Laws targeting mediums spot on

Apr 13 2008 by Ken Oxley, Sunday Sun

HOW many psychics does it take to change a lightbulb? Just the one . . . but they need the help of a dead relative whose first name begins with the letter J.

We can all have a laugh at so-called mediums, but from where I’m sitting they fall into one of two categories.

They either truly believe themselves to be gifted, in which case I file them under “self-deluding nutters” or they’re the very worst kind . . . the nasty, manipulative, money-grabbing leeches who prey on vulnerable people.

Thankfully, the Government is at last waking up to the damage these charlatans can do and is in the process of introducing some form of regulation.

It plans to repeal the Fraudulent Mediums Act — are there any other kind? — which, co-incidentally, replaced the 1735 Witchcraft Act.

And, if approved by Parliament, new consumer protection laws will pave the way for disgruntled customers to sue psychics who fail to deliver the promise of good fortune, health or everlasting love.

The “get out clause” for the psychic will be a prominently displayed disclaimer, along the lines of “this is a scientific experiment, the results of which cannot be guaranteed”.

Except it’s not, is it? There is nothing remotely scientific about this ridiculous mumbo jumbo. Not unless you consider the fine art of deception to be of scientific value.

You may have had a psychic reading that has impressed you. You may have been told things you believe the psychic couldn’t possibly have known about you.

That’s the problem when you put your faith in these people . . . they take advantage of you. And they’re very, very good at it. Psychics use a technique called cold reading, making general comments that apply to most people and then seeing what sticks.

People only remember the hits and forget all the misses. But think about it, if contact with the dead was genuine then surely the inhabitants of the hereafter would be able to tell us something useful that is of benefit to humanity.

And how come they never know their own names? What’s with all this reliance on initials?

According to the Office of Fair Trading, in 2006-7 Britons put a staggering £40m into the greedy palms of these vile con artists.

I find it deeply disturbing that those who pretend to talk to the dead or predict the future remain in such demand.

If Parliament approves the new regulations they will come into force on May 26, so I guess that’s a step in the right direction.

But the crackdown doesn’t go far enough as far as I’m concerned. If it were up to me, I’d outlaw the lot of them . . . or at the very least ban them from charging money for their dubious services.

I’ve no doubt there are millions of people who claim to have been given some sort of comfort from a medium. Others, presumably, will say they have been uplifted and given new hope.

In truth, they’ve been given false hope. You make your own luck in this life and if you’re down on it, you need to be helped, not patronised.

It’s so sad that people feel the need to pay to be told what they want to hear.