Private Eye: Critics of the Lightning Process, report on Legal News Page
Times: Reference to ME patient and threat of legal action, 10 November 2009
WordPress Shortlink: http://wp.me/p5foE-2lP
Private Eye’s Legal News page reported a couple of weeks ago that critics of Phil Parker’s Lightning Process had received letters threatening legal action. Private Eye provides no source(s) for this claim and to the best of my knowledge no-one has come forward yet with documentary evidence confirming this report.
(Report courtesy ME Association)
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/content/view/1063/161/
M.E. and the Lightning Process in ‘Private Eye’
There’s a small item in the latest issue of ‘Private Eye’ about M.E. and the Lightning Process. It’s on page 10 in the ‘Legal News’ section.
It reads:
“M.E. sufferers were stunned recently to receive threatening letters when they posted their views on the ‘Lightning Process’, a programme that allegedly produces ‘amazing results’ for people not only with M.E. but ‘anxiety, panic attack, over-eating, low self-esteem and guilt’ too. When sufferers started reporting they had paid £600 for a course that did not work for them, they received warning of defamation proceedings if they did not recant.”
If anybody has received a letter like that, we would be interested in seeing a copy.
Today, the Times has published a piece by John Kampfner, Chief executive of Index on Censorship and author of Freedom for Sale.
Mr Kampfner writes, “One man who runs a patients’ website was threatened with legal action by a drugs company after posting a comment that a treatment he had tried for ME had not worked. He had to take down his observation.”
Readers who are ME patients or carers of ME patients and have received threats of legal action from any source following complaints about therapies, training programmes, treatments or pharmaceuticals are invited to contact ME agenda, in confidence.
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Times | 10 November 2009
Times Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6910168.ece
The laws that stain Britain’s good name
Libel tourism isn’t just a matter for the media elite. Freedom of speech for everyone is in danger
by John Kampfner
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Read full article here on Times site
Link: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article6910168.ece
Full article can also be read here on Index on Censorship
Link: http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2009/11/libel-reform-the-laws-that-stain-britains-good-name/
The report can be downloaded at: http://www.libelreform.org/our-report
“The Libel Reform coalition brings together English PEN Index on Censorship and our partner organisation Sense About Science to campaign to reform the libel laws of England and Wales.”
Supporters of Libel Reform include:
Ian Hislop, Editor Private Eye
Alan Rusbridger, Editor, The Guardian
Peter Wright, Editor, Mail on Sunday
Ben Goldacre, Columnist, The Guardian, “Bad Science” Blog
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