Risk of Freedom Briefing

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Risk of Freedom Briefing No. 1, October 1999, featuring an extract from a talk by Frank Furedi of the LM network at the first Lanesborough Lunch.


Risk of Freedom Briefing, Issue 12, July 2002 showing contributions from Frank Furedi, Mike Fitzpatrick and Bill Durodie of the LM network.

The Risk of Freedom Briefing was a publication edited by conservative activist Roger Scruton between October 1999 and July 2007[1] and funded by Japan Tobacco International.[2] According to Scruton:

My wife and I have a company devoted to public affairs, the aim of which is to help clients to find the language appropriate to their concerns and to promote debate of those concerns in the media. Japan Tobacco International has been our client for the last three years. We have advised JTI on language and arguments and arranged debates, seminars and conferences on risk and freedom, with their declared sponsorship.
We have also published Risk of Freedom Briefing, circulated to journalists (including some on the Guardian) the purpose of which is to stimulate debate. This carries my name as editor and JTI's name as sponsor. We have never concealed the relationship, but have tried to make clear we are related to our client not as advocates but as advisers. [2]

It seems that contributors to the briefing were paid for their articles. According to a comment by John Adams[3], an article written which he wrote for but was not published in the Briefing was 'paid for by the tobacco industry'. 'Sadly', he noted 'before it could be published, JT International withdrew their sponsorship and the publication ceased business... But although it wasn’t published I was paid for the article so I confess to have taken the industry’s shilling – or in this case £100.'[3]

Lanesborough Luncheons

The briefing published extracts from the speeches given at successive Lanesborough Lunches an informal dining club also funded by Japan Tobacco International.[4] The first Lanesborough Lunch (20/5/99) was addressed by Frank Furedi of the LM network.[5] The lunches were cited by lobbyists Edouard Peter and Michael McKay of Advisio International as an example of a 'platform and follow-through series' which can help in 'conditioning public debate'.[6] The strategy recommended is

First, elevate the issue as high up the scale of logic, objectivity and social relevance as possible: It is not about this or that product, it is the boundaries to freedom of commerce... For example, practically all products may have negative health consequences, yet there is the broader issue of personal choice that needs to be balanced with an inclination to regulate. The freedom for adults to make their good or bad choices attracts influential audiences who otherwise may have no particular interest in the particular products.
Second, have a prestigious and credible third party assume the public debate on your behalf. The corporation doesn’t hide, yet its spokespersons never take the front of the stage in the public debate. Wherever possible, the third party is an independent institution, a recognized platform for objective debate among experts.
Bringing these two conditions together requires enormous tact, long-standing networks of relations at the highest levels and the ability to behave in a neutral fashion as a bridge between academic, political, media and commercial thought processes. The latter often disqualifies large, well-known consultancies. That is why this approach is not applied more often. Or if it is, can’t attract attention to itself and risk self-defeat.[6]

People

Editor: Roger Scruton | Editorial assistant: Sophie Jeffreys,[7] (later Sophie Scruton). Amongst those published in the briefing:

Contributors to the Risk of Freedom Briefings edited by Roger Scruton, with editorial assistant Sophie Jeffreys[11]
Issue No. Main Theme Contributor 1 Contributor 2 Contributor 3 Contributor 4 Contributor 5 Contributor 6 Contributor 7 Contributor 8 Contributor 9
1 The Power of NGOs Rosemary Righter (2) Frank Furedi (4) Petronella Wyatt (2)
2 No data No data No data No data No data No data No data No data No data No data
3 Transnational governance Anthony Barnett Rodney Leach Christopher Booker Tony Curzon Price (8) John R. Bolton Magyar Nemzet
4 The Power of NGOs Zac Goldsmith Malcolm Grimston Simon Jenkins Michael Byers Anthony Adair Tony Curzon Price (8)
5 The Precautionary Principle John Lucas Frank Furedi (4) Matt Ridley (2) Caroline Jackson Tony Curzon Price (8) Roger Bate
6 Transnational Governance Rosemary Righter (2) Helen Szamuely Titus Alexander
7 Political Correctness Mick Hume (4) Lynda Lee-Potter Joh K. Wilson Dennis O'Keeffe (3)
8 The Informal Economy Timur Moon Tim Congdon (2) Joe Clark Tony Curzon Price (8) Dennis O'Keeffe (3)
9 The Defence of Freedom Geoffrey Wheatcroft Aidan Rankin Laurence O'Toole Johann Hari Matt Ridley (2) Charles Moore
10 Uncomfortable Truths Roger Scruton (4) Lord Alun Chalfont Sir Michael Howard Arch Puddington Avik Roy (3) Ros Coward Jonathan Walters
11 The Sound of Silence Petronella Wyatt (2) Nick Cohen Jim Barrington Dennis O'Keeffe (3) Richard D North (5) Roger Scruton (4)
12 Health Creation Piers Benn Michael Fitzpatrick Bill Durodié James Le Fanu (2) Virginia Bottomley Roger Scruton (4) Frank Furedi (4)
13 Addiction Ian Hindmarch Digby Anderson James Le Fanu (2) Susan Greenfield (2) Stanton Peele Mick Hume (4) Roger Scruton (4)
14 Branding Richard D North (5) Dominique Turpin Tony Curzon Price (8) James Harkin Mike Mosbacher Mick Hume (4) Roger Scruton (4)
15 Advertising John Luik (3) Ian Christie Ben Filmer Renate Veilchen Ian Crowther Adrian Furnham Tony Curzon Price (8)
16 Denormalization Carol Iannone Dorothy Rabinowitz Mick Hume (4) Bjorn Lomborg John Kay Mark Lynas Robert Satchwell John Luik (3) Alexandra Colen
17 The Private Policeman Peter Villiers Alisha Hazari Tony Curzon Price (8) Richard D North (5)
18 Litigation Un-Limited Walter K. Olson David J. Levy Jim Copland Avik Roy (3) John Grisham
19 Cannabis Sean Gabb Peter Lilley Susan Greenfield (2) Pierre Lemieux Clare Gerada Heather Ashton Hans-Christian Raabe Richard D North (5)
20 Human Rights Kenneth Minogue (2) Sophie Jeffreys Sergio de Mello Thomas Cushman Alice Miles Benjamin Mancroft
21 Children Frank Furedi (4) Theodore Dalrymple Anna Martinez Daniel Hannan Jadwiga Gromadzka Benet Simon Richard D North (5) Meredith Craig
22 Shareholding Norman Barry Sonya Merton Hardy Bouillon (2) Tim Congdon (2) Glaxo Gates Wayne Boulder Francis Wheen Cindy Delamere
23 Alcohol - Drinks and Drunks Mick Hume (4) Ken Worpole John Luik (3) Olivier Leflaive Julie d'Abbonville
24 Lobbying Marek Matraszek Hardy Bouillon (2) Gus Edwards Steve Welss
25 Intellectual Property Tony Curzon Price (8) Keith Goodenough Utkarsh Gate Avik Roy (3) Becky Hogge
26 Standards Claire Fox (1) Chris Woodhead Barry Smith Ceri Collingborn George Littlejohn Christopher Woodhead
27 Humour Chrsitie Davies Agnieszka Kolakowska F H Buckley Safiye Cemek
28 Diversity Munira Mirza Sophie Scruton Margaret Transom Kenneth Minogue (2) Brian Leiter


Resources

Archive of the briefing: http://web.archive.org/web/20060616140335/riskoffreedom.com/archive.php


  • John Adams The tobacco industry and me, 2008. An article written for but not published in the Briefing: 'This posting has been paid for by the tobacco industry. It is an article commissioned by Risk of Freedom Briefing, a publication edited by the philosopher Roger Scruton and sponsored by JT International (Japan Tobacco). Sadly, before it could be published, JT International withdrew their sponsorship and the publication ceased business. So it is published here for the first time. But although it wasn’t published I was paid for the article so I confess to have taken the industry’s shilling – or in this case £100.'

Notes

  1. ↑ See the holdings in the Internet Archive: The Risk of Freedom Briefing Archive, retrieved from the Internet Archive of 22 April 2008
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Roger Scruton A puff for the Scrutons The Guardian, Monday 28 January 2002 01.33 GMT
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 John Adams The tobacco industry and me, 2008.
  4. ↑ School of Advanced Study, Annual Report 2000/01 University of London.
  5. ↑ Frank Furedi 'Litigious Britain: Consolation and the compensation culture' The Risk of Freedom Briefing, Issue No. 1 October 1999, p. 3.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Edouard Peter and Michael McKay Proactive Positioning – a Public Affairs approach A White Paper Jedco Conseil, posted 15 August 2005
  7. ↑ Risk of Freedom Briefing Archive
  8. ↑ J.R. Lucas ACE: Assess Cost of Error published in The Risk of Freedom Briefing, Issue no.5 October 2000
  9. ↑ Bill Durodie The precautionary principle is causing a scare Risk of Freedom Briefing, July 2002.
  10. ↑ Norman Barry Capitalism - the threat from within. Risk of Freedom Briefing 22, January 2005
  11. ↑ Data compiled from pdf's stored on wayback machine captures listed above. Numbers in parenthesis indicate number of contributions
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