Simon Singh vs quack chiropractors: important legal case

[ymu]

A staggering one in four chiropractors in Britain are now under investigation for allegedly making misleading claims in advertisements, according to figures from the General Chiropractic Council.

The council, which is responsible for regulating the profession and has 2,400 chiropractors on its books, informs me that it has had to recruit six new members of staff to deal with a fifteenfold increase in complaints against its members – from 40 a year to 600. While it declined to comment directly on the costs inflicted by the reaction to the BCA's actions, it is clear that a six-figure sum will be involved for the extra staffing costs alone, to which will have to be added the considerable costs of any misconduct hearings.

The complaints all stem from a regulatory quirk exposed by blogger Alan Henness, who noticed that the council's rules demand that chiropractors do not make claims that conflict with past rulings by the Advertising Standards Authority. The advertising watchdog had previously criticised a number of chiropractors for making claims that their procedures can treat a variety of conditions, ranging from learning difficulties to arthritis.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/mar/01/simon-singh-libel-case-chiropractors

 

[teuchter]

Haha.

Some people at the BCA must be feeling very silly for trying to challenge the Singh article in the first place. People in glass houses etc...

 

[little_legs]

but does this mean the end of libel tourism? i don't thinks so.

 

[teuchter]

No, but there is an ongoing parallel campaign to have the libel laws changed:

http://www.libelreform.org/

You can sign a petition there.

They seem to have had some degree of success of getting the main parties to commit to some sort of reform in their manifestos although whether any of that will translate into reality I don't know.

 

[little_legs]

No, but there is an ongoing parallel campaign to have the libel laws changed:

http://www.libelreform.org/

You can sign a petition there.

Ok, will give them a look and will sign the petition.

 

[teuchter]

Ok, will give them a look and will sign the petition.

I think there is a standardised letter you can send to your MP too. I think I must have sent one because I occasionally get a letter from my MP updating on progress.

 

[little_legs]

I think there is a standardised letter you can send to your MP too. I think I must have sent one because I occasionally get a letter from my MP updating on progress.

that would be simon hughes in my case. i can't locate the letter template on the libelreform.org though. the only thing i was able to find on the internet that hughes has signed the Early Day Motion 423: Libel Law Reform which is meant to be in support of the libel reform.

 

[Mrs Magpie]

...and furthermore....

Nature journal libel victory prompts libel reform call

Physicist Prof Mohamed El Naschie said an article published in November 2008 had damaged his reputation.
However, the publishers argued that the report was fair and honest, and in the public interest.
Libel reform campaigners said the case was the latest example of defamation laws being used to suppress science journalism.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18709348

 

[2hats]

...and furthermore....



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18709348

That should be

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-18743472

I think?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

You're absolutely right


it's been a long day

 

[laptop]

it's been a long day

And did the parcel arrive?

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I was going to add it to the parcel delivery woes thread but I was distracted by a scammy phone call.