nz> wrote:

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:50:35 -0000 (UTC), I wrote:

You have to wonder about a Government Minister stupid enough to accept >>>> important policy advice from random unknown sources. Or maybe she’s not >>>> stupid, and knows exactly where the advice came from? Namely,
industry lobbyists operating on behalf of well-known ruthless,
profit-driven multinationals with nothing resembling a moral compass at >>>> all?

More on that score, this time the Minister is trying to back up her >>>decision on dropping the tax on heated-tobacco products, by quoting
some research reports >>><https://www.1news.co.nz/2024/10/03/costello-releases-independent-advice-on-heated-tobacco-decisions/>.

What are the problems with this? First of all, the only source of
these products in NZ is Philip Morris. And too many of those research >>>papers turn out to be authored by people connected to--you guessed >>>it--Philip Morris. Either that, or they are just plain irrelevant to
the issue (e.g. talking about smoked tobacco rather than heated
tobacco) or don’t say what the Minister seems to think they say.

No way Casey Costello could have any connection to Philip Morris,
could she? Absolutely, positively, nothing whatsoever to suggest that
at all ...

Well at the least not very likely.
Wow you are a nasty little man. When you fail with poor logic, and that is >>common, you start more defamatory posts.

Don't worry, Tony, yes calling another poster a "nasty little man"
could be considered defamatory

No it cannot. Your understanding of defamation laws is akin to your understanding of truth - zero!

, but anyone trying to sue you on those
grounds would be advised to read more of your posts - a defence of
cognitive impairment would probably be enough to see you "Right."

Ah, but you see That is actually defamatory - you cannot win. Your response to Lawrence in this thread was also defamatory.
You are a hopeless silly little man. (No defamation there either)_.

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