How You Can Help Close Down The ASA

The Advertising Standards Authority and the Office of Fair Trading

Vernon Coleman





After the latest absurd pronouncement from the Advertising Standards Authority (see this web site for details) I made a formal complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The OFT told me that they do not have the power to provide advice on individual complaints but that my complaint about the ASA has been registered on their database and that the information it contains may be referred to if the OFT decides to investigate the ASA in future.

Clearly, if enough other people write to the OFT to complain then this Government department will investigate the ASA.

Incidentally, the Office of Fair Trading pointed out to me that the `ASA's rulings are made independently of both government and the advertising industry'.

In other words (as I have been reminding readers for years) the ASA is a private organisation with no more authority to ban ads than the Desperate Dan Pie-Eaters Club.

I strongly suggest that all readers who agree with me that the ASA does more harm than good, tries to suppress information inconvenient to the international drug industry and is a threat to freedom should write and complain to the OFT.

The address to write to is:


Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London EC4Y 8JX


Here, as a starting point, is a copy of a letter I sent to the OFT:


To Office of Fair Trading
23.6.05
Dear Sirs,
I wish to make a formal complaint about the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). This week the ASA banned an advertisement for one of my books How To Stop Your Doctor Killing You which first appeared in 1996 and which has been advertised around the world since then. The ASA announced the ban despite the fact that all claims for the book are honest and despite the fact that the book contains an attack on the ASA. The ASA knew about this attack before they banned the book. If a Judge was hearing a case which involved him personally he would withdraw. The ASA simply went ahead and banned ads for the book.

We have received many letters praising the book. The ASA claim that they have one complaint from a doctor but they will not say whether or not the alleged complainant is linked in any way to the drugs industry (which the book also attacks).

This seems to us to be an unfair attempt to stop us trading fairly and to stop us promoting a book which has been widely praised by readers (including many doctors). We also believe that the ASA's action is in breach of Article 10 of the Human Rights Act.

We hope that you will investigate this complaint fully.

Yours sincerely



Dr Vernon Coleman MB ChB DSc


Copyright Vernon Coleman 2005 Home