I always wonder what those people who defended the use of Asbestos think about their actions.
I'm sure many of them truly believed that Asbestos was a wonderful thing, making fire safe things for people the world over.
They may have even continued to believe that even after the first evidence came through.
May have even held a stance against the scientific consensus, after all they have been working with it for years, and isn't this stuff natural.
They may have continued to argue after it was obvious to all that it was dangerous, "didn't the down sides get balanced by the upsides". Just have to adapt our manufacturing processes.

In the end though they were wrong, and it cost lives.

Cobber the Hound - the difference is that the mining of asbestos without proper protection was proven to be fatal. The evidence is tangible and not subject to dispute. I take it you haven't caught up with the very recent stories on forecasting the state of the sun and possibility of mini ice age?

Anyway, most public organisations appear to have been captured by global warmers, including the Australian Skeptics. I let my sub to the skeptics journal lapse when it started reprinting conspriacy theories about climate skepticism..

I'm a bit lost with the reference to asbestos. It was widely used, and is not used any more, at least for house insulation. Yes, it did cost lives, but, as so often, we've gone a long way past prevention. You need to be genetically predisposed to the disease that it causes, and only a small minority are. But we're knocking down more than 1000 houses in Canberra, just to be sure...

"We aim to promote greater equality of power..."

How can you say you aim to promote greater equality of power, when everything you stand for is based on the State threatening to imprison people who won't obey your opinions?

"We promote debate..."

How can you say you promote debate, when you're not interested in data that disprove you, you only listen to one side of the question, and you refuse to publish, promote or listen to any alternative ideas?

What the Fabians are doing, the core of their activities, is in ordinary language called lying.

The Fabians are anti-rationalists. The perfect exemplar of their methodology is Cobber: blind unquestioning faith in authority, sneering sarcasm, circular reasoning, appeal to mere power as the arbiter of all questions.

Cobber, can you show us some evidence there was widespread defence for asbestos? I think maybe you have made that up, but I could be wrong.

Curmudgeon, I'm with you, I cant believe the Sceptics have been suckered by AGW... it's mind boggling.

Gotta run, here come's AJ with a big stick.

Gough Whitlam, who was converted to Fabianism after becoming PM, Bob Hawke and other Labor leaders right through from Caldwell to Shorten have always referred to the goal of International Socialism in the same sentence as Fabian and the always vague, undefined, but 'a wink is as good as a nod', 'progressive' word.

Of course the leftist (imaginary Left) political experts who have held forth on OLO for years deny the existence of Fabianism, or that it is an interest, claimed anyhow, of Labor 'luminaries' such Gillard.

This article is also interesting, in particular the quotes at the beginning and end which I have quoted as teasers,

Whitlam and the Fabian Socialism
Posted on April 13, 2011 by Paul Jacko
WHITLAM and the FABIAN SOCIALISM

"(Ideology) is what gives the evildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination. (It) helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad, in his own and others eyes, so that he won’t hear reproaches and curses, but will receive praise and honours." (Solzhenitsyn)

and

Mathew 7, 15-20 :- “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit: but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”

http://www.fogofchaos.com/2011/04/13/whitlam-and-the-fabian-socialism/

I don't think that elitist groups that always presume to know what is best for everyone else, are unwilling to involve the community of which they are part and resort to 'code' and skulking behind doors pulling strings have an interest in democracy and they are not necessarily for freedom of speech where others are concerned either.