Blumsohn is Right On Target

Attacking the small problems whilst the larger villainy remains uninvestigated and unpunished -- that's what the British regulatory agencies seem to be doing, to paraphrase a recent post from Dr. Aubrey Blumsohn. To that, I say trudat. Here's a snippet...

The emphasis on decorum and status explains why the BBC had to conduct it's own investigation [Link] of the worrying events surrounding clinical trials of the drug Seroxat and the company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) as the medicines regulator (the MHRA) simply dragged it's feet for years conducting an internal investigation of its own collusion with the deception. And to cap it all, key figures within the MHRA are previous employees of GSK.

Blumsohn points out that there sure is a lot of emphasis on style (i.e., oh, be nice and proper) as opposed to substance (um, this drug can be dangerous OR this professor is getting railroaded by the administration, etc.). Also, those in the highest roles of authority/"prestige" are off-limits -- they can do whatever they want without consequence. Do read his entire post -- it's well worth your time.