Personally I believe fraud did take place, I believe PACE defrauded the British tax payer for a start.
As for being sincere in their intentions, I do not think so.
There is too much evidence of contempt, ridicule and disbelief of ME patients from these people prior to their involvement in PACE.
They were sincere in their desire to provide the DWP and insurance companies exactly what they wanted.
They were sincere in their attempts to undermind and discredit ME sufferers and their reputations.
They were sincere in their seeking to advance their own careers, status, influence and authority.
In my opinion intentions do not absolve someone from inflicting harm or committing a crime. believe it or not most child abusers do not have the intention to cause harm to a child they just put their own needs, and self interests above the child's and ignore, dismiss and deny the child's suffering. They ACT out their faulty beliefs and will continue with their faulty beliefs and denying a child's suffering even after they are convicted.
The PACE authors have at all times put their own career interests and personal beliefs above the harm to patients and Continued to ignore, dismiss and deny the suffering of patients.
Whether this is a choice or a serious personality flaw, patients should have been protected from this and deserve justice for the harms done. The fact that they still refuse to retract it points to serious personality flaw and that their are no systems in place to protect patients from harms done in this way is alarming.
Has anyone ever seen one ounce of empathy, humanity, understanding or compassion from these people towards the ME patients they have studied? That may have hinted at genuine intentions. Instead they use everything within their power to discredit and belittle us and our suffering.
No don't buy it sorry.
Steve Lubet has done a great job, and I do understand his reluctance to use the word fraud himself in such an article, but good intentions is to forget the well recorded and documented history and its various players previous to PACE.