British Chiropractic Association v Simon Singh

[Blue Wode]

Latest news.

ASA has administered an appropriate second slap to the GCC and it has now removed its claims for colic, etc:
http://adventuresinnonsense.blogspot.com/2009/11/oooops-theyve-done-it-again.html

BCA v. Singh: the Composition of the Court of Appeal:

It appears that the Court of Appeal is assembling a very powerful panel indeed to hear the appeal by Simon Singh of the adverse ruling on meaning by the High Court.

More...
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2009/12/bca-v-singh-court-of-appeal-composition.html

[Blue Wode]

A message from Simon Singh:

"It has been 18 months since I was sued for libel after publishing my article on chiropractic. I am continuing to fight my case and am prepared to defend my article for another 18 months or more if necessary. The ongoing libel case has been distracting, draining and frustrating, but it has always been heartening to receive so much support, particularly from people who realise that English libel laws need to be reformed in order to allow robust discussion of matters of public interest. Over twenty thousand people signed the statement to Keep Libel Laws out of Science, but now we need you to sign up again and add your name to the new statement.

The new statement is necessary because the campaign for libel reform is stepping up a gear and will be working on much broader base. Sense About Science has joined forces with Index on Censorship and English PEN and their goal is to reach 100,000 or more signatories in order to help politicians appreciate the level of public support for libel reform. We have already met several leading figures from all three main parties and they have all showed signs of interest. Now, however, we need a final push in order to persuade them to commit to libel reform.

Finally, I would like to make three points. First, I will stress again - please take the time to reinforce your support for libel reform by signing up at www.libelreform.org (http://www.inboxsystems.com/li.aspx?cu=2181294&link=23878). Second, please spread the word by blogging, twittering, Facebooking and emailing in order to encourage friends, family and colleagues to sign up. Third, for those supporters who live overseas, please also add your name to the petition and encourage others to do the same; unfortunately and embarrassingly, English libel laws impact writers in the rest of the world, but now you can help change those laws by showing your support for libel reform. While I fight in my own libel battle, I hope that you will fight the bigger battle of libel reform."

Also, the case of British Chiropractic Association against Simon Singh is now likely to make legal history:
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2009/12/bca-v-singh-making-legal-history.html

[davidrodway]

Study pans chiropractic's "subluxation" concept.

Four scholarly chiropractors have concluded that epidemiologic
evidence does not support chiropractic's most fundamental theory.
Since its inception, the vast majority of chiropractors have
postulated that "subluxations" (misalignments) are the cause or
underlying cause of ill health and can be corrected with spinal
"adjustments." [Barrett S. Subluxation: Chiropractic's elusive
buzzword. Chirobase, May 21, 2006]
http://www.chirobase.org/01General/chirosub.html After searching the
scientific literature, the authors concluded:

"No supportive evidence is found for the chiropractic subluxation
being associated with any disease process or of creating suboptimal
health conditions requiring intervention. Regardless of popular
appeal, this leaves the subluxation construct in the realm of
unsupported speculation. This lack of supportive evidence suggests
the subluxation construct has no valid clinical applicability. [Mirtz
TA and others. An epidemiological examination of the subluxation
construct using Hill's criteria of causation." Chiropractic &
Osteopathy 2009, 17:13, 2009]

[DrS]

Have signed the petition, put it on my facebook, and on a local forum in Tenerife where there are quite a few expats.

[bindeweede]

Crispian Jago's "The Ladybird Book of Chiropractic Treatment & English Libel Law."

(Quacks and Shysters Series)

http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2009/12/ladybird-book-of-chiropractic-treatment.html

Rather good.

[Blue Wode]

UPDATE:

Hearing date: 23 February 2010
Judges and court: Court of Appeal; Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger, Lord Justice Sedley.
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/01/simon-singh-v-british-chiropractic-association/

[Blue Wode]

In the last few minutes the hearing date seems to have been corrected:

Hearing date: 22 February 2010
Judges and court: Court of Appeal; Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, Master of the Rolls Lord Neuberger, Lord Justice Sedley.

http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/01/simon-singh-v-british-chiropractic-association/

[Blue Wode]

Here's an interesting development.

An Advertising Standards Authority ruling on a chiropractic clinic this week could have a potentially huge, detrimental effect on all chiropractors in the UK. Apparently any claims about "improving the function of the spine or nervous system" are not allowed - and that is basically what chiropractic is about.

More...
http://www.zenosblog.com/2010/01/discover-chiropractic/

[Admin]

I love the sign:

280

There seems to be a subluxation in the lettering. ;D

[Blue Wode]

Excellent round up from Jack of Kent on the BCA v. Singh case ahead of Simon Singh going to the hearing at the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, 23rd February 2010:
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/02/simon-singh-and-court-of-appeal.html

[Blue Wode]

Round up of today's events at the Royal Courts of Justice:
http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/simon-singh-chiropractic-bca-libel-appeal/

Not looking good for the BCA.

[bindeweede]

From "Sense about Science"



Simon said after the hearing: "First of all, thanks to everyone who came to the Court of Appeal today, and everyone who has been so supportive over the last two years. Without your goodwill, I probably would have caved in a long time ago.


I am delighted the Court of Appeal has decided to reconsider the meaning of my article about chiropractic, and I am particularly glad that three such eminent judges will make the ruling. They grilled both sides on all aspects of the appeal. However I should stress that whatever the outcome there is still a long way to go in this libel case. It has been almost two years since the article was published, and yet we are still at a preliminary stage of identifying the meaning of my article. It could easily take another two years before the case is resolved.



More important than my particular case is the case for libel reform and I know that you share my concern on this matter. My greatest desire is that journalists in future should not have to endure such an arduous and expensive libel process, which has already affected the careers of health journalists such as Ben Goldacre, and which is currently bearing down on the eminent cardiologist Peter Wilmshurst. If Peter loses his case then he will be bankrupted. Please continue to spread the word about libel reform."

[Blue Wode]

Jack of Kent has now blogged on today's court hearing:
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/02/good-day-in-court.html

Crispian Jago, too:
http://crispian-jago.blogspot.com/2010/02/singh-bca-appeal-23rd-feb-2010.html

[Blue Wode]

First we had the BCA's 'plethora' of evidence, now we have the GCC's, as blogged by Zeno:
http://www.zenosblog.com/2010/02/the-gccs-plethora/

[Blue Wode]

Martin Robbins in today's Guardian:

Furious backlash from Simon Singh libel case puts chiropractors on ropes
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/mar/01/simon-singh-libel-case-chiropractors (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/mar/01/simon-singh-libel-case-chiropractors)


Now even the General Chiropractic Council has disowned the claims of the BCA...

[Blue Wode]

Jack of Kent has now posted all 42,000+ words of Appeal transcript:
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/03/bca-v-singh-full-court-of-appeal.html

[bindeweede]

Simon says goodbye to his Guardian column.


The crippling and prohibitive financial cost of defending a libel case is often highlighted, but the equally terrible cost in terms of time and stress is rarely mentioned.http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/mar/12/simon-singh-goodbye-libel-reform

[Blue Wode]

A couple of new blog posts relating to the BCA v. Singh case:

Talking the talk
http://www.zenosblog.com/2010/03/talking-the-talk/

Chiropractic: Evidence, claims and a willingness to change …
http://skepticbarista.wordpress.com/2010/03/14/chiropractic-evidence-claims-and-a-willingness-to-change/

[Blue Wode]

New from Jack of Kent:


The following has appeared on the Court Service Daily Cause List (http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/cause.htm):

NOTICE FOR JUDGMENT

NOTICE

Take notice that on THURSDAY, 1ST APRIL, 2010 in COURT 4, at 9.30am, Judgment will be given in the following APPEAL From The Queen's Bench Division

A2/2009/1196 British Chiropractic Association -v- Singh.


More...
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/03/simons-judgment-day.html

[Harryprice]

Just in from BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8598472.stm

[Trinoc]

PDF version of judgement ...

324

[jimwalsh]

PDF version of judgement ...

324
"[Plaintiffs] cannot, by simply filing suit and crying 'character assassination!', silence those who hold divergent views, no matter how adverse those views may be to plaintiffs' interests. Scientific controversies must be settled by the methods of science rather than by the methods of litigation. … More papers, more discussion, better data, and more satisfactory models – not larger awards of damages – mark the path towards superior understanding of the world around us.

love it

[bindeweede]

Jack of Kent has made his first comments.


Simon Singh today won in the Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal held he was expressing "honest opinion".

It is a stunning judgment, which you can read in full here.

And so the British Chiropractic Association - which happily promotes bogus treatments even though there is not a jot of evidence - lost.

http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/

[smudge]

One happy looking Simon Singh...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2010/apr/01/press-freedom

Great news! :smiley:

[davidrodway]

heard it on the radio today. first time i have heard the topic mentioned on national broadcast news. seems like the trouble for chiros is only just starting. a chiro said to me recently that we osteopaths seem to get a better press them than. i wonder why?

[DrS]

Absolutely brilliant news. O0

[davidrodway]

Absolutely brilliant news. O0

Unfortunately, and I wouldnt put it past them, I have heard the view propounded that the chiros sued to get the publicity -they would have liked to have won but are very happy with even the bad publicity as it has got the word chiropractor out there. Whatever the case costs them it is less than they would have had to pay for the same coversage. Cynical or what? Skeptics wouldnt have attended them anyway, but now they will have a great influx of the gullible, which is the sort of patient they like.

[DrS]

Well I accept that there are those who think any publicity is good, even when it's bad, but in this case, I really can't see a single benefit that has arisen for them out of this case. They're now apparently considering whether to appeal to the Supreme Court or whether to go to trial on the basis of this judgement, or whether to back down altogether. I can't see how any of this does them any good, even with the gullible!

[bindeweede]

Jack has posted his more detailed comments on The Court of Appeal's decision. Complicated.

http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/

[Blue Wode]

A few more updates…

A conversation with Simon Singh (http://www.openculture.com/2010/04/libel_reform_a_conversation_with_simon_singh.html)

Jack of Kent's brief *lay* summary of Court of Appeal Decision
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/04/bca-v-singh-brief-lay-summary-of-court.html (http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/04/bca-v-singh-brief-lay-summary-of-court.html)

Jack of Kent's open letter to the BCA (http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/04/open-letter-to-bca.html)


Professor Stephen Curry of Imperial College writes about the nature of evidence and the Court of Appeal Decision:


This is not evidence that a scientist worth their mettle would consider to be of any real value. This is not evidence that I would tolerate in an argument from one of my undergraduates. This is not evidence that a child at primary school learning about science at key stage 1 of the national curriculum would consider to be derived from a "fair test".

The BCA is a professional organisation that represents the interests of chiropractors who claimed to be able to treat non-spinal childhood ailments by manipulating their spines. Those are bold claims given our modern understanding of human physiology. That the BCA is happy to cite the paper by Klougart and colleagues as worthwhile evidence supporting chiropractic treatments tells me they are far less critical, far less scientific, than the public has a right to expect them to be.

More...
http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/04/guest-post-stephen-curry-on-evidence.html (http://jackofkent.blogspot.com/2010/04/guest-post-stephen-curry-on-evidence.html)



Blog post: What would the BCA do? (http://thinkingisreal.blogspot.com/2010/04/what-would-bca-do.html)


Phil Plait's most recent post on the matter at his Discovery blog:


“The BCA is looking ever-more ridiculous, mean, and venal in this case.”

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/04/07/simon-singh-has-appeal/ (http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/04/07/simon-singh-has-appeal/)



And in addition to the above, the latest message from Simon Singh, published yesterday, can be read here:
http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/476 (http://www.senseaboutscience.org.uk/index.php/site/about/476)

[Blue Wode]

The BCA throws the towel in:
http://www.elyplace.com/index.aspx?p=1&articleId=208


Congratulations to Simon Singh and his team for their outstanding tenacity. :smiley:

[tolman]

The BCA throws the towel in:
http://www.elyplace.com/index.aspx?p=1&articleId=208

Congratulations to Simon Singh and his team for their outstanding tenacity. :smiley:
Excellent news.

So if the BCA has just given in, who ends up paying whose legal bill?

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the BCA leadership, given that it looks like they've done far more damage to the business interests of their members than any critic could have done.

[skbuncks]

Excellent news O0. Shame its taken them so long.

skb

[Croydon Bob]

Shame its taken them so long.

Not really. The BCA have done more to destroy Chiropractic than Simon Singh and every skeptic in the world could have achieved without them. O0

Every extra day that they hung on was more bad publicity for their bogus profession.

[bindeweede]

Interesting snippet from the Indy.


Mr Justice Eady to be replaced as senior judge on libel and privacy

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mr-justice-eady-to-be-replaced-as-senior-judge-on-libel-and-privacy-2079634.html

[DrS]

Can only be good news, or at least I hope so. The article discusses his more "nuanced" view of human rights legislation, but doesn't mention any judgements in the altmed arena. Wonder how he'll turn out.