Message from Liz Vaughan
I am aware that there is some disagreement within NPWA about the way to continue the anti-fluoridation campaign in the present circumstances - new legislation, missing Jane's expertise, etc. It may be that some of this disagreement arises from a lack of information. I have therefore put this e-mail together to explain the Association's current thinking in more detail.
Let us assess the present situation. The Water Bill was passed in November 2003. This gives the Strategic Health Authorities the power to order the water companies to fluoridate wherever the SHA decides.This is now law.
The SHAs and the Primary Care Trusts are part of the long arm of the Department of Health. They obey orders from the Department of Health and to influence them is virtually impossible. Writing to them is a waste of time and effort - remember NPWA has been on the go for 45 years, during which time many different strategies have been tried. We do know what doesn't work!
If you wish to write to them to force them to reply to you, thus clogging up their time and resources, fair enough - just don't expect to change their policy by reasoned argument. I have been fighting fluoridation personally since 1988, when they tried to fluoridate the North West. Believe me, if the law says they have to undertake a public consultation in the areas they intend to fluoridate, they will do so. But there is nothing in the law to say they have to change their policy in line with the opinions of the people they consult. The 'consultation' is merely cosmetic.
Don't expect much from your MP just at the moment either. MPs had their chance to be useful in 2003. The law has been passed now. It doesn't hurt to keep your MP informed, but don't expect him/her to rescue you.
Three years ago, NPWA Directors realised that the water companies are the 'Weakest Link', and that pressure could be more effectively applied to them than elsewhere. As private companies selling a product, they have a direct contract with their customers (to supply potable water), which gives us leverage; also they have a PR image to maintain, for the sake of shareholder confidence. With this in mind, George Glasser, Ros Jones, Richard Gentle and I have worked together to produce Power-Point disks. The Dental Fluorosis disk builds on the success of our previous Smile Please! leaflet - the most visited page on our website.
And the Risk Assessment disk is bringing in a whole tranche of new organisations - the police, fire brigades, trade unions, environmental health officers, etc. - who didn't previously see the need to get involved in water fluoridation, but who now realise how directly it could affect them. Using these disks, anyone can now give a authoritative anti-fluoridation presentation to councils or concerned groups of people in just a few minutes. We have made these tools available to everyone, and I have personally sent many disks to Unions and emergency service organisations. In partnership with UKCAF, we have also issued a leaflet: 'Dangerous Goods Advisory Notice' which has been widely distributed. So please don't imagine that the work has stopped, just because Jane is no longer with us!
The indemnity for water companies was secondary legislation. It was rushed through just before the election, signed and sealed by Health Minister Melanie Johnson ( now an ex MP). This is now law.
The Water Companies indemnity was sent to me by Lord Warner, Health Minister in the House of Lords. We have examined it very carefully and it appears to be very sloppy legislation with quite a few loopholes. It is ambiguous in many places, particularly when it says that the water companies must put forth a 'reasonable effort' to obtain payment from third parties before they can bill the DoH.
It appears that the water companies believe they have a cast-iron guarantee, but this may not be the case. We have had correspondence from Water UK's legal advisor, so they are clearly paying close attention to our campaign! It also seems the water companies have serious worries about the indemnity legislation. It is very clear that there is a weakness here that we must exploit. The water companies are more vulnerable (for our purposes) than health authorities. They could go to Government and say that they cannot implement fluoridation, eg. for technical reasons. Pressurising the water companies is the only effective tactic open to us at the moment, and we can achieve more by focussing on one object than by scattering our approaches across a range of targets. So, write to your water company, and ask your council to contact them also. Remind them of the yellow card you sent them and restate your objection to paying for fluoridated water. The UK water industry is the 'Weakest Link' - they have the most to lose. Being caught up in a controversial issue (fluoridating drinking water) generates bad publicity. And bad publicity is not advantageous to inspiring confidence in the stock market. The privatised water industry is all about PROFIT. Threaten their profits and you influence them.
Let us all work together on the water companies.
Liz Vaughan. Chairman NPWA
Let us assess the present situation. The Water Bill was passed in November 2003. This gives the Strategic Health Authorities the power to order the water companies to fluoridate wherever the SHA decides.This is now law.
The SHAs and the Primary Care Trusts are part of the long arm of the Department of Health. They obey orders from the Department of Health and to influence them is virtually impossible. Writing to them is a waste of time and effort - remember NPWA has been on the go for 45 years, during which time many different strategies have been tried. We do know what doesn't work!
If you wish to write to them to force them to reply to you, thus clogging up their time and resources, fair enough - just don't expect to change their policy by reasoned argument. I have been fighting fluoridation personally since 1988, when they tried to fluoridate the North West. Believe me, if the law says they have to undertake a public consultation in the areas they intend to fluoridate, they will do so. But there is nothing in the law to say they have to change their policy in line with the opinions of the people they consult. The 'consultation' is merely cosmetic.
Don't expect much from your MP just at the moment either. MPs had their chance to be useful in 2003. The law has been passed now. It doesn't hurt to keep your MP informed, but don't expect him/her to rescue you.
Three years ago, NPWA Directors realised that the water companies are the 'Weakest Link', and that pressure could be more effectively applied to them than elsewhere. As private companies selling a product, they have a direct contract with their customers (to supply potable water), which gives us leverage; also they have a PR image to maintain, for the sake of shareholder confidence. With this in mind, George Glasser, Ros Jones, Richard Gentle and I have worked together to produce Power-Point disks. The Dental Fluorosis disk builds on the success of our previous Smile Please! leaflet - the most visited page on our website.
And the Risk Assessment disk is bringing in a whole tranche of new organisations - the police, fire brigades, trade unions, environmental health officers, etc. - who didn't previously see the need to get involved in water fluoridation, but who now realise how directly it could affect them. Using these disks, anyone can now give a authoritative anti-fluoridation presentation to councils or concerned groups of people in just a few minutes. We have made these tools available to everyone, and I have personally sent many disks to Unions and emergency service organisations. In partnership with UKCAF, we have also issued a leaflet: 'Dangerous Goods Advisory Notice' which has been widely distributed. So please don't imagine that the work has stopped, just because Jane is no longer with us!
The indemnity for water companies was secondary legislation. It was rushed through just before the election, signed and sealed by Health Minister Melanie Johnson ( now an ex MP). This is now law.
The Water Companies indemnity was sent to me by Lord Warner, Health Minister in the House of Lords. We have examined it very carefully and it appears to be very sloppy legislation with quite a few loopholes. It is ambiguous in many places, particularly when it says that the water companies must put forth a 'reasonable effort' to obtain payment from third parties before they can bill the DoH.
It appears that the water companies believe they have a cast-iron guarantee, but this may not be the case. We have had correspondence from Water UK's legal advisor, so they are clearly paying close attention to our campaign! It also seems the water companies have serious worries about the indemnity legislation. It is very clear that there is a weakness here that we must exploit. The water companies are more vulnerable (for our purposes) than health authorities. They could go to Government and say that they cannot implement fluoridation, eg. for technical reasons. Pressurising the water companies is the only effective tactic open to us at the moment, and we can achieve more by focussing on one object than by scattering our approaches across a range of targets. So, write to your water company, and ask your council to contact them also. Remind them of the yellow card you sent them and restate your objection to paying for fluoridated water. The UK water industry is the 'Weakest Link' - they have the most to lose. Being caught up in a controversial issue (fluoridating drinking water) generates bad publicity. And bad publicity is not advantageous to inspiring confidence in the stock market. The privatised water industry is all about PROFIT. Threaten their profits and you influence them.
Let us all work together on the water companies.
Liz Vaughan. Chairman NPWA
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