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Do you think this 2012 letter to the Independent, signed by the chair and vice-chair of the CMRC, as well as most of the usual suspects, would count as a “coordinated attack” on those who disagree with Simon Wessely’s views (ie ME patients)...

Love the use of the word mega. It’s like she was trying to think of words to describe a completely shambolic research project and somehow MEGA just popped into her mind! Yes, SMILE combines placebo with all the mess and muddled thinking that is associated with the CMRC’s MEGA shambles. But...

I find it hard to believe that doctors like Alastair Miller are stupid, but there is so much that is wrong with this letter that it makes me question whether he is intellectually incapable of understanding the issues or whether he is simply dishonest, or both. Almost every sentence could be...

Good letter. Just a couple of minor points: I would re-write the above sentence to make it easier to read. Something like: “Not only did it seem unusual for NICE to state that, in its view, the results confirmed its recommendations as appropriate, but the speed at which the statement followed...

As Dr Phil Hammond has been repeatedly tweeting Jeremy Hunt on Twitter, trying to get him to answer a question, I felt it was appropriate to ask Dr Hammond to answer the questions that @Spoonseeker has been asking since October. Dr Hammond is Tweeting Jeremy Hunt every day, and asking others to...

We can be fairly certain that Wessely et al will be trying to persuade their establishments chums without previous involvement in ME/CFS to apply for the role. I hope Jonathan and others on our side will be going through their contacts too. It could all depend on the chair, and if it's a Wessely...

This sounds very like Professor Sir Simon Wessely’s “somewhere between psychiatry and medicine” quote. I am very sceptical about everything that Prof Baker is reported to have said. He appears to be using the same ambiguous, obfuscating language to which we have become accustomed from the BPS...

I have no experience, but I had assumed that most scientists would welcome the opportunity to discuss their work with someone who has relevant and rare experience/knowledge – particularly from someone with no competing interests. But I accept your judgement if you feel it would inappropriate...

Could you be persuaded to drop them a line? I would be very surprised if Dr Montoya would not welcome your input. My feeling is that part of the problem may be that there is now so much that one needs to know and understand in order to make progress in some fields, that fewer and fewer people...

Interesting. Have you discussed this with Montoya or Davis? I’d be very interested to know their response, and to understand to what extent you disagree. I would be very concerned if Montoya is making statements about the nature of ME/CFS which are not supported by evidence. Given the divide...

@Jonathan Edwards, I’ve asked this question before but you didn’t reply and I’m very interested to understand: Does the Mark Davis/Montoya cytokines study not provide evidence of inflammation? (http://www.pnas.org/content/114/34/E7150.full?sid=4fca51a6-9278-402d-af47-48d7aedc67f1) Montoya is...

Does the Mark Davis/Montoya cytokines study not provide evidence of inflammation? (http://www.pnas.org/content/114/34/E7150.full?sid=4fca51a6-9278-402d-af47-48d7aedc67f1) Montoya is quoted as saying: “Now that the study has established that it’s inflammatory, we can look for those drugs that...

Yes, following this lecture, for the first time, my contempt for Prof Crawley was tempered by just the faintest flicker of pity. It’s almost as though she knows she is surrounded and there is no hope of victory but rather than surrender she’s charging out, all guns blazing, in a desperate act of...

Apologies for my pedantry but my understanding is that the UK legislature is Parliament, which consists of the House of Lords, the House of Commmons and the Queen. All MPs are members of the Commons, and are therefore part of the legislature. Did you mean they are not (necessarily) part of the...