'Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?'

Citation

Hastings G (2015) 'Well, he would say that, wouldn't he?'. Addiction, 110 (8), pp. 1226-1227. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.12965

Abstract
First paragraph: With these fateful words, Mandy Rice‐Davies told us all we need to know about vested interest. The year was 1963, and the UK's Conservative Government was being rocked by the Profumo Affair, a toxic mix of sex, Soviet spies and cabinet ministers. Davies was still a teenager and—quite rightly—determined not to be made a scapegoat. Her words came in reply to a barrister in the High Court who revealed that Lord Astor had denied sleeping with her, and her devastating common‐sense laid bare the hypocrisy of the political establishment. She was pointing out that people—even well‐educated, sophisticated, refined people—are wont to put their own interests first, regardless of the risk to others (in this case the security of the state at the height of the Cold War), and then do anything they can to hide this uncomfortable truth.

Keywords
conflict of interest; drinking behavior; food industry; health care policy; human; prevention and control; public health; public-private partnership; social behavior, Alcohol Drinking; Conflict of Interest; Food Industry; Health Policy; Humans; Public Health; Public-Private Sector Partnerships; Social Responsibility

Journal
Addiction: Volume 110, Issue 8

People

Professor Gerard Hastings

Emeritus Professor, Institute for Social Marketing