I wonder if groups like GR, AoA, and NVIC will defend Wakefield.

[varkam]

Then we'll see just how far up their collective asses their heads are.

[Orrex]

1. They won't need to

As cosmik debris rightly pointed out:

Most of his followers would have believed him even without data.

[LeftishBrit]

2. I was on the thread on GD about it.

Really, it gets me down. I was more upset as it was about a British situation. And I really don't take too well to our being called 'big Pharma lobbyists' at all but especially not by a fellow Brit! Americans who think so may have the excuse of being influenced by Pharma's interference with establishing a national health service; it's a different situation in Britain. Here, financial incentives and pressures on doctors tend to lie more in the direction of *not* prescribing drugs and treatments that are seen as too expensive. Anyway I'm rambling but I should say it REALLY gets me down. I feel like shouting that the ideologues on the subject will pry my right to modern medicines and vaccines for myself and my family out of my cold dead hand - but of course that is just EXACTLY what they may do!

[Odin2005]

3. Those threads are making me nauseous.

:puke:

[trotsky]

4. Well, their loyal disciples are taking up the task here on DU.

I saw your side of the exchange with my favorite ignored buddy. Bless your heart.

[moggie]

5. But we have Stephen Fry on our side!

The really rather wonderful Ben Goldacre of badscience.net has had legal threats from a particularly egregious anti-vax media moron, but now the even more wonderful Stephen Fry has ridden to his defence, bringing his vast hordes of followers. Hurrah! Fry's message of support on badscience.net:

The fatuity of the Jeni Barnett woman's manner - her blend of self-righteousness and stupidity, her simply quite staggering inability to grasp, pursue or appreciate a sequence of logical steps - all these are signature characteristics of Britain these days. The lamentable truth is that most of the population wouldn't really understand why we get so angry at this assault on reason, logic and sense. But we have to keep hammering away at these people and their superstitious inanities. We have to. Well done you and well done all you supporting. I've tweeted this site to my followers. I hope they all do their best to support you. Publish and be damned. We'll fight them and fight them and fight them in the name of empricism, reason, double blind random testing and all that matters.
Love

Stephen xxx

How can the forces of reason lose, when Stephen Fry is with us?

[trotsky]

6. Fry is awesome.

The lamentable truth is that most of the population wouldn't really understand why we get so angry at this assault on reason, logic and sense. But we have to keep hammering away at these people and their superstitious inanities.

Ra-fucking-men!