The Convention on Modern Liberty: Where Lies, Hypocrisy and State Bullying Remain Acceptable

Managing Editor's Note: Thanks to John Stone for providing us with info from The UK.

By John Stone

Last weekend the noted Observer journalist and polemicist on civil liberties, Henry Porter, announced a national event to take place in London in a month’s time, an open conference on the dire state of civil liberties in Britain and called ‘The Convention on Modern Liberty’, to which an as yet incomplete list of speakers from many walks of life were invited. The title of his article was ‘Let the war on hypocrisy begin’ (HERE.)

I posted the following comment:

“One place we can begin the war on hypocrisy is to stop believing in the blanket state denial over vaccine damage. This week the information commissioner ruled that MMR vaccine files which the government have fought tooth and nail to remain hidden must be opened. An account of the lengths to which the British establishment and state have gone to to keep this matter under wraps can be found HERE.

“I suspect that the defenders of liberal freedoms here mostly back off because of highly illiberal arguments about the "greater good", but how could we even know what the "greater good " is, if truth and justice are treated with such utter contempt - with everyone deferring to the Whitehall propaganda machine and pharmaceutical lobby organisations such as Science Media Centre and Sense About Science. Why is this so different that everyone thinks they can indulge in this naivety? I ask Henry and the Convention on Modern Liberty to give their urgent attention to this matter.” (See full comment HERE.)

I also posted these links:

A Political Trial

Smoke and Mirrors: Dr. Richard Horton and the Wakefield Affair

The One Click Group Vaccines Document

Having made the point, I dropped a line to Henry Porter the following morning, suggesting he might like to ask me to speak at the convention. Although, he has responded to the odd message in the past I was not greatly surprised to be blanked on this occasion. The bitter reality is that whether it is expedience, cowardice or cynicism we are left with a single subject which must on no account be broached, and the establishment are left to behave as badly as they like. No amount of malfeasance  in the territory of vaccinology can impress a Guardian newspapers journalist. I do believe that unless Henry can resolve this matter the war on hypocrisy will scarcely have begun – at least not in Britiain.

Comments

[vigrx plus]

nice site..

[vigrx plus]

nice site..

[John Stone]

Sorry, not clear that Lisa's session is being transmitted.

[John Stone]

You can see Lisa Blakemore-Brown speak on-line at the 2.00pm to 3.15pm session (London time - 9.00am to 10.15am Eastern):

http://broadcast.global-mix.net/?m=gmuk-liveevent-tv

[John Stone]

I am pleased to record that Lisa Blakemore-Brown has at the last minute been invited to address a session at the Convention on Modern Liberty:

http://www.modernliberty.net/programme/afternoon-sessions/childs-play-equality-and-young-people

[ElizaCassandra]

Our American friends should be aware that it has become increasingly difficult to have comments passed by the moderators on the UK's mainstream newspapers if they contradict the UK Government's unconditionally pro-vaccine stance.

[Jane Bryant]

ERROR

John Stone writes:

"Kelli

In fact it was an error - I am not actually a member of the group although it has published my scribblings and a lot else of interest. The original focus of One Click was ME but it has taken on board wider issues of vaccine damage, and false accusations against parents.

John"

In fact, this is an error also. The One Click Bio is available here:
http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/documents/ME-CFS_docs/One%20Click%20Bio.pdf

This document lists the subjects that the pressure group covers.

One Click welcomes germane, relevant, topical, well-written, substantiated and evidence-based copy on the subjects listed in the document above, as ever.

Well done John Stone on his recent psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen efforts.

With best wishes

Jane Bryant
The One Click Group
http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk

[Willie]

Well written John.

What parents and relatives have to realize is this is not about science or truth. The science is clear that vaccines are harmful and the truth about the vaccines supporters abominable behavior shines through, this is about money for more vaccines. We just have to say no more no more

[WE SHALL OVERCOME]

Gatogorra, thanks for your usual "value added" comentary: "Thus, the failure of a result to conform to the paradigm is seen not as refuting the paradigm, but as the mistake of the researcher, contra Popper's refutability criterion. As anomalous results build up, science reaches a crisis, at which point a new paradigm, which subsumes the old results along with the anomalous results into one framework, is accepted". I thing autism science has just arrived at this last stage. If only public policy followed along on the right path.

You can see the paradigm shifts at work all the time in all fields of life (i.e. the recent risk evaluation paradigm shift in the financial industry). Humans are more stubborn than mules and it takes more than science, truth and reason to steer them away from a path leading them to a cliff. The constant mass media manipulation and propaganda by powerful interested parties confusing all debates makes things even worse. Even as information can be spread faster, it seems as it takes longer to stop the inertia of previous paradigms.

I suppose we are both with John Stone in that, on the case of autism and vaccines, there is much more than science at play here: big bucks and a large web of common interests. Just today, Pfizer intends to buy Wyeth to get into the vaccine business, since the exp. date of their Viagra and Lipitor rights is looming on the horizon. It's all about the bottom line and if there happened to be good prospects for Smith & Wesson guns they would buy them too. Heck, why not?

New Magnum 44, from the people that brought you Viagra: Feel Macho again!!

Or, my old Lipitor may have saved your life but my new S&W will fix things up: Do you feel lucky, punk!

Un saludo

[John Stone]

Gatagorra

Yes, it certainly fits the model of a belief system under threat: everything has to be manipulated to support the crumbling "paradigm", only we ought to remember that it has great elements of the racket too. How do we understand the fact that these great pharmaceutical companies can be found to be in breach of this or that - I just saw that Eli Lilly received a billion and a half dollar fine - but no person is ever to blame, and it is always business as usual:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/15/news/companies/eli_lilly/

How do we understand the fact that doctors are free to ignore adverse reactions from vaccine and their sequelae, thus perverting fundamental medical ethics and science? The institutions and ideology have been designed/re-designed so that science barely has to set foot in reality. And we might in the end find that MMR has become an article for secular belief rather than something subject to rational criticism.

In regard to Guardian newspaper, yesterday the Observer presented a one-sided account of the Singer affair (I am indebted to Anne Dachel):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/jan/25/autism-mmr-vaccine

As Anne pointed out, they never reported Hannah Poling (or as matter of fact Bernardine Healy). Is it that they just don't know any better? I rather fear they do. Here is the text of a letter by UK lawyer, Clifford Miller, sent to the reader's editor of the Observer (copied to three other senior Obsever journalists) in April of last year.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/clifford.g.miller/mediataming.htm#British_Media_Silenced

Also of interest is the anomalous position of the Guardian's quack-busting journalist, Ben Goldacre, which I commented on in the responses to the ChildHealthSafety blog:

http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/secret-british-mmr-vaccine-files-forced-open-by-legal-action/

Goldacre can go on blanking the difficult questions, year after year. He poses as a critic of "MMR campaigners" but he has always pulled rank, and never engages in open debate over matters of substance. I note in the present context that amongst his other super-human accomplishments he also seems to have worked for Liberty, the leading UK civil rights group, in the fore-front of the present initiative:

http://www.badscience.net/about-dr-ben-goldacre/

Here is a picture of Dr Goldacre receiving his Science Writer of the Year award 2003 from GSK director, Dr Alastair Benbow, for his article on MMR 'Never Mind the Facts':

http://tinyurl.com/dzzpfv

(Click on top image)

[Gatogorra]

Thank you for the great insights and links. It's very sad that the U.K. is in similar shape to the U.S. regarding "liberty" and "truth". I thought this might be somewhat relevant:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kuhn

[John Stone]

Kelli

In fact it was an error - I am not actually a member of the group although it has published my scribblings and a lot else of interest. The original focus of One Click was ME but it has taken on board wider issues of vaccine damage, and false accusations against parents.

John

[Kelli Ann Davis]

John:

The One Click Group??? You're a part of that group???

Crud, I've been deleting the e-mails because they went to my "junk mailbox" and I never bothered to open them!!

Well, as the ole' saying goes: "Better late than never" ;-)

Kelli

[You're a good man, John]

John,

Thank you so much for diligently keeping us informed about the suppression of the truth occurring in the UK. I especially look forward to reading your pieces and contributions to AoA. It is true; the light of the truth will eventually prevail on all corners of the earth.

[Bob Moffitt]

John

Last night I watched "Amazing Grace", a movie depicting the "inspiring" story of William Wilberforce and his "courageous" quest to end the British slave trade.

I could not help but think of events unfolding in Great Britain today, eerily reminiscent of Wilberforce... and...your own valiant efforts to overcome your govenment's "blanket state denial over vaccine damage" no less nobel.

Just like Wilberforce in his day...you face the..."bitter reality"...that.."expedience, cowardice or cynicism" have left the British establishment to "behave as badly as they like."

My friend, take courage from Wilberforce before you...perservere...your nation needs you.

[Natasa]

Thanks John for fighting on regardless! The truth will start pouring out sooner or later, but the tragic fact remains that many more lives will be destroyed until that happens.

[Angus Files]

Well written John you would love to say none of its true but sadly its all so true

Angus