Drug buddies

Fatal alliance
The government must now act against Glaxo Smith Kline and our shambolic system of regulating medicines.

Lives have been lost because of the cosy relationship between the all powerful Pharmas and the regulatory body MHRA. The Pharmas pay the MHRA piper and call the tune. Four years ago I had a debate on Seroxat. Panorama, Charles Medawar of Social Audit and the Seroxat Users Association had all correctly claimed that GSK had suppressed the truth on negative drug trials.

The chaotic indolence and bias of the MHRA has allowed this investigation to drag on for four years. Incredibly the MHRA chairman Breckenridge  (a former GSK employee) exposed his own closed mind in  2003 and said -  "What you can say with great firmness is that these drugs (Seroxat) do not increase the risk of suicidal thought and they do not increase the risk of suicide".

The truth is now out but GSK will escape prosecution. No surprise there.  This probe was essentially futile, wasteful and half-hearted – bearing in mind also that the MHRA chairman and several senior employees have been paid to work for and with GSK, also that five of the twenty members of the MHRA oversight body, the Commission of Human Medicines, currently depend on research grants from GlaxoSmithKline.

Their excuse for not prosecuting is that the law is deficient. The law has not changed. Why did they waste four years and  £1million if the law would not permit prosecution, then or now?.

On Monday I will table an EDM which will demand a new independent regulatory body to protect public health. Patients have been duped into believing in useless drugs that create dependency and increase suicidal risks.

This is the call we anti-Seroxat campaigners made in February 2004. Why so long for the truth to emerge?

Friends in low places
Who should have the credit for Newport's city status?

There's a long list but yesterday a new claim was made. Thanks are certainly due (in no particular order) to The Mayor, Paul Murphy, the Argus, The Newport City Campaign Committee, Newport Council, the MPs and AMs, and the Queen.

But the crucial factors were the city's inherently strong qualification as a vibrant bustling progressive community with proud historic roots.

At yesterday's select committee, Peter Bingle tried to wrong foot me after my first question to him by claiming credit for his PR Company Bell Pottinger for Newport's city status victory. Who'd have guessed ?

It got worse. Mr Bingle then presented himself as a saintly messianic figure who 'on principle' as a catholic would not work on a pro-abortion campaign. He said he did not want to sully the reputation of the company.

I asked him about Bell Pottinger's past clients.  They include  South Africa's National Party; the Coal Board during the 1984 miners' strike; post-Dayton, Milosevic-led Yugoslavia; Lord Weinstock, chief executive of GEC,  the pro-Pinochet runner for president, Hernan Buchi, in Chile's first elections since the coup of 1973. They also ran a £200,000 PR campaign in the UK for General Pinochet himself after his arrest.

Reputation Mr Bingley. What reputation?

Shock
There was one golden moment of astonishment and amusement at yesterday's Committee Session.

Mike Grannett of propagandist Luther Pendragon was asked if his company employed any peers or MPs.  "We employ one to help us with presentation. It's Mr Opik."

The room was convulsed by a great guffaw of disbelieving laughter from the public and MPs. Lembit advising on presentation? 'That's absolutely mad', the MP sitting next to me on the Committee whispered.' Couldn't disagree.

Comments

[paulflynn]

Test

[Only a voter]

A rather partial account of the Bingle encounter, methinks. No mention of your later, somewhat intemperate outburst against the man with the Dickensian name - charges of association with mass murderers, racists, and oppressors of their own people ? A rather crude attempt at a political mugging, the effect of which was to isolate you from all around the room, including your Chairman, and to make Mr Bingle look righteous.
I'm only a voter, but I wasn't impressed. Maybe it's being in the Thatcher Room that upsets you so.

Oh, and by the way, where were you for the vote on the Lisbon Treaty ? It didn't seem to figure in your day. I'm only a voter, but it seemed very important to me.

[paulflynn]

Were you present in the room? If you were I suspect you were one of the lobbyists identified in the press as being present. Should your name be 'only a lobbyist"

The charges against Mr Bingle was that he has been in the pay of mass murderers , (Pinochet, Iraq) oppressors, racists (The party that jailed Nelson Mandela). They also acted for the NCB during the Miners' strike. Righteous Mr Bingle?

You have your days mixed up on the Lisbon Vote.

[Just a voter]

No confusion here on the date of the Lisbon vote. Can we agree on March 5 ?
It just didn't seem to make it into your blog or your voting record.

[Paul Flynn]

This blog strives to provide unique news. I have done some comments on the Lisbon debate but I do not want my readers to be turned off by this seemingly everlasting snore-athon.

If you would like to see a distorted report of the committee session see Quentin Letts in the Mail the following day.

If you are a constituent, I will do my duty and report on the debate. I suspect that you are not that fortunate.