Ellee Seymour

Would you take part in drugs trials, particularly bearing in mind the fate of six men who ended up in intensive care?

I imagine the number of volunteers has since plummeted dramatically, and tonight’s debate in Norwich is aimed at increasing this. It is part of the high profile British Association Annual Festival of Science.

Nick Ross – and some of his friends – will be leading this controversial debate. I found an advertisement in the local press where Nick urges people to volunteer for future clinical trials.

“Six men suffered multiple organ failure during a drug trial earlier this year. Their desperate plight made headlines around the world. Yet I urge you, your family and your doctor to support and, if you could ever help directly, volunteer for clinical trials in future/

“Why? What are the risks, what’s in it for you, who profits from these trials and what’s in it for the rest of us? Join me and some of my friends on Wednesday evening to debate the issue. We will be in good company – some of Britain’s top scientists, doctors and other health professions are in town to meet the people of Norwich.”

I believe in doing my bit and carry an organ donor card, I can understand the importance of trialling new drugs, but there was a catastrophic failing which has naturally caused fear in the population.

I have to care what happens to me because I am a mother, wife and daughter and my family needs me to remain fit and healthy. What reassurances will the people of Norwich be given about this tonight? Have the families of those involved in the disastrous trials been invited to speak about their personal experiences? And how informative will this debate be as it is due to only lasts 1/1/2 hours?
There is only one way to convince people Nick, and that is to volunteer yourself, as well as those you love, to prove we have nothing to fear.

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I know Michael Gove is a very clever man and a good writer, but he should realise that not everyone is gifted in the same way. His column in today’s Times is harsh on those that don’t meet his literary standards.

I share Michael’s admiration of Iain’s blog, and have yet to spend time on Daniel Finklesteins new site which Michael also applauds. I also like the the idea behind The Author’s Commonplace Book which he refers to, making a compilation of interesting pieces of prose, a miscellany of different amusing observations. He believes blogs should follow this mantra and is scathing about those that don’t:

“While the original weblogger was meant to have the skills of a great commonplace book editor, most blogs, it has to be admitted, are scarcely edited and just plain commonplace. Increasingly, blogs have become just the logs of what people happen to have done that day, unadorned diary entries, placed on the web. So many bloggers have become little more than electronic Adrian Moles or 21st-century Pooters, inclined to imagine that the minutiae of their daily lives is intrinsically interesting because it’s posted on the net.

“The internet may be more immediate than traditional publishing, and more democratic in the ease with which anyone can carve space out for their work, but ultimately the same imperatives imply on the web as in Waterstone’s — sooner or later quality will out.”

That sounds a little harsh to me. I believe everyone should be entitled to have their own site and write what they like in their own style. It is personal to them, and the more Adrian Moles the better, particularly if it encourages more young people to write and enables people to let off steam. What might not interest you Michael, is probably fascinating to someone else. And most bloggers don’t want to be published by Waterstone’s.

Michael does not mention the importance of interaction between bloggers who post comments, this is the vital lifeline of a successful site. The ranters and the wits, as well as the authoritive voices, can share their views and see them published, providing endless amusement. Without them, a blog would be an empty vessel, but nevertheless, still important to its creator.

So Michael, please don’t be so harsh on bloggers that don’t meet your personal literary standards. While I agree that some tittle-tattle is more interesting than others, there are lots more sites you might enjoy if you travelled out of your normal comfort zone, here are a few new ones I recently discovered.

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