Boris Johnson, the shock-maned mayor of London, is waxing lyrical in the Telegraph about the virtues of Piers Corbyn and the possibility of a little ice age.
I am speaking only as a layman who observes that there is plenty of snow in our winters these days, and who wonders whether it might be time for government to start taking seriously the possibility — however remote — that Corbyn is right. If he is, that will have big implications for agriculture, tourism, transport, aviation policy and the economy as a whole. Of course it still seems a bit nuts to talk of the encroachment of a mini ice age.
But it doesn’t seem as nuts as it did five years ago. I look at the snowy waste outside, and I have an open mind.
I can't number myself amongst Corbyn's fans, having never seen any evidence to suggest that he can in fact weather forecast better than anyone else. A couple of years ago Roger Harrabin tried to organise a formal competition between the various weather forecasters, all of whom lost interest fairly quickly. This didn't encourage me to place any great weight on any of their claims.