UK Science Media Centre, RCP, and press silence on XMRV

[Mark]

PS do you mean biopsychosocialists, or (bio) Psycho Socialists?

 

[SOC]

Countries tend to respect their own researchers more. The UK's approach to ME/CFS is particularly dominated by biopsychosocialists who believe XMRV isn't relevant according to their own research (nor important even if it is found by other researchers and would only encourage abnormal illness beliefs such as "viral attribution"), and the media coverage was suspiciously quiet, with the SMC downplaying the MLV/CFS study in their "press release".

[My emphasis]

That's scary. It's not really true in my field, but then it's not dominiated with the kind of massive egos that seem common in the medical world.

The very reason for not preferring your own group/country's research is exemplified by what's happened in the UK re: ME/CFS. It's far too easy to engage in severely dysfuntional groupthink when you don't respect the work of those outside your group/country. The CDC is another good example of this bad science practice.

Honestly! They have so many fronts on which to be ashamed of themselves, it would be funny if so many people weren't being harmed.

 

[bullybeef]

Maybe it was just my ME brain playing tricks on me.

Is has been quite a busy day in regards to ME news stories, and some personal stories on regional radio and TV.

This was posted elsewhere tonight: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...im-ME-illness-NOT-mind.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

 

[SOC]

PS do you mean biopsychosocialists, or (bio) Psycho Socialists?

Hey, if they can shorten ME/CFS to chronic fatigue, I'm all for shortening their biopsychosocialist to psycho socialist.


ETA:
Envisioning a trio of psycho socialists in classic 3 monkeys pose chanting, "There is no train. There is no train."

 

[Mark]

Hey, if they can shorten ME/CFS to chronic fatigue, I'm all for shortening their biopsychosocialist to psycho socialist.


ETA:
Envisioning a trio of psycho socialists in classic 3 monkeys pose chanting, "There is no train. There is no train."

Very fair point. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. Psycho socialists it is. Would love to see those 3 monkeys in a youtube video...

 

[pictureofhealth]

Do you think the SMC brigade have gone to the XMRV Conference? There was a remarkable lack of negative comment from them on the latest virus research findings in children with ME (from Dundee scientists) today. The BBC reported it all over in detail and there was only positive coverage - wow!

 

[SOC]

Do you think the SMC brigade have gone to the XMRV Conference? There was a remarkable lack of negative comment from them on the latest virus research findings in children with ME (from Dundee scientists) today. The BBC reported it all over in detail and there was only positive coverage - wow!

Maybe the speak-no-retrovirus monkey has looked over his/her shoulder and has seen the HGRV train a'comin' down the tracks.

 

[Esther12]

Just happened to come across this old Wessely piece on LM's Spiked Online.

http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CAC61.htm

Along with the other piece giving Simon Wessely as the man to be contacted for further information, I think it's fair to say there's some link. (google gave 94 links for "simon Wessely" on spiked.com)

 

[Mark]

Nice work Esther12, thanks for that.

We got rather bogged down by the detail of whether SW was ever an actual RCP member, which seems to have been rather a red herring, but the important point that you highlight well here is that he is strongly associated with Spiked - however the picture all fits together. There's a relatively small number of people, with very extreme views, networked in positions of power and influence, who seem to keep popping up with public comments regarding all the issues of concern to us as UK patients. Whatever the details, this group (however loose or however conspiratorial the associations) is highly relevant to the political management of ME/CFS in the UK.

 

[busybee]

Already posted by Katiemoomoo but I think it belongs here

Professor Simon Wessely was presented with the King's Award for Media Personality of the Year 2010

http://www.iop.kcl.ac.uk/news/?id=450

 

[Wildcat]

Media Personality??

Simon Wessely: “I don’t think we can rewrite history simply because we don’t like the ending”.

We couldn’t agree more!



Simon Wessely, Media Personality, interviewed by John Humphrys on Radio 4, August 2006

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/listenagain_20060902.shtml
0750
'The Government decided Private Harry Farr, the soldier shot at dawn during the first world war for cowardice, should be pardoned. He was one of many.

Professor Simon Wessely of the Institute of psychiatry at King's College London and consultant to the army says he should not be.

We talk to him and Lord Dubs, who argued for the pardon.'



Transcript:
http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/sh...hologises-Chemical-warfare&p=66456&viewfull=1

 

[pictureofhealth]

I think this sums up the current institutional mindset. Not one patient 'cured' from 'CFS' as a result of his methods, although he was in charge of the UK 'rehabilitation' policy for years. Many have however died during his watch. So he wins no awards for 'science' or for 'great discoveries of actual benefit to patients', but for bringing 'media' attention to the college. Oh and he found it all a lot of 'fun'. Sure the families of the dead, and the incarcerated and socially and medically shunned patients feel the same way Simon.