Covid-19: politicisation, “corruption,” and suppression of science
by tts-admin | Nov 16, 2020 |
Kamran Abbasi – British Medical Journal Nov 13, 2020
When good science is suppressed by the medical-political complex, people die
Politicians and governments are suppressing science. They do so in the public interest, they say, to accelerate availability of diagnostics and treatments. They do so to support innovation, to bring products to market at unprecedented speed. Both of these reasons are partly plausible; the greatest deceptions are founded in a grain of truth. But the underlying behaviour is troubling.
Science is being suppressed for political and financial gain. Covid-19 has unleashed state corruption on a grand scale, and it is harmful to public health.1 Politicians and industry are responsible for this opportunistic embezzlement. So too are scientists and health experts. The pandemic has revealed how the medical-political complex can be manipulated in an emergency—a time when it is even more important to safeguard science.
The UK’s pandemic response provides at least four examples of suppression of science or scientists. First, the membership, research, and deliberations of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) were initially secret until a press leak forced transparency.2 The leak revealed inappropriate involvement of government advisers in SAGE, while exposing under-representation from public health, clinical care, women, and ethnic minorities. Indeed, the government was also recently ordered to release a 2016 report on deficiencies in pandemic preparedness, Operation Cygnus, following a verdict from the Information Commissioner’s Office.34
Next, a Public Health England report on covid-19 and inequalities. The report’s publication was delayed by England’s Department of Health; a section on ethnic minorities was initially withheld and then, following a public outcry, was published as part of a follow-up report.56 Authors from Public Health England were instructed not to talk to the media. Third, on 15 October, the editor of the Lancet complained that an author of a research paper, a UK government scientist, was blocked by the government from speaking to media because of a “difficult political landscape.”7
Now, a new example concerns the controversy over point-of-care antibody testing for covid-19.8 The prime minister’s Operation Moonshot depends on immediate and wide availability of accurate rapid diagnostic tests.9 It also depends on the questionable logic of mass screening—currently being trialled in Liverpool with a suboptimal PCR test.1011
The incident relates to research published this week by The BMJ, which finds that the government procured an antibody test that in real world tests falls well short of performance claims made by its manufacturers.1213 Researchers from Public Health England and collaborating institutions sensibly pushed to publish their study findings before the government committed to buying a million of these tests but were blocked by the health department and the prime minister’s office.14 Why was it important to procure this product without due scrutiny? Prior publication of research on a preprint server or a government website is compatible with The BMJ’s publication policy. As if to prove a point, Public Health England then unsuccessfully attempted to block The BMJ’s press release about the research paper.
Politicians often claim to follow the science, but that is a misleading oversimplification. Science is rarely absolute. It rarely applies to every setting or every population. It doesn’t make sense to slavishly follow science or evidence. A better approach is for politicians, the publicly appointed decision makers, to be informed and guided by science when they decide policy for their public. But even that approach retains public and professional trust only if science is available for scrutiny and free of political interference, and if the system is transparent and not compromised by conflicts of interest.
Suppression of science and scientists is not new or a peculiarly British phenomenon. In the US, President Trump’s government manipulated the Food and Drug Administration to hastily approve unproved drugs such as hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir.15 Globally, people, policies, and procurement are being corrupted by political and commercial agendas.16
The UK’s pandemic response relies too heavily on scientists and other government appointees with worrying competing interests, including shareholdings in companies that manufacture covid-19 diagnostic tests, treatments, and vaccines.17 Government appointees are able to ignore or cherry pick science—another form of misuse—and indulge in anti-competitive practices that favour their own products and those of friends and associates.18
How might science be safeguarded in these exceptional times? The first step is full disclosure of competing interests from government, politicians, scientific advisers, and appointees, such as the heads of test and trace, diagnostic test procurement, and vaccine delivery. The next step is full transparency about decision making systems, processes, and knowing who is accountable for what.
Once transparency and accountability are established as norms, individuals employed by government should ideally only work in areas unrelated to their competing interests. Expertise is possible without competing interests. If such a strict rule becomes impractical, minimum good practice is that people with competing interests must not be involved in decisions on products and policies in which they have a financial interest.
Governments and industry must also stop announcing critical science policy by press release. Such ill judged moves leave science, the media, and stock markets vulnerable to manipulation. Clear, open, and advance publication of the scientific basis for policy, procurements, and wonder drugs is a fundamental requirement.19
The stakes are high for politicians, scientific advisers, and government appointees. Their careers and bank balances may hinge on the decisions that they make. But they have a higher responsibility and duty to the public. Science is a public good. It doesn’t need to be followed blindly, but it does need to be fairly considered. Importantly, suppressing science, whether by delaying publication, cherry picking favourable research, or gagging scientists, is a danger to public health, causing deaths by exposing people to unsafe or ineffective interventions and preventing them from benefiting from better ones. When entangled with commercial decisions it is also maladministration of taxpayers’ money.
Politicisation of science was enthusiastically deployed by some of history’s worst autocrats and dictators, and it is now regrettably commonplace in democracies.20 The medical-political complex tends towards suppression of science to aggrandise and enrich those in power. And, as the powerful become more successful, richer, and further intoxicated with power, the inconvenient truths of science are suppressed. When good science is suppressed, people die.
Source
I see following his government’s troubles with its advisers Boris Johnson has announced Track and Trace have told him he needs to isolate. A great excuse to run away for a while I think, but at least this time he doesn’t need a freezer to hide in. But he needs to be careful about this deception because he was *cough cough* ill once before with corona-thingy, while this time he says he’s as fit as a butcher’s dog.
It will alert even more people to the deception being played out across the world, and it would be a delicious irony if this scamdemic was brought down by the cowardice of the man most responsible for it in Britain. Shakespeare said a coward dies many deaths, and I bet this is the second time this turd has flushed himself away.
So in this article, Hydroxichloroquine is an unproved drug.
Is that really so?
The Government is following the Globalist Agenda not the science. It has been clear from day 1 that SAGE was compromised. They have been wrong on every count. But the agenda is all that matters – get the vaccines out asap, and if people suffer serious side effects or maybe die, not to worry, Big Pharma has total immunity from prosecution. Now that we know that 26,000 non-covid deaths have occurred because of lockdowns, those who forced these on the public should face prosecution for crimes against humanity.
‘Hydroxychloroquine is an unproved drug’ I don’t think so its been around for about 70years ….successfully used for antimalaria treatment. Lots of independent Doctors have used Hydroxychloroquine for the successfully treatment of COVID-19 Big Pharma does not want you know this of course. Good article except for this MEGA MISTAKE.
Accountability is now THE priority! Data that should have been in the public domain has been criminally suppressed. Let the prosecutions begin… holding ALL those responsible; corrupt politicians and their greedy bribe-takers in every field and profession but mainstream media in particular for the unforgivable criminal fear-mongering based on zero evidence!
This is nothing less than a crime against humanity and ‘looking the other way’ when factual data can easily be accessed carries the same guilt as those doing the crime.
let the prosecutions begin – i absolutely agree. time to charge these corrupt politicians, agents of the government etc with a class action tort suit by those affected and make them legally liable for suffering loss or harm and can include intentional infliction or emotional distress, negligence, financial loss, injuries etc..and enforced vaccination by untried and untested vaccines for covid 19
I don’t understand why the commentator puts so much emphasis on the “need” for “diversity” in what passes for science today. What have race and gender got to do with anything? If they know what they’re doing, what does skin colour of what’s between their legs matter?
What’s needed is SCIENCE, not a politicised IMITATION of science.
People still ask why (((they))) persist in using a “test” that ISN’T a valid test for anything.
I’d have thought that was obvious by now. A “test” that doesn’t work conceals the fact that what they’re supposedly “testing” for DOESN’T EXIST.
An invalid “test” for an imaginary “disease”.
Its evil and criminal at its worse how they are still getting away with planning and plotting how to kill the human race and, it beggars believe, that they are nearing their end game by implementing this with no one to stop them. Its just so sad to see most of the human race cowing before an non existent virus thinking that all of this is for their own good almost salivating for the vaccine to be available to them. How on earth did we all get to where we are now letting this abomination continue.
Listening to a well known radio phone in on the vaccine the public were enraged that anyone would not take the vaccine and have called for passports and driving licenses to be taken away from those who will not conform to the rabid vaccine. When you are living with people with that attitude towards there fellow man what hope is there.
But the people who believe government and MSM deserve the muzzle, home imprisonment and vaccination. This observation was in my Easter letter to BoJo.
“A lot of what is published is incorrect.” I’m not allowed to say who made this remark because we were asked to observe Chatham House rules. ”
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960696-1.pdf
Hail to the good Jewish physicians. Hey everyone, if some frail, elderly geyser in your family gets the Covid with bad symptoms, then check out the Zelenko Protocol. Sock up on Quercetin if you can’t get HCQ.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TaRDwXMhQHSMsgrs9TFBclHjPHerXMuB87DUXmcAvwg/mobilebasic?urp=gmail_link&gxids=7757
ZELENKO PROTOCOL [1]
Treatment Plan for Patients with Covid-19 symptoms
Prehospital Management
Dr. Vladimir Zelenko Twitter: @zev_dr
Fundamental Principles
Treat patients based on clinical suspicion as soon as possible, preferably within the first 5 days of symptoms. Perform PCR testing, but do not withhold treatment pending results.
Risk Stratify Patients
Low risk patient – Younger than 60, no comorbidities, and clinically stable
High risk patient – Older than 60, younger than 60 with comorbidities, or clinically unstable:
Treatment Options
Low risk patients – over the counter options:
1. Elemental Zinc 50mg 1 time a day for 7 days[2]
2. Quercetin 500mg 2 times a day for 7 days[3] or
Epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG) 400mg 1 time a day for 7 days[4]
3. Vitamin C 1000mg 1 time a day for 7 days
4. Rest, oral fluids and close follow up with doctor
High risk patients
1. Elemental Zinc 50mg 1 time a day for 7 days
2. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) 200mg 2 times a day for 7 days
If HCQ not available, Quercetin 500mg 3 times a day for 7 days or
EGCG 400mg 2 times a day for 7 days
3. Azithromycin 500mg 1 time a day for 5 days or
Doxycycline 100mg 2 times a day for 7 days
4. Vitamin C 1000mg 1 time a day for 7 days
5. Rest, oral fluids and close followup with doctor
Additional treatment options. Should be uniquely custom tailored for every patient.
1. Ivermectin 6mg 2 times a day for 1 day[5]
2. Budesonide 1mg/2cc solution via nebulizer 2 times a day for 7 days[6]
3. Dexamethasone 6mg 1 time a day for 7 days[7]
4. Blood thinners (i.e. Lovenox)[8]
5. Home Oxygen
6. Home IV fluids
IF POSSIBLE, KEEP PATIENTS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL “