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Here’s why I’m disappointed that Dorries and Tredinnick are on the Health Select Committee…

Last week I mentioned that David Tredinnick, Conservative MP for Bosworth, was being a bit silly in the lead up to his adjournment debate on integrated healthcare.  At the time I boldly suggested that if Tredinnick was the best ally alternative health had in the Houses of Parliament then it was in a great deal [...]

David Tredinnick, Conservative MP for Bosworth, fulfils a traditional role, required of those who are outliers to the left of the ability curve, in the Westminster Village.  The idiot.  This has enabled him to have a long undistinguished career, previously he was best known for his role in the ‘cash for questions‘ affair, taking a [...]

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An‘early day motion1 (EDM 908) has been tabled in parliament which opposes the conclusions of the science and technology committee report on the evidence for homeopathy. After two weeks it has been signed by an amazing 49 MPs. That is 7.6% of all 646 MPs.  Nothing shows more clearly the scientific illiteracy that [...]

Yes, it’s that most boring of non-medicine topics, homeopathy, again.  At lunchtime on Thursday I got a call from a Times journallst, Fay Schopen, to ask if I could do 500 words on the Science and Technology Committee’s Evidence Check report on homeopathy. Bang goes another evening.  The (im)balance was provided by Sara Eames, President [...]

My Twitter feed has been full of tweets today regarding the Simon Singh / British Chiropractic Association case and a remarkable press release issued by the BCA, but there have also been several mentions of an MP named David Tredinnick.
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First, the BCA press release: Jack of Kent has an account of this disaster. I reproduce below the first paragraph of his post.

In an incredible press release published either yesterday or earlier today, the British Chiropractic Association made the serious and completely groundless accusation that Simon Singh had been motivated by malice in writing his original article.

Jack of Kent has contacted the BCA (and their PR company) to ask for an explanation of this extraordinary press release. Simon Singh now has a decision to make - whether to counter sue the BCA for remarks made in the statement they published. This could be the beginning of the end of the Singh-BCA case. There is a possibility that this incident could even be the undoing of the BCA.

I wonder how the BCA and their members feel about what has happened since they began their libel action. Many bloggers (and this includes me, writing at Stuff And Nonsense) have posted articles about the BCA, about claims made by chiropractors, and about the regulatory body the General Chiropractic Council (GCC). A number of chiropractors are being investigated following complaints made by bloggers such as Zeno and Simon Perry. Mainstream coverage of the case began to appear. Ben Goldacre has more details in his Guardian article about a ragged band of bloggers. The BCA released their “plethora” of evidence - which was promptly dismantled by bloggers. This Lay Science post has links to the relevant posts from the likes of Evidence Matters, Petra Boynton, and others.

And what of David Tredinnick? Well, yesterday in Parliament Tredinnick referred, in the same comment, to “negative information” regarding homeopathy and “an attack on a statutorily regulated body dealing with chiropractic.” It is interesting that he believes negative information to be a problem. If it is accurate and truthful, then so what if it is negative? If homeopathy works no better than placebo should we not be told? Should we be kept in the dark?

Well, Tredinnick believes that the negative information specific to the Royal London homeopathic is “disinformation” and presumably believes it is not truthful and accurate. He seems to make no claims as to the accuracy and truthfulness of negative statements about homeopathy, so I shall. Based on what we currently know, it is accurate and truthful to say that homeopathy probably has no benefit beyond placebo effects. It is utterly implausible, and the best evidence we have (in the form of systematic reviews) suggests that the effects of homeopathy are compatible with placebo effects.

There are, however, problems with the MP’s comments in the House of Commons other than his views on the accuracy of information about homeopathy and his characterisation of complaints about chiropractic as an “attack” - for example the following comments:

The opposition is based on what I call the SIP formula—superstition, ignorance and prejudice. It tends to be based on superstition, with scientists reacting emotionally, which is always a great irony. They are also ignorant, because they never study the subject and just say that it is all to do with what appears in the newspapers, which it is not, and they are deeply prejudiced, and racially prejudiced too, which is troubling.

It is remarkable that Tredinnick characterises scientists as reacting emotionally in response to complementary and alternative medicine - and astrology - and being ignorant “because they never study the subject” (I wonder if scientists who happen to be Professors of Complementary Medicine are excluded from this particular criticism).
It is astounding that he alleges that scientists are “deeply prejudiced, and racially prejudiced too” and I have to wonder on what basis he makes this claim.

Having read these comments, one may find it hard to be surprised by anything that is said by David Tredinnick. See if this does it:

Whatever one believes personally, the issue [of the impact of astrology and astronomy on medicine] is one that we should look into and consider. We must get away from this awful, mediaeval superstition.

I’m rather baffled as to how Tredinnick can characterise a scepticism of astrology and its effects on medical treatment as superstitious and mediaeval. I’ve noticed that I can sign up for emails whenever David Tredinnick speaks in Parliament. I have yet to decide whether to do so, as I am unsure whether the result will be a bemused fascination with his overheated rhetoric - or painful frustration.

I have resisted writing a blog for quite a while, mainly because I was searching for a theme. My interest is in critical thinking, science, and scepticism, but there are many such resources on the net and I wanted this to be different. I didn’t want it to be another outlet for railing against the [...]

You have to love British politics. At a quarter to two on the morning of the 20th of Feb, one David Tredinnick, MP, started a debate on complementary and alternative medicine, specifically homeopathy. Perhaps there was some convoluted procedural reason for starting a debate at that time of the morning, I don’t know, but to [...]

What is it about supporters of homeopathy and their inability to honestly appraise evidence (and indeed be honest)? In the early hours of Tuesday 19th Feb MP David Tredinnick (Bosworth, Con) spoke out in support of homeopathy. Like many public statements of support for homeopathy his speech is riddled with inaccuracies, half-truths, lies [...]

MP David Tredinnick last night spoke in Parliament about homeopathy. The last time I can recall this happening, Mr Tredinnick was answered by Roger Marris. Mr Marris pointed to the lack of evidence for homeopathy and was then quoted in the Guardian as follows:
Sometimes their dilutions are so weak that the medicine contains not a single molecule of [...]

The NHS in Kent have stopped funding the Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital, which leaves four NHS-funded homeopathic hospitals. This is, of course, a good thing: homeopathy is (and let’s be fair to it) total bollocks, and while there’s nothing particularly wrong with homeopathic hospitals existing*, giving them public funding is quite indefensible. Apparently, the decision [...]

A synopsis of what should have been a good debate, with a chance to influence government policy. In fact it turned out to be a highly biased meeting dominated by advocates of alternative medicine. The chairman, David Tredinnick MP, is famous for advocating homeopathic borax treatment of foot and mouth disease during the 2001 epidemic (and for being suspended form the House of Commons as a result of sleaze allegations). Kim Lavely, CEO of the Prince’s Foundation for Integrated Health astonished us by insisting that the Foundation does not advocate alternative medicine (no, really?). There was much talk about “regulation” and very little talk about efficacy.