One thing to consider in all of this is the fact that the news outlet in question apparently does not moderate comments. This isn't unusual among newspaper websites - it's expensive to have staff on hand to moderate comments and especially so when a comment thread becomes heated. But it tends to improve the quality of discourse about 1000%, if it's done conscientiously by consistently applying rules of conduct and content to all participants.
It couldn't be more clear that the paper in question is NOT interested in rational discourse, but are perfectly happy to host a general brawl extending over hundreds and hundreds of posts. Isn't this what the British tabloids are known for - sh*t stirring with the conscious intention of scaring, ridiculing or angering the target of the moment?
Now by my understanding, the Telegraph is not considered a "tabloid" but one of the more "respectable" papers - but the British media universe is a little strange to me, since it seems that various forms of yellow journalism are often practiced across the spectrum of papers, "respectable" or not.
I do glean that the Telegraph is a Conservative paper, which to me unfolds a little farther the reasons why they are happy to have this mess on their site. While the release of the Lipkin paper was the proximate excuse for this particular journalistic hate piece, it seems like it fits pretty well into the overall narrative about ALL disabled people that those in power are encouraging among the populace - that they're mostly faking, exaggerating, work-shy, etc. It's all of a piece with hate crimes against the disabled and the horrors of Atos.
If the "common people" can be encouraged to believe that there are relatively few "deserving sick," and that the rest of the "disabled" are running a nice scam to get working people's money, then you can get the public to act as your goon squad - one you don't have to pay. That seems to come out pretty clearly in many of the comments on the Telegraph piece - sure, most of those people probably thought we were lazy tossers all along, but the climate has become favorable to expressing that bigotry very openly and viciously.
The really neat trick in ME/CFS bigotry is depicting the patient community as some sort of powerful entity - because they're a "militant" or even "armed" mob determined to deny the truth of their disease and intimidate and oppress the poor scientists who only want to pursue that truth. Any claim of mistreatment and disempowerment on our part is just part of our madness, you see?
And, of course, if we're well enough to speak for ourselves (even if it's via laptop from bed) we can't possibly be *that* sick. That message is pretty explicit - the "deserving sick" are those who shut up.
It is not necessary to invoke "conspiracies" merely to observe the way things go when powerful interests happen to be aligned.