SMC squirms

I was amused by this guest post at the blog of Fiona Fox, the director of the Science Media Centre. It's written by one of her staff members, Tom Sheldon and looks at the Times Atlas furore..

Science is self-correcting, and we should be proud of that. It is also above politically-motivated bickering, or worse, 'messaging'. If we want science to have the respect of the public, scientists must be seen to be honest and neutral.

There we agree. However, the SMC as a 'messaging' body has no part to play in that, particularly when one looks down the list of its board members. There are just one or two too many people on that list who will sully any message that the SMC tries to propagate.

Comments

[Aynsley Kellow]

Well said! As it happens, Sheldon found support today from a new Nobel Laureate (Physics, not Peace!):

AUSTRALIA'S newest Nobel Prize winner Brian Schmidt says the carbon tax debate has diminished the standing of science in the community.

Speaking to the media after being named a joint winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize for physics last night, Professor Schmidt said the carbon tax debate had been "messy", and urged a greater culture of research to inform public policy.

"I think that (the carbon debate) has maybe in the short-term diminished in some people's mind the standing of science," Professor Schmidt, 44, said.

"But in my mind it's just part of the scientific debate.

"We need to make sure we don't mix policy and science directly. Science is science, the policy is policy. And I would really like the scientists to continue to debate what's right and what's wrong about everything

"And I would really like the policy people to debate how to deal with what is coming in from the scientists."

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/messy-carbon-tax-debate-diminishes-science-says-nobel-winner-schmidt/story-e6frg6nf-1226159060634

[confused]

[Previous snipped] sorry 'bout that, please remove my previous it was cruel and uncalled for...a knee jerk reaction

[Frosty]

I've nearly finished reading "Liaisons of Life" by Tom Wakeford (how the unassuming microbe has driven evolution) which is full of instances whereby the biological sciences have been suppressed, cajoled, and manipulated for decades in order to protect consensus views, and in some historical cases masculine dominance of the field.

"In 1896 Beatrix Potter was hounded out of biology by the closed ranks and narrow minds of London's top scientific institutes" The more things change, the more they stay the same!

"Science is self-correcting" .....eventually! ......one funeral at a time!

[Athelstan]

Just look at who is at the bottom of that list, the arch AGW ****** himself.

Science media centre? Read: AGW advocacy diktat central.

[Mac]

The problem as ever is scientific activism. The close association between scientists and environmental/conservation groups that disallows scientists from behaving as their fiercest critics.

The recent spate of articles by Donna Laframboise exposes these unhealthy associations.

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/10/04/wwf-influence-at-the-highest-levels-of-the-ipcc/

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/10/01/78-names/

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/09/29/glaciergates-other-wwf-connection/

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/09/27/here-an-activist-there-an-activist/

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/09/26/how-the-wwf-infiltrated-the-ipcc-part-2/

http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/2011/09/23/how-the-wwf-infiltrated-the-ipcc-%e2%80%93-part-1/

It is quite clear that if scientists don't follow the party line they are putting their careers on the line, but as the influence of the blogosphere grows and grows these same scientists know that they now open themselves to public ridicule if they don't make some sort of stand against green propaganda.

AtlasGate was not about self-correcting science it was about scientists preventing even more damage to their science.

We eventually had some honesty but for neutrality there is still a long way to go in climate science.

[Arthur Dent]

I suspect our friend may be on the Board because his sponsor may be putting money into its support

[Paul Maynard]

TOTALLY OFF THREAD

The Global Warming Policy Foundation is hosting a talk on 26 October 2011 to be given by His Eminence Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney titled " One Christian Perspective on Climate Change"

Can't say I'm fired up by the subject but at the time of the Spectator debate, I suggested that some like minds gather for a few beers and collective rant about all matters AGW.

If anyone is interested, I can be contacted at maynardpg@willis.com

Regards

Paul

[Jiminy Cricket]

Science is self-correcting, and we should be proud of that. It is also above politically-motivated bickering, or worse, 'messaging'. If we want science to have the respect of the public, scientists must be seen to be honest and neutral. This stance can be difficult to maintain when caught between sustained, vitriolic barracking on one side, and a politicised green lobby on the other. But by acting quickly and decisively scientists have done climate science a great service, and the SMC is proud to have played a part in the process.

Here speaks a member of a propaganda organisation infested with people whose sole purpose is to control the message as first point of contact. Why else would it exist? And if the Chief Executive and Chief Press Officer are committed warmists? Ward is around, King, Nature's lot...

He probably cannot see the contradictions in what he writes and what he represents. I had a trawl around the SMC site and the Welcome Trust and it all whiffs of something...

[Caroline]

I love the way he tries to blame sceptics for a failure, by scientists, to point out problems. Even their f***ups are the sceptics' fault!

Also - "I just report what I find. And what I find is that the world is warming, and only CO2 can explain it."

A couple of 'probably's and a bit of humility would help that scientist's case. It's always been the certainty that sets my teeth singing. Nothing is certain and nothing is settled.

[Pharos]

It really is most amusing that the SMC sees itself as the media's impartial arbiter, their pieces are so steeped in green bile it drips from every sentence.

I am reminded of the incident in that US diner when Gordon Ramsay picked up his fried sandwich and wrung out the oil in front of the waitress.

[Jiminy Cricket]

SMC was assisted in its setup by Baroness Greenfield. Here is an interesting article she wrote:

Trust me, I'm a scientist

Ignoring the fact that she is a committed warmist, here is what she wrote:

We need at least some of the next generation who are trained in law and medicine, politics and the media and in the private sector to be scientifically literate as well. We need people with a strong science background in all sectors and walks of life.

Dear Susan we are here. Yet in the blog entry we have...

At the SMC we are familiar with bloggers and commentators bleating about 'the climate hoax'. But CRYOLIST is no den of deniers; it is a used by an international group of snow and ice experts to freely and openly exchange ideas about global ice cover. When these people start to complain, you listen.

So we are a den of deniers if we do not follow the establishment message? But if we do we are the enlightened next generation?

"We must knock down the ivory towers!!! From up here the view is great, and I can see exactly what we need to do."

[Harry Dale Huffman]

The tip of the iceberg, in fact the largest iceberg ever seen (or not seen, by almost everyone). All of our scientific and educational institutions have been long suborned. There is no competent academic or public debate on science, it is all up to independent scientists and educated citizens (why do you think professional engineers and meteorologists, outside of academia, have so often provided the best, clearest criticisms?) The earth- and life-sciences have not been self-correcting since Darwin, the modern day equivalent of Aristotle, whose empty authority held back science for about 2,000 years. ("Runaway climate" follows from the assumption of the reality of repeated "ice ages", going back to Agassiz, and the greenhouse consensus still cites Arrhenius, and Fourier--think about that.) The climate science mess is just the latest eruption of an endemic disease that has largely eviscerated real science in our time. The latest Nobel prize in physics is just as poor a choice as was that given Al Gore and the IPCC. Only the appearance of an ever-advancing technology hides the truth about the sorry state of accepted scientific theories today. Dogma rules.

[Stuck-Record]

And to think Western science laughed at Lysenkoism. That's going to be a small footnote in science scandals when Warmism unravels. And huge numbers of the true believers who hounded, slandered, blocked, ridiculed and persecuted any skeptical voices will all overnight have been 'on the right side'.

Apart from Gavin.

[John Silver]

So, Newspeak for 'propaganda' is 'messaging'. Oh, brother.

[hunter]

Scientists are people, and are not immune to or above any folly, failure, deceit, mania, pathology, wickedness or organizational failure that any other person is vulnerable to.
The irony of Fiona Fox, a well paid propagandist, in claiming anything other than this is ironic entertainment, as well as a straight forward lie on her part.

[SteveW]

I don't imagine that my comment highlighting the disparity between:
"Science, however, is neutral. It must never be partisan" and referring to those with whom you disagree as a "den of deniers" will make it past the moderators.

[Pharos]

Steve W

Good luck. Only a handful of comments have got through at SMC all year. But the honours most certainly go to our host, for his comment on Beddington on1 March 2011 15:37:00 GMT on the following blog post (click on comments which should appear in a small separate window

http://fionafox.blogspot.com/2011_02_01_archive.html

[Bob]

This hoax was 'funny'..

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/blog/2010/oct/15/science-media-centre-hoax-call

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/breaking-edinburgh-news/Tribunal-hears-of-bizarre-events.6580895.jp

[Pharos]

Had forgotten all about that one!

Nice quote-

Fox says: "I was a first class idiot." I doubt many will disagree.