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THREAD: LOCKDOWN, THINK-TANKS & LOBBY GROUPS: The astroturf campaign to end lockdown.
You’ve probably seen some articles and tweets about ending lockdown quickly. Even some scientists appear to support it. 1/
You’ve probably seen some articles and tweets about ending lockdown quickly. Even some scientists appear to support it. 1/
What is not always clear is that many of the people involved have links to right-wing, free-market think tanks. Their arguments are promoted and amplified by networks of other people with links to these lobby groups. 2/
Let’s look at the example of Karol Sikora. Let’s be clear: I am not accusing Sikora of any wrong-doing. But the people who attack the BBC when they fail to mention party membership of Nurses who complain about PPE, 3/
Seem happy to ignore the links of people like Sikora. For the purposes of this thread, I’m going to focus on Sikora and those amplifying his message (SPOILERS – lots of links to Vote Leave). But what his message? 4/
In short, on April 8th, he encouraged the UK to reopen shops on the 27th, remove the lockdown on May 4th , reopen bars on May 18th and hold mass gatherings by June 1st. 5/ https://twitter.com/ProfKarolSikora/status/1247839541890818048?s=20
Since then, Sikora has consistently encouraged the UK to end lockdown and highlighted, often tentative, evidence that supports his goal. He has also been given platforms by Unherd, the BBC, ITV, the Spectator and the Telegraph. 6/
The thing is, Sikora is a cancer specialist and a businessman. There is no shortage of virologists or epidemiologists on Twitter. Why, oh why, is he getting so much attention when he has no expertise in these areas?
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Well, Karol is well known in media-circles because he has been heavily involved in the Reform Group. They’ve published plans for lifting caps on uni tuition fees, abolishing the Winter Fuel Allowance, introducing GP charges
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And, of course, reducing public sector pay. They also produced a spin-off group known as Doctors for Reform and Sikora was one of its founding members. The group was launched by Westbourne Communications.
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Westbourne Communications are a lobby group with a history of running astro-turf campaigns for clients like Centrica and Cuadrilla. Astroturf groups are effectively fake grassroots movements funded by vested interests.
https://powerbase.info/index.php/Westbourne_Communications
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https://powerbase.info/index.php/Westbourne_Communications
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They also launched the Legatum Institute who employ Vote Leave’s Matthew Elliot. Legatum have close ties to senior Tories.
https://powerbase.info/index.php/Legatum_Institute
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https://powerbase.info/index.php/Legatum_Institute
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Doctors for Reform appears to have been another one of Westbourne’s astro-turf campaigns. It was never clear who was funding them. But they work because journalists give them coverage.
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Does potentially receiving money from such groups man Sikora should not be covered? No. But if his analysis is being presented as academic or scientific, the usual standards should apply. Declare any financial interests.
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What are those interests, well, aside from any funding he received from Westbourne and the Reform group, there’s Proton Partners International:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_Partners_International
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_Partners_International
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PPI is a a company Sikora founded within funding from Neil Woodford. Yes, Neil Woodford – the man who bet on Brexit:
https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/09/16/woodford-190916/content.html?sig=n_QEFbtx4T000iVzbd2FartXJ7Kla6PxptzZcn6S9Ak
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https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/09/16/woodford-190916/content.html?sig=n_QEFbtx4T000iVzbd2FartXJ7Kla6PxptzZcn6S9Ak
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Woodford was also, formerly, the largest investor in Centrica - who, as mentioned earlier, was an important client of Westbourne.
These people move in small circles.
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These people move in small circles.
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Anyway, PPI also owns Rutherford Centres who, last year, made an agreement with the NHS to provide cancer treatments on their behalf:
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-east/proton-partner-agrees-nhs-partnership
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https://www.insidermedia.com/news/north-east/proton-partner-agrees-nhs-partnership
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Interestingly, Rupert Lowe, formerly of the Brexit Party and Vote Leave, now works with Sikora at the Rutherford Group. He has been very complimentary about his new boss on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/RupertLowe10/status/1263813225763819522?s=20
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https://twitter.com/RupertLowe10/status/1263813225763819522?s=20
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Sikora has also worked with the University of Buckingham (a private university) where he is a partner.
https://powerbase.info/index.php/University_of_Buckingham
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https://powerbase.info/index.php/University_of_Buckingham
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The University of Buckingham has close links with the Insititute of Economic affairs. Like the IEA, the UoB has strong links to the tobacco industry.
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If you’re wondering who the IEA is, they’re the people who recuit people like Shankar Singham, Patrick Miniford, Chris Snowden etc.
https://powerbase.info/index.php/Institute_of_Economic_Affairs
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https://powerbase.info/index.php/Institute_of_Economic_Affairs
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Karol has had a bumpy career in academia. He was accused of misleading the public by claiming he has an honorary professorship at a prestigious university (hint, it was not UoB).
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/may/22/karol-sikora-honorary-professor-imperial-college
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https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/may/22/karol-sikora-honorary-professor-imperial-college
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He also courted controversy when he set of a course in alternative medicine
http://www.dcscience.net/2010/04/01/university-of-buckingham-does-the-right-thing-the-faculty-for-integrated-medicine-has-been-fired/
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http://www.dcscience.net/2010/04/01/university-of-buckingham-does-the-right-thing-the-faculty-for-integrated-medicine-has-been-fired/
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And when he appeared in a Republican attack Advert in the US describing the NHS is rather unflattering terms.
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So what does all of this mean. Well, everything and nothing. As noted earlier, there is nothing to suggest that Sikora did anything wrong (well apart from maybe that Imperial thing).
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But what it shows you is how somebody who is not an expert can be presented as an expert by people who share some of their interests. The overlap between think-thanks and media is extensive.
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Sikora is a darling of the right-wing, free market circuit because he has always said what they’d like most medical professors to say. But surely, his punditry should be accompanied by some context?
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And make no mistake. He is not an expert in epidemiology or virology. He is a businessman and a right-wing lobbyist first, and foremost. The question to ask such people is “Who funds you?”
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His expertise in cancer treatment is real. But has little to do with Covid-19. So stop re-tweeting him as though he is. Stop interviewing him as though he is.
Contact a real one instead. Here, I'll help you: @dgurdasani1 @GabrielScally
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Contact a real one instead. Here, I'll help you: @dgurdasani1 @GabrielScally
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Finally, if you've been wondering why there is such an overlap between Brexiters and lockdown-skeptics, now you know why. The lobbying networks that amplified the Brexit message are the same ones that are being used now to try to end lockdown ASAP. 30/
It's not that people are stupid. It's that some people spend a lot of money making sure that the voices they want heard, will be heard. 31/31
*Damn typos!
P.S Missed this. The chap who set up set up Westbourne is the guy who has been in charge of organising testing in the UK: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/15/testing-efforts-led-by-ex-lobbyist-who-backed-hancock-leadership-bid
