Schmidt’s recent post on Yamal advocated the following “conspiracy theory”:
McIntyre got the erroneous idea that studies were being done, but were being suppressed if they showed something ‘inconvenient’. This is of course a classic conspiracy theory and one that can’t be easily disproved. Accusation: you did something and then hid it. Response: No I didn’t, take a look. Accusation: You just hid it somewhere else.
One aspect of Schmidt’s response is beyond laughable. I agree that the best way of disarming suspicion is to show data: “take a look”, as Schmidt says. However, if Schmidt thinks that the conduct of the scientists involved in the various data refusals, obstructions and FOI refusals constitutes “take a look”, then he’s seriously in tin foil country. Comical Gav indeed.
Although I find it hard to believe that Schmidt is unfamiliar with the past incidents that gave rise to suspicion that adverse results and data have been withheld or not reported, I’ll review a couple of important ones. These do not, in any sense, constitute an inventory of incidents. They are ones that are either familiar in part to CA readers or which illustrate an important aspect of the problem.
