Opposition Grows To New Diageo Funded Alcohol Awareness Campaign

To date, over 50 individuals and organisations including the National Youth Council of Ireland, Professor John Crown, Youth Work Ireland, comedian Des Bishop, Irish Rural Link, the Union of Students in Ireland, former GAA President Dr Mick Loftus, Róisín Shortall TD, folk singer Christy Moore and Wexford football captain Ciarán Lyng, have signed an open letter expressing their considered opposition to the new Diageo funded ‘Stop Out Of Control Drinking’ campaign (rolemodels.ie).

The growing list of politicians, doctors, charity leaders, sports people, musicians, and other individuals are concerned by the inherent conflict between the commercial interests of the alcohol industry and its direct, hands-on, involvement in initiatives to tackle the over consumption of alcohol and alcohol related harm.

The letter proposes that this Diageo funded campaign, chaired by Fergus Finlay of Barnardos, is an attempt to divert attention from the alcohol industry’s ongoing attempts to obstruct progressive alcohol harm reduction strategies and legislation.

The signatories do not believe the claims that the new campaign is independent since “Diageo initiated the campaign. They are its sole funder. Mr David Smith, head of Diageo Ireland, is a Board member with others who have alcohol industry associations and/or positions on related issues like sports sponsorship, which are sympathetic to the industry. The campaign’s secretariat is Goddard Global, a UK based lobbying firm with links to Diageo.”

The ‘Stop Out Of Control Drinking’ campaign is the latest drinks industry initiative following widespread criticism of Arthur’s Day and the DrinkAware.ie website. According to Senator Jillian van Turnhout, a vocal critic of the campaign and member of the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children, the opposition represents a change in tide in our acceptance of industry involvement in alcohol awareness campaigns. The Senator said “Diageo and their partners may think this criticism is going to go away but I don’t think that will happen. People have had enough of vested interests and this way of doing things. What we need is evidence based strategies formulated by public health experts that go to the heart of alcohol misuse. Not, she continues “this smokescreen initiative, which uses good intentions of respected organisations and celebrities to try and appear credible. The tobacco industry used similar tactics in the past and people aren’t falling for it.”

Senator van Turnhout says individuals and organisations can add their name to the letter online at the website www.irishdrinklink.com, which includes a full list of the signatories.

For more Information, please contact:

Senator Jillian van Turnhout, Leader of the Independent Group (Taoiseach’s Nominees)
Phone: 01-6183375 | e-mail: jillian.vanturnhout@oireachtas.ie