Conspiracy theorist sacked by Bristol University

David Miller has finally been sacked by Bristol University. Professor Miller runs two grubby conspiracy websites, SpinWatch and Powerbase, and seems to be rather obsessed with 'Zionists'. See how many times Powerbase's entry on 'neoconservatism' mentions Jews, for example.  

Miller had already been suspended by the Labour Party (and later quit) for accusing Keir Starmer of taking "Zionist money" and he has called Jewish students "pawns" of Israel. 

Less well known is Miller's involvement in the wingnut faction of 'public health'. His 'join the dots' paranoia and theories about 'webs of influence' align nicely with the fixations of people like Anna Gilmore at Bath University where Miller worked as a sociology professor for most of the 2010s. 

Despite having no qualifications in health, Miller was taken on as an 'investigator' at the UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies alongside Petra Meier, Gerard Hastings and others. 

From 2012, Gilmore and Miller worked together as PhD supervisors for an EU-funded project that was literally called 'Web of Influence'. 

The student will conduct their research under the supervision of Professor David Miller and Professor Anna Gilmore. 

The Project

The successful applicant will assist with a research team working on a new research programme within a large-scale project funded by the European Commission, ALICE RAP. ALICE RAP aims to critically examine and analyse currently fragmented research and strengthen scientific evidence to inform a new dynamic platform for public and political dialogue and debate on current and alternative approaches to addictions.

The specific project titled the ‘Web of Influence’ focuses on the poorly understood role of economic actors in public policy formation. The project will examine the ‘web of influence’ of four ‘addictive industries’ (Food, Tobacco, Alcohol and Gambling).

As recently as last October, after he had been suspended by the Labour Party and long after the first accusations of antisemitism had been made against him, Miller sat on a panel discussing corporations, neoliberalism, etc. with Anna Gilmore and Mark Petticrew - both of whom will be familiar to regular readers of this blog - at the World Congress of Public Health. 

To my knowledge, none of Miller's old colleagues have gone as far down the rabbit hole as he has, but it is interesting that someone like him can get so far in 'public health' without his crank tendencies being noticed, is it not? 

One of Prof Miller's contributions to academia