A sorry tale of drugs and climate change
Monday, February 9, 2009 Another day, another public apology and another blow for freedom of speech. This time it's the government's top drugs adviser Professor David Nutt who has been forced to say sorry. His "crime"? Suggesting that the risks of taking ecstasy are no worse than riding a horse, which is responsible for more than 100 deaths a year.
This afternoon home secretary Jacqui Smith told the House:
"I made clear to Professor Nutt that I felt his comments went beyond the scientific advice that I expect of him as the chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. He apologised to me for his comments and I've asked him to, as well, apologise to the families of the victims of ecstasy."
"Beyond the scientific advice that I expect of him?" Er, what advice would that be? Clearly, there is no room for proper debate (or genuine risk assessment) in the Home Office.
Meanwhile, in Northern Ireland, politicians and campaigners have demanded that the DUP's Sammy Wilson be sacked after the environment minister blocked a government advertisement campaign on climate change saying the adverts were part of an "insidious propaganda campaign".
The BBC News website reports that:
Brian Wilson, of the Green Party, said the environment minister should be removed from office for refusing to recognise climate change. "He is a climate change sceptic. We have got to take all measures we can to reduce our carbon footprint."
Including, it seems, sacking people who don't share your views.
Is it any wonder that so few politicians are prepared to stand up and be counted on issues such as passive smoking? Wander off message and the choice is simple: say "sorry" - or say goodbye to your career.
Reader Comments (9)
I read Daily Mail columnist Melanie Phillips today who wrote about the "folly of experts" for giving out this kind of message. Folly? It seems to me that experts are only believed if their message is one that the mainstream media, govt and health propagandists want to believe.
As for ecstasy being as risky as horse riding..? Well, as a horse rider I would say it most probably is!
Quick topical side-note: Jacqui Smith is a corrupt and overpromoted parasite. An expenses-fiddling cheat. A thief. She should be forced to resign for bringing the office into disrepute.
Heard Sammy Wilson being attacked by Eddie Smug on R4 PM earlier, following which ex-CND nulabor wimmins effort Joan Ruddock was rolled out to give the approved MMGW text. Wilson was subject to many designed-to-be-stinging interjections ["And what is your scientific background exactly?"], Ruddock to none.
I think we've pretty well established how nulabor [hawk! spit!] manage we the proles:
1/ Get your girlfriends from uni to set up a lobby-group "charity" funded by solely or mainly by taxpayers.
2/Fake-charity "calls for government action to halt epidemic of smoking/drinking/meat-eating blah blah etc. etc."
3/ Government launches "public consultation" in response, with questionnaires sent out to fake-charity's membership and the memberships of similarly-aligned quangos, plus a much smaller number sent out to whichever evil trade-bodies whose interests will be hit.
4/ Amazingly, an 85% "public support" for whatever stinking wheeze they've cooked up to dump on us. Champagne all round at nulabor HQ whilst they work out how to criminalise the 15%.
David Bellamy was more or less sacked by the BBC ten years ago for saying that global warming was not man made.
Could ASH have their 'charity' status taken away for consistently lying?
Most people dont understand what global warming is, they have no choice but to go along with the constant brainwashing like smoking, passive smoking etc as they have more important things to do going about their every day lives. Its just unavoidable.
Thats why the powers that be shy away from allowing the proletariot to stop and think or have a serious debate on any of these issues. When an astute person like Sammy Wilson or Jeremy Clarkson comes along and announces that the emperor has no clothes they have to be cut off at source in case the little people catch on and start thinking for themselves and breaking their rules that keep the money coffers flowing.
I always said that the Greens were cultists in fact I wouldnt be surprised if their funding comes (secretely of course) from the coffers of the EU.
They wont be getting my vote in the next elections.
Now look, if we are serious about comparative risk, Why the heck would anyone ever get into a car ?
Jacqui Smith may have opened a can of worms. There is a very good article about risk in today's Times by David Spiegelhalter of Cambridge University.
In reply to Chas, I have thought about writing to the Charity Commissioners about ASH, but not knowing the chance of success, didn't feel it would be worth the work. However, Bricknell's latest outburst, implying that Dilnot, a CBE and Master of an Oxford College, is possibly a conspiracy theorist or as deluded as a Holocaust "Denier", could increase the chance of success. What can charities get away with these days?
Chas, I have suggested something like that here.
I shall definitely be sending a message. Fancy joining in?
I agree with all of this it's very difficult to turn around and walk towards an oncoming crowd.
Problem is the herd are listening, or in most cases pretending to listen and follow the latest political "emporers new clothes",ideals.
Politicians are very much more liable to run with the herd than the rest of us .
This is very sad as the greatest Politicians in History had no need of this doctrine.
The reason was because they had the ability to inspire.
This inspirational type of Politics is not being grasped or indeed understood.
The only reason I can think of is a Beurocratic tendancy instilled by injection from "the student union" straight into Party politics .
This creates a type of very un-inspirational Politician hell bent on carreer progress.
That carreer will unfortunately come before the truth,..every time.
So no more inspiration only more Beurocracy for the sake of Beurocracy itself.
I,ll quote Thomas Moore but with a change to the last line.
To sell your soul for the world is folly indeed but for an MPs job!
On the subject of the Great Climate Change Fraud
(surely one of the Cosmic Imp's finest pieces of work to date ?), I HEARTILY recommend the purchase of Christopher Monckton's 'Apocalypse ? No!' DVD (sadly only available from the States, for some bizarre reason): it almost makes me feel sorry for the clumsy amateurishness of that slithy tove Al Gore - and the crass gullibility of his acolytes and admirers (but that's enough about the BBC):
http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/apocalypseno-dvd.html
There's also a truncated version on Youtube (naturally).