Democracy Institute

The Democracy Institute describes itself as "a politically independent public policy research organization based in Washington and London". The think tank was founded in 2006. Its stated aims are:

to further public education through the production and dissemination of accessible commentary and scholarship. The Democracy Institute aims to provide a balanced and thoughtful perspective on topical issues, promoting open and rational debate based on evidence rather than ideology.

The Institute are regularly consulted by the media as experts in public health issues with Patrick Basham and John Luik regularly appearing as media commentators, 33 worldwide newspaper articles between 2006-2009 cite Basham and Luik as experts on public health issues.

Views

Tobacco

Patrick Basham, the Institute's director, criticised the WHO's anti-tobacco efforts, which are centred on the 2003 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. He described the framework as "The well-intentioned blind leading the blind," going on to say that:

Smoking levels naturally drop off - as they have in Western countries - when populations become richer and better-educated.

Adding:

The cynical view is that the anti-tobacco lobby has itself now become an industry and we will never be able to do enough to stop smoking.

And:

Tobacco use will change, but it has very little to do with the kinds of things WHO is promoting.

Obesity

According to the Western Mail, John Luik and Patrick Basham of the Democracy Institute argue that:

There is no evidence to support claims that children are getting fatter or that they will suffer long-term health problems as a result of their weight; Such a public fixation with weight and food could exacerbate the problem of eating disorders and people's obsession with their own weight.

Dr Luik told the Western Mail,

In the US about 25% of adolescent girls are dieting constantly and 5% have anorexia or bulimia. But this fixation [with food and body image] is not just for girls, but women under 45. The message people are getting is one about an obsession with their bodies - 20 years ago feminists would never have allowed such a public discourse about women's weight. And yet it seems that the health establishment think because it is done under the cover of talking about people's health, it is all right.

Dr Luik added:

The people who live the longest in both the UK and the US are the pleasantly plump - the people who are most likely to die from a weight-related disorder are those who are either too thin or at a normal body mass index. People who are between a BMI of 26 and 32 are those who are living the longest, yet according to the obesity debate, those are the people who should be dying in the greatest numbers.

Islamic Radicalism

In an article for the National Post in Canada, the Institute's director Patrick Basham concluded that:

This terrorist weed choking the U.K. is especially hard to eradicate because it is growing in British soil. The United States' fastest-growing religion is Islam, but there the numbers are not a security concern since a commitment to Islam has not overwhelmed a strong attachment to America. Score another victory for the cultural melting pot; by contrast, the U.K. embraced taxpayer-subsidized multiculturalism and has paid a very dear price.

The result, cultural apartheid, has encouraged a significant number of Muslims to exhibit more loyalty to fellow Muslims outside of the U.K. than to their fellow Britons. It is a dangerous trend, and one that countries such as Canada should view as a cautionary tale.

Publications

• Patrick Basham, 2009, Butt Out! How Philip Morris Burned Ted Kennedy, the FDA & the Anti-Tobacco Movement, Democracy Institute

People

Patrick Basham - Director.

Advisory Council

Nigel Ashford – Institute of Humane Studies | Juliette Baysham – Public Health Fellow | Jason Clemens – Pacific Research Institute | Veronique de Rugy – Mercatus Center | Jamie Dettmer – International Foundation for Electoral Systems | Chris Edwards – Cato Institute | Ivan Eland – Independent Institute | Jeremy Lott – Senior Fellow | Michael Mosbacher – Social Affairs Unit | Gerry Nicholls – Senior Fellow | Charles Pena – George Washington University | Christopher Preble – Cato Institute | Marian Tupy – Cato Institute | Martin Zelder – University of Chicago.

Affiliations

Spiked | Institute of Humane Studies | Pacific Research Institute | Mercatus Center | International Foundation for Electoral Systems | Cato Institute | Independent Institute | Social Affairs Unit.