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Bishop Hill
Copyright © 2006-2013, Bishop Hill All rights reserved.
Reader Comments (93)
Nov 30, 2010 at 5:32 PM | Unregistered CommenterJustice4Rinka
As at 5.30 it's back and it's the #1 story. Hilarious.
"According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".
"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.
It`s also hit australia, Jo Nova.
"According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".
Well, he was proven absolutely correct. It is rare -- I have never seen it snow so early as this year, and it is certainly exciting. Just try to go to the store in your car and count how many times somebody nearly slams into you -- or actually succeeds in doing so.
I guess you can all join me in counting this as a Show Shovel Event and bump your Show Shovel Index by one. So far, my count is two, with a new storm on its way from Russia. Should be in California this weekend.
recognise yourslves?
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/society/britain-trapped-under-two-feet-of-global-warming-bullshit-201011253286/
Cameron is refusing to go to Caucan but can travel to support the England World Cup bid LOL
Maybe he has seen the light but just can't say.
Mary Mary, quite contrary... tut tut tut...
Reap what ye shall sow :)
Note: please do continue to label us as reactionary Daily Mail "Victor Meldrew" readers, with a few O and A levels but not much more. Suits us just fine. Tells us quite a great deal about the fight. To be honest I am actually a lapsed Guardian reader, and would not wipe my **** with the Mail, but why let prejudices get in the way of looking down at the enemy.
How does you garden grow?
Mary links to the Daily Mash above:
And asks: 'recognise yourselves?'
No. Especially not the massive, disgusting slur about racism.
But thanks for your input. Most enlightening.
As far as humour is concerned I think the link that Mary provided lacked any warmth (no pun intended) and was fairly graceless, and as BBD pointed out, linked being a "denier" with also being a racist...
And after a few minutes I realised what that "so funny" to the privileged few who "get it" "humour" reminded me of...
No Pressure hey Mary?
http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/49967/no-abrupt-end-to-cold-and-snowy-weather-say-met-office
Ewen McCallum, Met Office Chief Meteorologist
"“It is very unusual for a period of easterly winds to bring such heavy and prolonged snowfall. In fact for November, the amounts of snow this year have been the heaviest and most widespread in the UK since 1993 and the deepest November snow since 1965."
I wonder if Dr. Viner - if his ears are burning - would grace us with a visit.
Even Tony Blair had the decency to stand up and answer for his decision to take us to war. He used the "based on the info to hand at that time, blah, blah" argument.
Dr. Viner, do you stand by your 2000 pronouncements? Would you "make the same decision given the same information"? Will you do a 'Tony' and justify your actions? Or will you drop us a line just to say how personally cringemaking your greatest claim to fame is?
More on the fearlessly satirical, sharp as a tack Daily Mash article linked to by Mary above:
Another example of how shrewd and far-sighted the rebranding to 'climate change' was. A veritable blank cheque.
But then again, perhaps that's something that I 'couldn't even begin to understand'.
Their references to 'dreary', 'tedious' etc remind me of an article that the visionary exposer of 'Bad Science' Ben Goldacre* wrote, in which he referred to 'party bores'. Relentless green haranguing is far from tedious of course - no, that's been non-stop thrills all the way.
*having entertainingly skewered many a Guardianista's pet causes, from homeopathy to MMR to fad diets, it might have been assumed that CAGW was a natural addition to the list. But no, perish the thought. That was a step too far for the bold Ben - or was he 'nudged' perhaps?
Memory Lane (Independent 20 March 2000)
"Britain's winter ends tomorrow with further indications of a striking environmental change: snow is starting to disappear from our lives.
Britain's winter ends tomorrow with further indications of a striking environmental change: snow is starting to disappear from our lives.
Sledges, snowmen, snowballs and the excitement of waking to find that the stuff has settled outside are all a rapidly diminishing part of Britain's culture, as warmer winters - which scientists are attributing to global climate change - produce not only fewer white Christmases, but fewer white Januaries and Februaries.
The first two months of 2000 were virtually free of significant snowfall in much of lowland Britain, and December brought only moderate snowfall in the South-east. It is the continuation of a trend that has been increasingly visible in the past 15 years: in the south of England, for instance, from 1970 to 1995 snow and sleet fell for an average of 3.7 days, while from 1988 to 1995 the average was 0.7 days. London's last substantial snowfall was in February 1991.
Global warming, the heating of the atmosphere by increased amounts of industrial gases, is now accepted as a reality by the international community. Average temperatures in Britain were nearly 0.6°C higher in the Nineties than in 1960-90, and it is estimated that they will increase by 0.2C every decade over the coming century. Eight of the 10 hottest years on record occurred in the Nineties.
However, the warming is so far manifesting itself more in winters which are less cold than in much hotter summers. According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".
Mary
My contemporaries and friends were properly educated in the hard sciences in the 1960s. We were, and are, anti-apartheid and do not appreciate your smears.
Kind regards
Mike Post
If it wasn't for global warming you chaps might have been getting a wee bit of cold weather.
Brent Hargreaves
By 4.00 p.m. the second-most viewed story in the Independent had become a thing of the past and had disappeared from the home page! That's statistics for you!
Nov 30, 2010 at 4:06 PM | Mike Post
It briefly made it to number 1 before being taken back to the Oubliette reserved for embarrassing stories and statements. It's there with the ice free Arctic in 2010 amongst others.
Delingpole on great form here:
Sandy
Are you suggesting that the Indie is falsifying its statistics? How can the first most viewed story suddenly disappear from the list? Something wrong there surely?
Sandy S & Mike Post,
I recently challenged the Independent to apply some of their legendary independence of thought to Global Warming. In the 1990s they just joined in with the great AGW Groupthink exercise, often devoting their front page to it.
Their denial of denial, their reluctance to air the contrary viewpoint, is sad to see. You reckon they're demoting the David Viner fiasco story down their website's league table? I do hope this is untrue. The Indy's management has foolishly joined in with the AGW religion, but I can't believe they'd stoop to censorship!
Meanwhile, somewhere in a parallel winter wonderland:
"It's possible, with the right kind of lighting, to see the ongoing UN climate negotiations as some kind of sealed-in world where Alice in Wonderland logic holds sway.
In this world, with the right amount of political will and political acuity, decisions are going to be made that will keep temperature changes at the planet's surface from rising more than 2C - or even 1.5C - above pre-industrial times."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/richardblack/
etc:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science_and_environment/
Down in Sussex and need some serious inspiration on how to brag about 2 inches.
Remarkable! Its three and a half inches and rising.
Mary
Please see the article above tagged "Quote of the day"
Recognise yourself?
The posting by "not banned yet" had a link to a Roger Black blog. One posting there referred to a secretive 2006 seminar at the BBC, where a "house position" on global warming was fixed.
First I've heard of this, although I have long suspected such a strain of Political Correctness was in operation. I have just proposed to the R4 Today programme that they do a piece on the propriety of such "house positions".
I was about to warble, "Where might such a policy lead public opinion?", and then realised that enormous damage has already been done by the AGW lobby with the Beeb and Mr. Milliband in the vanguard. A government policy of reducing carbon emissions by 80%? Are they crackers? We'd end up with the industrial might of Zim-flamin'-babwe!
The UK isn't the only place with a bit of a chill right now. Here in Arizona it was below zero (Fahrenheit) this morning. Not kidding! But--full disclosure--it is the part of Arizona at 7000 ft elevation.
Dave Bob
The UK isn't the only place with a bit of a chill right now. Here in Arizona it was below zero (Fahrenheit) this morning. Not kidding! But--full disclosure--it is the part of Arizona at 7000 ft elevation.
Well, I live at 2,000 feet or so near I80 not far from Donner Pass and it is frecking cold here - about -1C at night.
Go up the hill to Donner, and it is as high and cold as it is where you are. This is January weather -- or perhaps "climate" depending on your outlook, but very, very cold.
For those of you not familiar with Donner, look up "Donner Party" in Google. Not for the faint of heart, however. We have serious winters here, and have had some really "interesting" ones in the past. While the route is now a major interstate (I 80) is still gets snow bound every winter, but not before mid December until this year.
Where is Global Warming when you need it! Goddamnit! Propane is now at $3.50 a gallon delivered!
Today, I cleaned out a closet of old clothing I no longer needed, including two old army winter jackets that I had for years. Took them to the Salvation Army store and there was perhaps ten homeless people ready to fight over them. Fortunately, the SA had a system in place to distribute warm clothing when it comes in. So I went home and cleaned out what I really had little use for and took another five old ski jackets and such to the SA. There are people freezing to death out there in this "Global Warming". Really. Do what you can for them, because I suspect those who went to Cancun for fun in the sun could care less.
I think what we need is "Global Warming Skeptics Winter Clothing Drive for the Homeless." It is a world wide problem. People are suffering in this "Unnatural Warming". They deserve better.
I'm a regular Mash reader, and while they do appear to have signs of cognitive dissonence on this one the real target is the Daily Mail. The satire usually cuts the other way:
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/scots-demand-huge-increase-in-global-warming-20070618216/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/sun-%27nothing-to-do-with-earth%27s-climate%27-say-boffins-20070711277/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/trees-will-not-become-unstoppable-killing-machines,-admit-climate-scientists-201002022433/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/tediousness-of-climate-change-pundits-underestimated-200902161581/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/climatologists-claim-planet-is-haunted-201003302603/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=340&Itemid=59
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/james-blunt-to-be-sacrificed-in-spectacular-live-earth-finale-20070705261/
The Mash was started by two very cynical hacks - I think one was the Scotsman's or Herald's political corresponent in London (so hates all politicians) and the other was a financial journalist for the Telegraph or similar (so hates bankers etc). The Mash mindset is complex and it is difficult to work out whether they hate the Daily Mail, the Guardian, James Blunt or Premiership footballers the most.
p.s. -10C here again (35 miles north of the Bish). Our local council is hosting a Climate Change information meeting for community councils and local business this evening in Birnam (Institute) this evening. I may go along for a laugh.
Brent
If you search this site for the words seminar and Harrabin, you will learn a lot more about how the BBC came to adopt its position towards sceptics.
It's going to get worse this winter, according to Piers:
http://climaterealists.com/attachments/ftp/WANews10No37ESSENCEOFWINTER2010-11Forecast.pdf
I posted this earlier this morning but don't think it went through - if it is still in a queue please delete this one:
-----------
I'm a regular Mash reader, and while they do appear to have signs of cognitive dissonance the satire usually cuts the other way (note - may not be work-safe):
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/scots-demand-huge-increase-in-global-warming-20070618216/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/sun-%27nothing-to-do-with-earth%27s-climate%27-say-boffins-20070711277/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/trees-will-not-become-unstoppable-killing-machines,-admit-climate-scientists-201002022433/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/tediousness-of-climate-change-pundits-underestimated-200902161581/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/climatologists-claim-planet-is-haunted-201003302603/
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=340&Itemid=59
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/james-blunt-to-be-sacrificed-in-spectacular-live-earth-finale-20070705261/
The Mash was started by two very cynical hacks - I think one was the Scotsman's or Herald's political correspondent in London (so hates all politicians) and the other was a financial journalist for the Telegraph or similar (so hates bankers etc). The Mash mindset is complex - and it is difficult to work out whether they hate the Daily Mail, the Guardian, James Blunt or Premiership footballers the most.
p.s. -14C here again last night (35 miles north of the Bish). Our local council is hosting a Climate Change information meeting for community councils and local business this evening in Birnam (Institute) this evening. If it isn't canceled I may go along for a laugh.
@lapogus. Thanks for the links - they do give a bit more perspective, but I'm not sure they show that the satire quite 'cuts the other way'. The 'tediousness of climate change pundits underestimated' article for example - this lampoons Monbiot, but along the lines of his arguments being so obvious as to not need repeating ad nauseam. In their words 'we [snip] get it, ok?'
Er, no.
I just read the Daily Mash piece, and I find it neither satirical -notice the racial slur?- nor funny. Satire, of course, doesn't have to be funny, and a good satire is good satire no matter who or what it attacks. For example, Marc Roberts may be a CAGW cultist but his cartoons are powerful and hard hitting... or at least they were until Climategate. George Monbiot's 'climate deniers' deck of cards is a straight lift from the pages of US military, and it delivers the message.
I remember dipping my toes for the first time into the climate debate sometime in mid-2009. CAGW cultist blogs were full of confidence, cheerfulness, fun and satire directed at 'climate deniers'. Today, it is impossible to see the same.
Climategate and the failure of Copenhagen have truly wiped the smile off the face of the CAGW faithful. Nowadays, they are distinctly unfunny.
Yes Dougie, but I did say 'usually' not always. Here's another taking a more global perspective -
http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/i%27ll-be-just-fine,-says-planet-20080306774/
Temp rose to -7C today but is going back down now.
The Daily Politics Show on BBC2 today featured a piece by a guy advocating more grant-aid from the developed world to third world countries to help them combat the effects of climate change. Usual BBc stuff. Andrew Neil kept very quiet for that bit but they then featured a hilarious interview with (Lord) John Prescott who's jetting off to Cancun as a representative of the Council of Europe. He's hoping to get an agreement from about 170 countries. Andrew Neil pointed out that already this year he's added many tons of CO2 to the atmosphere by jetting to conferences and meetings all over the world. Andrew Neil IMO is the only mainstream BBC journalist who has the guts to question the "consensus".
Hello Mr Montford, Back in August you delivered a spirited argument on the BBC that a single weather event could not be taken to be make the case for global warming, I am rather surprised to see this therefore: a photograph of a single weather event making the case against global warming . It rather forces a re-evaluation of your earlier argument. Did you take a fee for your appearance on Newsnight?
Would a <\sarcasm> tag help you?
No, my comment isn't intended to be sarcastic. I do think you delivered your argument rather well, and now you have deflated it. Which leads me to my question about taking a fee. Mr Montford you strike me as much too smart to require prodding as to which way this goes. A million homeless in Pakistan, but Andrew Montford's backyard is evidence of no global warming. Please, donate your fee to the Disaster's Emergency Committee for the Pakistan flood relief.
I meant that my headline was sarcastic.
It's your prerogative to use whatever mood you like for the headline. I haven't read your book yet, but it's on my reading list for next year. Correct me if Im wrong but it argues that a lack of openness amongst scientists indicates corruption. So once more; was the Newsnight appearance apropos the Pakistan floods a paid gig ? Lesser mortals would have shied away from delivering a seasonal argument.
No, I don't argue that a lack of openness demonstrates corruption. I say that a lack of openness prevents replication.
Why are you so interested in the arrangements between me and the BBC? It's not obviously any of your business. I mean, I don't even know who you are and yet you feel you have a right to know my business dealings. Perhaps if you identified yourself...
I don't feel that I have a right to know your business dealings but I am 100% sure I have a right to ask about them. As for who I am , well it's really not that interesting, just one of the 6 billion souls you share the planet with. That'll have to do for tonight , goodnight Mr Montford.
I don't have a book of ethics to thump but I'm of the view that the position you take invites criticism. Yes, I am speculating that you have taken the licence payer's money, and that you haven't heeded my entreaty to donate it . But you have done nothing to disabuse me of those concerns . Instead you propose to fill that void with the suggestion that such speculation isn't any of my business . I'm not sure I could place the boundaries between personal privacy and the public domain, but for someone carving a career out of reading the emails of other people you seem remarkably sure that you can pinpoint them. I believe you also postulate that much of climate science is motivated by a desire to get research funding. I don't know whether you are right or wrong but it seems pretty clear to me that that argument is weakened by profiting from a TV appearance which was due to an unprecedented extreme weather event resulting in a humanitarian disaster at a time when not even the death toll was known. Mr Montford, I look forward to reading your book.
Hengist
With the nicest will in the world you are talking bollocks. There is only one chapter in my book about the emails and this was a late addendum. If you think I am carving a career out of any of this, think again. It's costing me a lot of money.
Just as an aside, I wasn't the first choice for Newsnight. When they called me I initially told them I didn't want to do it - I said weather extremes and models are not my thing. They were very insistent, however, saying that I was a hot ticket for sceptics, or words to that effect. They tried some other people, but came back to me, so I agreed to do it so that someone could put a sceptic view.
Why don't you come back when you've read the book and we'll talk again.
Hengist - Are you the same person as Macsporan who hangs out on Telegraph blogs?