Delete web conspiracy theory fools

OWEN Jones of The Guardian, below, says he now feels ashamed of speculating about Kate without “considering that it might be a serious health condition”.

Hang on, Owen, she had just spent a fortnight in hospital and had already announced she faced a long convalescence. You are an intelligent, even if very misguided, man, so how could you not consider that health was the problem?

Most conspiracy theories flourish because people become obsessed with what they don’t know rather than with what they do know.

For instance we know that there was a paparazzi chase when Diana died. We know she was not wearing a seat belt. We know the driver was speeding and had been drinking. Yet the conspiracy theories grow ever wilder.

The same is true of the weapons expert, Dr Kelly, who took his own life when under huge pressure during the investigation into the “sexed-up document” which was used by Blair to justify the Iraq War. Despite the fact that he took an overdose of a drug for which he had a prescription, nothing will convince some people that CIA agents weren’t lurking in the bushes from which they emerged to murder him.

The Americans faked the moon landing, they themselves plotted 9/11, MI5 has covered up alien visitations. You name it and there are nutters who believe it. That was not much of a problem before social media but now rumours can be sent around the world at a tap of a button, as the poor beleaguered royals have found out. What used to be written in poison pen letters is now tapped out on mobile phones and equally anonymously.

It is a scourge which must be tackled before it gets even worse and wreaks even more hideous damage.