I was away from my desk yesterday, and in my absence we had a hugely amusing story from the Times about Professor David Smythe, who readers may recall has been a prominent critic of hydraulic fracturing for shale gas and who was an expert witness for objectors to the the Airth coalbed methane planning inquiry.
Eyebrows have already been raised about Prof Smythe's alleged expertise, since he hadn't published anything in the field since 1998 and has been living in comfortable retirement in the South of France for many years. James Verdon had noted that he seemed unaware of recent developments in drilling technology. However, it seems that both the Geological Society and Glasgow University are seeking to distance themselves from him, the former demanding that he not describe himself as a chartered geologist and the latter saying that he should not suggest that his views are representatives of scientists actually working at the university.
The story was broken behind the Times paywall and was picked up by James Verdon and a number of MSM outlets (for example here). The quote from Glasgow University's Professor Paul Younger is particularly strong:
He has published nothing on [shale gas] in any proper scientific forum - no doubt because he knows he would never get past peer review with his pseudo-scientific scaremongering. He falsely claims to be a chartered geologist. That’s fraudulent. It’s wilful untruth. I am concerned about the damage to the reputation of the university by someone who never fails to use his university affiliation.
I wonder how this news will affect the ongoing inquiry at Airth.