EVENT UPDATE - Four speakers to replace Dr Matt Kneale's scheduled event

Unfortunately due to circumstances beyond our control, Matt Kneale won't be able to join us as scheduled tomorrow night, but don't worry we've gathered a handful of skeptics to keep you entertained tomorrow night. We're busy rearranging for Matt to join us in 2024 so keep an eye out for that too!

We didn't think it was possible either but you can have a megamix in November. Replacing Dr Matt Kneale, we will have four short talks:

How I met pure blooder - Phil Armstrong Do you have what it takes to date in the modern world? Join me as I venture into the world of “off-grid” dating in a very on-grid Facebook. What do antivaxxers look for in a potential partner and how do they advertise themselves?

On the Run - A Very Practical Guide to Prison Escape - Emma McClure Prison escapes are regularly the subject of TV shows and films and stories of ‘escaped’ prisoners often make national news. The reality of the modern prison system means that such escapes almost never happen in practice, however fear of them and inflammatory reporting often leads to very damaging policy changes for those who remain in custody. In this talk Emma will be talking through the reality of prison escape in England and Wales with a combination of statistics and tales from her job representing those who have tried, failed, and succeeded at being unlawfully at large.

The case for historical skepticism - Tom Williamson When we hear the word “skepticism”, what subjects spring to mind? Science? The paranormal? Debunking alternative medicine? Skepticism is already a broad church, but what about history? Although the past is set is stone, our perception of it is anything but. History is abound with myths, tall tales and falsehoods, and it’s the job of historians to separate fact from fiction. The subject is ripe for skeptical investigation, with historial revisionism and pseudohistory to debunk.

Antivaxxers with influence - Michael Marshall Throughout the last few years, we've seen the antivaccine movement, centred around the Covid vaccine growing and thriving online in places like Telegram and Rumble. But not all vaccine scaremongering happens in the darker corners of the internet - some of the most prominent vaccine misinformation in the UK has been spread by a qualified, and amplified by an elected member of parliament. Michael Marshall, President of the Merseyside Skeptics Society and long-term investigator of the antivax movement, will examine the antivax rhetoric of Dr Aseem Malhotra and Andrew Bridgen MP, and look at what can be done when medical misinformation is spread by seemingly authoritative sources.

Hope to see you there!

British prisoners have to endure the most inhumane and barbaric conditions imaginable, so why do so many of them keep going back? Former inmate and documentary-maker Chris Atkins has spent the last six years tracking the fortunes of a dozen repeat offenders to understand why the state fails to keep them out of trouble.

From Simon who escaped from a high security prison by pretending to be his twin brother, to Alex who spent nine months living in a string of elite hotels masquerading as the Duke of Marlborough, to Josh who was recalled to prison indefinitely for not attending a party, Time After Time feature funny, wild and poignant stories about our creaking probation system. Chris’s unprecedented access to the criminal underworld explains why the system actually makes reoffending all but inevitable for ex-prisoners.

UPDATE: There are now fewer than 50 QED in-person tickets remaining, but online streaming tickets are now on sale, costing £39.

Join members of the Merseyside Skeptics Society in attending QEDcon, the UK's leading science and skepticism convention, which takes place in Manchester each year.

For those who aren't familiar, QEDcon is a two-day celebration of science, reason and critical thinking. It's an event where 600 skeptics from around the world gather in a hotel in Manchester to enjoy a mix of fascinating speakers, lively panel discussions, interactive workshops, and live podcast recordings. It’s a great social event, and it’s always a huge amount of fun.

Whether this is your first QED or your tenth, we’re sure you’ll enjoy attending – it’s a great opportunity to learn, share ideas, and foster discussions, in a fun, social environment.

Speakers at QED will include: Professor Pragya Agarwal / Colin Angus / Lucy Cooke / Knowledge Fight's Dan Friesen / Dr Debbie Ging / Dr Alice Howarth / Dr Joe Ondrak / Dr Cara Santa Maria / Dr Kirsty Sedgman / Andrew Smyth / Professor Anna Williams, and our MC, comedian Bec Hill.

Alongside the mainstage line-up of speakers, there will be lively panel discussions, interactive workshops, including: * Fairies, Folklore and Forteana * Hot women in your area - why everyone needs to know about menopause * How to Read a Scientific Paper * How to Test the Paranormal * How To Write Skeptically * Social Media Marketing for Skeptics

Plus live podcast recordings: * Knowledge Fight * Skeptics with a K * Inkredulous * Embrace the Void * Talk Nerdy

Plus an evening of comedy and entertainment from: * Ahir Shah (Edinburgh Comedy Award-winner 2023) * Siân Docksey * Helen Arney

Tickets for QED are available at qedcon.org/tickets, priced £149 (or £129 for students).

There will also be a free one-day Skepticamp event taking place at the hotel on Friday 22nd September, where speakers from the audience will present a series of short talks on a wide variety of subjects. For more details, visit sitp.online/skepticamp.

There will be plenty of Merseyside Skeptics Society members there, so we look forward to you joining us!

Introducing harsh sentences for crimes has been popular with governments of all sorts for decades. One such policy was the introduction of IPP sentences in the noughties for a very wide range of offences. Though they are no longer given out they have left a significant and troubling legacy that most people, even within the criminal justice system, know nothing about. In this talk Emma will explain these sentences, the evidence for what actually works when trying to protect the public from harm and the unintended consequences of ‘tough on crime’ sentencing.

Emma is a solicitor specialising in prison and public law. She regularly represents IPP prisoners before the Parole Board.

The era of big data is supposedly upon us. We have more data than you can shake a stick at, as well as new forms of data allowing us to gain deeper insights into modern life. Alongside the big claims for how big data will revolutionise modern society, there is growing awareness of 'big data hubris' and the possibility that we have over-hyped its contribution. The talk will introduce what we mean when we say 'big data', it's potential applications and pitfalls, and demonstrate its possibilities for helping us to understand what influences our health.

Mark Green is Reader in Health Geography at the University of Liverpool. Their research examines how we can make the best use of ‘big data’ for tackling health inequalities.