Why Forest exists
Forest Eireann's John Mallon (above) appeared on RTE's flagship current affairs programme this week.
He may only have been in the audience (albeit at Prime Time's invitation) and he may only have been given a very short time to make his point, but that's neither here nor there.
The important thing is that he was there, representing adults who don't want to quit smoking, however hard politicians like Ireland's minister for health James Reilly insist they do.
So, was it worth a round trip from Cork costing €200 including overnight accommodation? Read John's verdict on the Forest Eireann blog, No winners and losers on Prime Time.
Likewise on Friday I travelled to Bristol from Cambridgeshire to record an interview for the Sunday Politics West knowing I would get, at best, five minutes shared with a presenter and two other guests, to put the case against plain packaging.
I know from experience that viewers (even friends and family) rarely listen to what you actually say on TV or radio. The important thing is you're there and the viewer (or listener) recognises there are two sides to the argument.
That alone is worth the time, trouble and, yes, money it costs to represent smokers and tolerant non-smokers.
As it happens one of my fellow guests on Sunday Politics was anti-smoking campaigner Stephen Williams MP who has just tweeted:
I was discussing standard packs for cigarettes with @Forest_Smoking on @daily_politics Here's why https://t.co/0qQz9GAjmO
The link takes you to a post Stephen wrote on his blog in January 2012 after he helped launch the taxpayer-funded Plain Packs Protect campaign (Tobacco plain packs – a protection against the “Silent Salesman").
I'm curious he has nothing new to say on the subject, despite the fact that Australia has now introduced plain packaging.
Perhaps he's struggling to find any evidence that the policy is working. Or perhaps he doesn't want to unleash another torrent of opposition (1382 comments, mostly negative!).
Anyway, whether in the UK or Ireland, the fight against excessive regulation goes on and everyone working for Forest will do their very best to make sure the consumer is represented, whatever the cost in time and money.
As for Sunday Politics, I can't say I got the better of Stephen Williams. I didn't. My chief opponent was the presenter!
I was quietly pleased however that before the recording Stephen expressed surprise that I had travelled to Bristol. "You're committed," he said.
And that's the point, isn't it? Forest and many of the people who write or read blogs like this are committed.
This isn't a hobby. It's a passion.
We feel very strongly about the issues we write and campaign about. We won't go away and we'll accept every opportunity offered to challenge tobacco control campaigners wherever that might be.
So when the chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health says "You're committed" I take it as a compliment.
And so should you.
Update: The furthest I have gone for an interview is Torquay, a round trip of twelve hours for a ten minute item broadcast on ITV's early evening news programme.
On another I occasion I was flown to Dublin at the expense of Sky News to appear on the Richard Littlejohn Show on the eve of the introduction of the smoking ban in Ireland.
I can't even calculate how many miles or how many hours it took me to get to Dublin and back but I do remember that my "soundbite" was no more than 20 seconds and I stumbled over the first few words.
Oddly enough, one programme was broadcast from a pub, the other from a hotel bar, which may have been an incentive.
Try as I might I honestly can't remember.