“Not another conspiracy theory?” The cry will go up as this book hits the shops. It will be
heard especially from the smart commentators and senior politicians, who will exude an air
of experienced superiority over the naïve and gullible who dare to give the time of day to
anything the politicos sneeringly call a conspiracy theory. It is the new insult from the
established classes."
Opening paragraph of the Preface in:
“The Strange Death of David Kelly”
by Norman Baker MP
Norman Baker is a brave man. He dared to blow the whistle.
During the last decades the behaviour of which he speaks, has become increasingly
prominent. We see it in nearly every aspect of society as the powerful flex their muscles and
serve themselves before serving those who elected them to office.
The above quote came to mind as I read the extract from the letter to Paul Davis from the
Countess of Mar. God alone knows, as sufferers of ME, we are on the sharp end of the stick
when it comes to such accusations.
The Countess of Mar’s switch in allegiance seemed incongruous and before making any
comment, I made it my business to seek information from other sources. I was assured that
everything I had read was true.
From seemingly every quarter in the UK, the sense of confusion and despair comes through
loud and clear. Lost to us, is the person of integrity and intelligence we believed the
Countess of Mar to be. As a friend, she spent years fighting fearlessly in our corner with an
understanding of the issues from a personal perspective and from her investigation into
behind-the-scenes shenanigans.
The Countess of Mar’s actions leave a bitter taste. Where her energies had once been spent
championing the human rights of ME sufferers, those energies are now devoted to the cause
of those she once reviled and those who have set themselves on a course with the destruction
of ME victims in mind.
As to her motives, we can but surmise. That which we can be certain about, it that this is no
theory. It may well be a conspiracy; it is certainly a betrayal - a betrayal that will doubtless
add to the many hardships the ME community already live with.
Now more than ever, we need to remember a number of things.
In particular we should not underestimate our own intelligence and common sense nor
should we forget or allow the "experts" to forget the iatrogenic statistics as far as they
are known. Both belie the explanation that ME sufferers are mentally disturbed and
this diagnosis is made purely for the benefit of the so-called diagnostician.
The Countess rightly points out that CBT and GET are the only “universal treatments”
officially on offer; the implication being that we should therefore accept them. If you were
told that the “universal” menu for the evening meal was a delicious bowl of DDT, would
you eat it?
Within living memory, the universal treatment for asthma and even epileptic seizures, was a
smart smack in the face usually delivered by the (old school) battle-axe of a hospital sister or
matron. Very recently, an attempt was made to bury the discovery that peptic ulcers are
mainly the result of a treatable infection. “Universal treatments” were far more profitable,
but they resulted in a great deal of damage. Years on a bland diet and antacids destroyed the
digestive system; sheer neglect resulted in perforations, internal haemorrhages, unnecessary
surgery and sometimes, death. As for CBT....those demeaning lectures on an inadequate
personality.....
Can the medical profession be trusted to get it right; to behave ethically; to treat you with the
respect you deserve, to do no harm etc etc.. (The only statistics available are hospital records
and they alone show that one third of diseases, disabilities and deaths occur as a result of
preventable medical “error”.)
Remember the wording used in the recruitment of “therapists” to administer CBT/GET at
the CFS/ME clinics around the UK, and know that the main (figurative) requirement was a
stout pair of jack-boots.
Conspiracy “theory”? The denials, rejections and silences surrounding the results of
genuine research into the physical causes and effects of ME, are not theories. They are fact
and without doubt, conspiracies.
How can the Countess justify her actions?
Gurli Bagnall
Patients’ Rights Campaigner
22 November, 2008
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