Duty Calls

l'll be away for a few days as l'm taking some people to Bulgaria. Staying a couple of nights so they can enjoy the experience of Sofia. They'll be purchasing their goods and giving the tax that they pay to Bulgaria instead of the UK.

I always enjoy these trips as it is another group of people who will learn what their rights truly are when EU shopping and not what they are led to believe by HMRC and the government.

Upon our return l hope they are not stopped by Customs but if they are ... they will not be like lambs to the slaughter, they will have been well prepared by myself and l will also be with them. Personally l enjoy being stopped by these HMRC jobsworths, for that is all they are. They have a script that usually works for them and stick to it religously ... except it doesn't work for them when you know the truth . Don't accept their script and the sham is revealed

Resistance group now open.

Well, here's the facebook link to join the Resistance.  We will be few but at least you will be making a statement of defiance and expressing your freedom to do as you choose. You will be saying to this government that you will not finance the smoking ban and it's acolytes. Support another country who listens to it's people ... like Bulgaria where the smoking ban lasted just 3 days.

l see it as being quite exclusive as only the brave would join given the hordes of anti-smokers waiting to vent their wrath upon us .... and l do mean hordes. Just type into the search engine for groups and put in 'Smoking' or 'Smokers' and you'll see what l mean. All you get is anti-smokers using any tactic they can think of. Here's one ... here's another and not forgetting the many 'If l can get 100,000 fans my dad will quit smoking' ... or their mum, sister, brother, dog, goldfish blah blah blah.  lt really makes you despair at mankind.

Given the percentage of smokers in the UK, indeed the world, there doesn't seem to be many on Facebook. Have they been hounded off?....  is it Facebook themselves? ... is it just apathy?

So become a member of the Resistance and make a stand. The message needs now to be taken out onto the streets with stickers and leaflets put into pubs etc ... being a keyboard warrior is not enough. l've found blank black flags and am now looking how to get the designs on them. lf you've got the time ... design one of your own, it's fun. lf not wait until we can produce them and then ... fly the flag.
        lt will announce that you're a member of a rather exclusive and unique group .... The Resistance.

Somewhat more gratifying will be that it states loud and clear 'FUCK OFF' to the government, the hordes of anti-smoking groups and their acolytes. Even more gratifying would be to unexpectedly come across one of these flags flying in the non-smoking occupied territories, for there would be a friend! :)

Spread the word.

From me to Debbie Arnott of ASH

Sorry, had to take Dylan off ... but this is a good one!

This site is just so fucking wrong!

Jesus Christ, l've seen some sites that are bad but this one is bloody unbelievable. How can they get away with such shit like this? There's so much crap in it l'd be here till hell freezes over taking it to bits.

So, l'll just comment on the pic. Ice-cream van, bad man inside it (note tattoos), selling cigarettes singularly (site will say they are fake), kids 8yr old?

Nope, l can't do it, too angry so l'll just say this about the site.

Fuck off! .. just Fuck off!  You sick lying fucking bastards!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho ... a herd of cats for me!

Ok, l'm no good at art but you get the general idea. Leg Iron produced No 1 so here is No 2. Idea behind is we are called many names but jist of them are we are criminals, pariahs, smugglers and so on ... hence pirate. Put recognisable symbol on hat so it refers to the alcohol, cigarette is self explanatory. Left swords in and had unfriendly skull because l want to portray we are not to be messed with. We won't go away and we don't scare. Leg Iron is far more articulate on the rest so l refer you to him. Savvy?



So this doesn't degenerate into squabbles about who likes who's best and ending up with nothing, which would be a shame. l see no reason why different flags etc cannot be used for different areas ... or Resistance Groups if you prefer. As long as it has the skull, cigarettes and alcohol, l can see no problem. We will all be acting independently anyway. lt's no different to military units having different patches. Comments?

Resistance Fighters .... call to action!

The enemy (the government) aren't listening because we are not hurting them. Well it's time we did. There is no need to wait for our supposed leaders in the campaign against the smoking ban because, to be quite frank, they aren't achieving anything anyway. Parliament just pats them on the head and sends them away with nothing. They do great work but nobody there listens ... it's time to stop being nice!

ln reality we are all isolated and instead of constantly trying to get ourselves organised as a group lets use what we have. The government pay attention every time to one thing in particular, and it's the one thing they are short of ... money.

YOU are in control of whether they get that money or not. lt's the tax on tobacco/cigarettes and it is not an insignificant amount.

A pack of 20 cigarettes cost on average £5.70 and from that £5.70 the government get £4.40! ... yes £4.40.
Golden Virginia tobacco costs £12.12 and from that the government get £8.60 ... yes £8.60 (source)

The government then use that money to fund such as ASH and other anti-smoking groups. So YOU are paying your enemies to treat you like pariahs. ls that insanity or what?

A single smoker who smokes 20 cigarettes a day pays the government £39.90 a week, which is £2074.80 a year. 40 a day ... £4149.60 a year!  STOP PAYING THEM!

 Every pack of 20 cigarettes you buy in the EU puts approx £3.50 back in your pocket and the UK government gets nothing ... zilch!

Go to the EU and pay on average approx £2.20 for the same cigarettes that would cost you £5.70 in the UK. Preferably go to pro-smoking countries like Bulgaria and let them have the excise duty and vat. lt's 100% legal and is your right as an EU citizen. Do groups like FOREST promote this sort of thing? Can somebody tell me?

You rolling tobacco guys will also make huge savings but l've no idea of how many rollies you get out of a 50gm pouch so can't do my calculations. Maybe someone can tell me how many?

l know some of you are already doing this but get more to do it. Organise little pockets of resistance. Let them tell their friends, and their friends tell their friends. Make it grow. Stop moaning on the web and do something positive. The government will notice then and perversely they'll make it look even worse because they'll over-estimate the statistics like they always have done when used against smokers.

lt's a win-win for smokers. You end up with more money in your pockets and the government end up with none! There's lots of details on this blog on how to shop in the EU as is your right but if you are still unsure e-mail me with any questions. I'll gladly answer them.

 You veteran resistance fighters ... help others to help themselves. We maybe fragmented but we are many and that's a great deal of tax we have control of. Don't give it to our oppressors!

Oh, and don't forget your bottles of spirits when shopping .... less tax for the UK government.

Update

Anon in comments 21.54 .... with your figures that'd be roughly £18.7 Billion for cigarette tax and £2.7 Billion for rolling tobacco.

Total would be £21.4 Billion lost to treasury or if you want   £21,400,000,000. :)

The Resistance.

I made a comment over at Pat Nurse's place about the anti-smokers in the UK being not unlike the Vichy French.Whilst l made it in jest, it did later strike me as having relevance. The Vichy French took it upon themselves to ostracise and persecute the Jews with virtually no help from the Third Reich whatsoever. Whilst not having the tragic consequences that befell the Jews, the methods used are very similar.

Lies and propaganda are constantly put out by government bodies and their fake charities aimed at smokers. Our own UK Vichys then use it against us at seemingly every opportunity ... and often with venom.
The government have to do nothing because our own citizens are quite happy to do it for them, in fact they seem to relish it. Why do they do it? ... some say it's righteousness but l think it's something otherwise as well. They enjoy the power that they think they have over smokers ... and in a way they have because attacking smokers has become the norm and acceptable. lt's open season on smokers. Just in case our UK Vichys don't forget the position of smokers, the country is adorned with no smoking and anti smoking signs. At least we don't have to wear them .... yet! Neither do you have to take this crap from them.

But, as like Vichy France, there is a Resistance. The French Resistance in those days were quite small (don't believe the history of today). That unfortunately is where the similarities end.

Our Smokers Resistance is fragmented andvirtually toothless. We make no impact, we have no victories to speak of. Despite this some still think that petitions and the like will make a difference. Well, l hope Clegg has opened your eyes to that false hope. Even if the smoking ban did get a review, what then? A referendum? We'd be up against all the government departments and their fake charities campaigns. They'd flood the TV channels, newspapers, radio waves with their propaganda aimed at the sheepies. All this would be financially supported by the government. What would we have? .... the lnternet and blogging. We used to have pubs where we could all meet up and form alliances with other pubs but that avenue was closed off to us long ago. The pathetic pub companies made sure of that ... f'ing wimps.The resistance at the moment is just political and whilst they make a few inroads we should not depend on being just a political resistance. lt's time for an active Resistance that takes the fight to the streets.

So, do we surrender? .... certainly not! We fight on but lets use their tactics ... fight dirty!  Get your tobacco from anywhere but the UK. They don't want us, so why give them money to harass us more? Smile or laugh everytime you light up your foreign tobacco/cigarettes. They will then begin to take notice ... money talks. Don't know where to find a source of this tobacco? ... ask around, it's there waiting for you. All you have to do is make a little effort and remember you'll be saving yourself money too. Do you need anymore incentive?

Other more seasoned bloggers have told you this and now l'm doing the same. Whilst you're at it, source your alcohol too and damage the pub companies at the same time. As l said before 'money talks'. Yes, some companies will go to the wall but then the pubs may then be taken up by independents who have some balls who value their customers. Time to hit back.

Let us say to one and all, and especially the UK Vichys   'Don't Fuck with Us!'  Some of us are already doing this ... but not enough so join us. You're either with us or against us ... a simple choice.  Choice? ... do you remember what that is?

Nice try ASH but no cigar

I see ASH are getting their knickers in a twist about Rizla cigarette papers being advertised and sold at festivals.

Apart from Rizla just being paper and therefore completely legal, don't you think someone should have informed Harpie Arnott that there are smokers ... and then there are 'smokers'. ?

Even if ASH achieved a total ban on all tobacco products it wouldn't make the slightest difference to the 'joint' smoking fratenity ... what they smoke is already illegal.  :)

Low flying Spitfire ... and l do mean low!

An oldie but well worth repeating

D-Day Heroes and smoking ... but don't mention the French!

This Graye Churchill tank in the car park at Courseulles-sur-Mer is situated about 100 metres from the beach where it came ashore at the junction of the Green (left) and Red (right) sectors of Mike/JUNO Beach. Thus is where the Royal Winnipeg Rifles came on D-Day 6th June 1944. They suffered 128 casualties, the second heaviest Canadian regimental casualties of the day.

This tank came ashore and slid down into the flooded culvert, it sunk and was then hit by mortars. The sunken tank was incorporated into the exit road and there it stayed until 1976 when it was recovered, restored and moved to the car park. Also in the car park is a granite monument about 0.75 metres wide by 1.25 metres high. This monument is dedicated to the Canadian Scottish and Royal Winnipeg Rifles. h/t vicherley


Take a closer look at the photo and you'll see in the top right hand corner a cross. This cross is about 50-60 ft high and in chrome and is actually on the beach. There is a large area decked out to accommodate it. lt is the Charles De Gaulle Cross commemorating his landing there as the Liberator of France. No he didn't come on the 6th or 7th ... not even the 12th when Churchill came. He came on the 14th! The only thing missing in the tank photo is there is also a flag flying there ... yes, the French one.


The 3 D-Day vets that l'd taken were not very complimentary about it to say the least. Comments like 'Fucking typical, our lads are shoved in the car park and that big nosed cunt gets a fucking giant memorial to proclaim himself Liberator of France" ... "Cunt" ... " Do you know that there's no figures for French casualties on D-Day?" ... " Yeah, did you see the leaflet on the war cemetries? 1000's of Allied graves and even the Poles have 690 odd. The French one? ... 90 ... fucking 90!" ... " Liberator of France? ... Cunt!"


l looked later at the leaflet and it did indeed say that. Later on when l'd taken them to bar and we were sat out in the sun having a beer ... and a smoke, one of the vets said " Y'know, l used to enjoy a pint and a smoke at the pub but it's not worth going anymore. Hardly anyone goes. When l have been and l want a smoke l've got to shuffle out on these fucking sticks. Doesn't matter if it's pouring with rain, blowing a gale, fucking snowing ... out l fucking go"

He went on "What really pisses me off is all them fucking anti-smoking cunts. They say it's better for me, it's healthier, it's for my own good ... l'm 85 for fucks sake!"


His mate replied " Makes you wonder why we bothered, fucking fascists won in the end"

Transcript of actual questioning of a shopper by HMRC ... and resulting seizure of goods.

Below is a transcript of an actual interrogation interview. lt ties in with the advice l gave here. The shopper was told that the first part was informal and just a generalisation of the conversation but surprise surprise it turned into a substantial statement for HMRC.

The shopper also tells me that there is quite a bit missing from the second formal  interrogation interview too. He made the mistake of trusting the HMRC Officer as to it's content. One must also remember that the shopper is under considerable stress and just wants to get away ... which is completely natural. The shopper requested some fresh air and a drink of water at one point but was refused. None of this of course is in the HMRC Officers notebook. You should also be made aware that the HMRC Officer specifically asked him about cigarettes/tobacco and not drugs etc. lt is illegal to randomly stop any traveller for the purpose of excise goods but that doesn't concern HMRC in the slightest.

The traps and techniques l previously talked about are all here. There is little attempt at finding the facts. HMRC just look for any reason to confiscate the goods. This so called evidence produced by HMRC would be torn to bits in a criminal court but that's the point, it isn't a criminal court but a civil court. Hearsay is all that is necessary and the balance of probabilities. The reasons given for this particular seizure are weak to say the least and some are just downright lies.

The shopper lost the initial appeal but won in court. l'll cover that in a later post


Interrogation interview

l am an Officer of HMRC currently based at Manchester Airport. On --/07/08 l intercepted a male l now know as ####  ##### D.O.B ##/##/##. Mr #### was travelling from Gerona on flight ######

HMRC Are these your bags?

#### Yes

HMRC Did you pack them yourself?

#### Yes

HMRC Are you aware it is illegal to bring back things such as guns, explosives, drugs or
indecent or obscene material?

#### Yes

HMRC Are you aware or customs guidelines as far as cigarettes or tobacco are concerned?

#### Yes

HMRC Do you have any cigs or tobacco?

#### Yes loads

HMRC How much?

#### I couldn't tell you. I don't know

HMRC Do you smoke?

#### Yes I smoke tobacco and the cigs re for my wife

HMRC How long have you been away for?

#### 2 days

HMRC How many packets do you smoke a week?

#### 3 or 4 a week

HMRC How many rolls do you get out of a packet?

#### I don't know

HMRC What does your wife smoke?

#### The cheapest, whatever l can get her

HMRC How many a week?

#### 40 or 50 a day

HMRC When as the last time you brought cigs or tobacco back?

#### In DEC to Gerona

HMRC What did you bring back?

#### l'm not sure maybe 3-4000 cigs no tobacco.

HMRC ls that all you brought back?

#### Yes

HMRC What brand did you bring back?

#### John Player Red

HMRC How long did they last?

#### l'm not sure, l couldn't tell you.

Mr ##### then read my notebook and signed that the above conversation was a true account. I
then searched the baggage that Mr ##### said was his and it contained.

3940 Sovereign KSF
3000 Ronson KSF
3.6KG Domingo Blue HRT
1.2KG Domingo Green HRT

HMRC I then read the commerciality statement to Mr ##### from an aide memoire.

HMRC Do you have any medical conditions that will effect your interview or any special
needs?

#### No

HMRC Mr ##### again again signed my notebook.

HMRC Do you have any open packs of cigarettes on you now?

#### Yes, l've got 2 and a half cigs left

HMRC Do you have any open tobacco?

#### Yes, l've got a tin with rolls in

HMRC Do you use a rolling machine?

#### Yes

HMRC Where is it?

#### lt's at home. l just brought he tin with me and been smoking them in Spain.

HMRC You have been smoking cigs?

#### Yes

HMRC Why did you tell me the cigs were for your wife and you only smoke tobacco?

#### l always smoke them on holiday because l can't be bothered to roll them.

HMRC What do you smoke in England?

#### Rollys

HMRC What brand?

#### Domingo

HMRC Where do you get your Domingos from?

#### Last time l was away

HMRC In December

HMRC How much did you bring back then, you said none before?

#### Something daft like 150 packets

HMRC Have you got any left?

#### Yes in the house

HMRC How many?

#### About 20

HMRC Do you have any cigs left from last time?

#### No

HMRC When did they run out?

#### A while back. A few months

HMRC How much does she pay in England?

#### A fiver a packet in the shop

HMRC Why have you brought different brands such as Sovereign and Ronson?

#### I bought the Sovereign first and the wife will smoke them.Someone will tell me the
Ronson are cheaper

HMRC Why did you buy the Domingo blue and green?

#### The green is for the grandson

HMRC Why did you not tell me before that the tobacco was for your grandson?

#### It's for me the wife and the grandson

HMRC How many packs does he smoke a week?

#### A couple. Something like that

HMRC Does he smoke your Domingo?

#### He's only been there 6 or 7 weeks

HMRC Did you pay cash?

#### Let me work it out. l don't know.

HMRC Why do you have photocopied receipts?

#### l don't know. They must have given them me

HMRC They gave you photocopied receipts in the shop?

#### l went in and they said come back later so l picked it up later

HMRC Are you working?

#### No

HMRC When did you last work?

#### Years ago

HMRC How much do you get in the household a month?

#### 2500-3000 a month

HMRC Does your wife work?

#### Nurse, l should imagine £1700 a month. l think she works nights and overtime.

HMRC How much do you earn?

#### My disability is roughly £650 a month

HMRC How much is the mortgage?

#### About £500

HMRC What after bills?

#### The wife does that. l don't know how many that is.

HMRC How many rolls do you smoke a day?

#### l don't know

HMRC Can you tell me roughly?

#### No

HMRC Do you always buy your tobacco abroad?

#### Yes

HMRC When was the last time you bought tobacco in England?

#### 2 or 3 years at least

HMRC When was the last time you brought cigs back before December?

#### November, the month before

HMRC How many did you bring back in November?

#### Not that many. l don't know.

HMRC How many trips abroad do you make to buy cigs a year?

#### Not many. 3 or 4

HMRC How much money did you take with you?

#### 740 Euros plus some when l was out there

HMRC How much did you get there?

#### 500

HMRC What was that for?

#### l ordered that first and then got some more

HMRC So you went out and ordered Sovereigns and then went out and thought l'll buy some Ronsons today?

#### Yes

HMRC How long will the tobacco last?

#### l smoke 3 or 4 a week. The blue Domingo will last me till the new year.

HMRC How long will the cigs last your wife?

#### l don't know. She smokes about 40 a day

HMRC Why did you not bring back JPS Red this time?

#### Somebody told me Sovereigns were ok

HMRC But you bought the cheapest last time

#### Yes she smokes JPS Red


Mr ##### again signed my notebook that the above was a true account of the interview

I  seized all the goods at 21.05 hrs for the following reasons.

1. Smoking habit not credible
2. Mixed brands
3. Vague about the amount he has bought.
4. Goods exceed MILS
5. Pax has photocopied receipts
6. Vague about who the cigs and tobacco were for
7. Pax stated that he smoked tobacco then he said he smoked cigarettes. Pax stated that he bought tobacco in December, earlier said he didn't.

I then issued Mr ##### with C156, warning letter,notice 1 and notice 12a.

Dover - Calais HMRC/UKBA Part 2

Well all l can say is if that's the security that's in place for Calais to Dover ... it's a complete waste of bloody money! Myself and 3 D-Day vet passengers arrived at Calais for our return trip (we'd been visiting the Normandy D-Day Beaches etc). Joined the long line for Border Control in the car. French Border booths empty but behind them was the UK Border Control (yes, in France). Reached the UK booths and handed over the passports. Female officer checked the passports on a government computer that must have a bloody time lag built in it's so slow. She then called out the names on the passports and we all answered in turn. Seems fine until you realise she can't see from her booth the 2 passengers in the rear of the Jeep as it's got factory fitted blacked out windows!

We then drive on ferry, park up and get out. No-one checks the passengers, no-one checks the vehicle ... nothing! Arrive at Dover, drive off and join a long queue to exit the port. We pass a set of cameras that l assume are ANPR and then carry on in the queue till we reach Customs Control. This is 2 lanes that go through a large type warehouse affair. HMRC officers are there in the middle of the 2 lanes with a screen in front of them. To the side is open spaces where they can pull you to one side if they so choose. We approach the area and are just waived on ... no check of passengers, no check of vehicle ... nothing! Oh, and l borrowed the Jeep so the owner of it wasn't with us either

That's UK Border Control folks! Feel safe now? :) l mean that's what they tell us they are there for, isn't it? You do believe them, don't you? :)

Dover - Calais HMRC/UKBA

Shall be away for a while due to taking some WW2 Vets back to France and in particular Normandy courtesy of Heroes Return. They were going in comfort in the big Merc S Class but the German car decided yesterday to develop a front wheel bearing fault. lt's noisy and getting noisier so decided to leave it as there is no time to fix it. So enter the Yanks and the Jeep, which we'll be taking instead ... maybe the gods are telling me something :)

We shall be crossing via Dover-Calais ferry route. The lads know this route from many years ago except this time the enemy will be in Dover as well as a contingent in Calais. I can't remember ever using this ferry service. lt has never been of any interest to me, the cigarettes are too expensive and l almost always fly anyway. Used the ferry crossing to Ireland often but that was never shopping trips. l understand that Dover-Calais has gained a reputation for the HMRC staff there to be akin to Nazis. Most reports put them down as a law unto themselves and indeed power crazy. Take a look at some horror stories of experiences there and judge for yourself h/t daytripper.
Hope my boys want some tobacco to bring back!

So l was thinking, isn't it time to take these HMRC power mad officers  to task? Some covert body cameras and such and let the world see how they really behave instead of the crap put out in edited progs such as Border UK.

Actually I've already decided .... yes it is! Time for some Ebay shopping m'thinks :)

Your Freedom

Ok folks, now is your time to tell this new government what laws and regulations need repealing/changing. This new government site is where you tell them. Get involved and have your say. Yes l know, l have mistrust of politicians too but if you don't try ....  they'll take that as you're happy with how things are. Get involved!