Simon Jenkins, writing in the Guardian, takes an almighty swipe at Liam Donaldson, the WHO and the Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies.
It's a comprehensive rundown of the hysteria, junk stats and scaremongery surrounding BSE/CJD (1995), Sars (2003), avian flu (2004), foot and mouth (2007), and swine flu last year, simultaneously accompanied, as it was, with the playing down of MRSA and C-difficile. Well worth a read in full.
All Donaldson's wild exaggerations consisted of the same apocalyptic projections of wholesale death and misery. None of which, naturally, ever came to pass.
Jenkins's denouement is as devastating as it is accurate.
This is why people are ever more sceptical of scientists. Why should they believe what "experts" say when they can be so wrong and with such impunity? Weapons of mass destruction, lethal viruses, nuclear radiation, global warming … why should we believe a word of it? And it is a short step from don't believe to don't care.
Yet still large sections of society believe the same doom-laden scares and the same ridiculous estimates of thousands of deaths - foretold by people with an overwhelming failure rate, never forget - with regard to passive smoking, drinking more than three bottles of wine a week, bacon, fast food, salt etc.
With so much available evidence that their 'science' is flawed, over and over again, there can only be one reason for the Daily Mail-esque judgemental attitude from certain sections of the public towards those who enjoy 'unhealthy' lifestyles or habits.
Prejudice.
Isn't it time some people woke up and smelled the bullshit?
