Friday
Feb152013
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill A fistful of share options
Feb 15, 2013 Climate: Parliament More details of Tim Yeo's conflicts of interest have become public. Guido reports that AFC Energy have given him 2.5 million share options.
The chairmanship of the Energy and Climate Change Committee is effectively in the gift of Messrs Cameron and Clegg - the whips direct MPs votes. That being the case, Yeo's continued occupation of the post tells a story about the two men's approach to clean government.
Reader Comments (10)
Share options the root
Of Yeo's climate toot;
Were it love of loot,
The evil of it moot.
=============
This matter is on Guy Fawkes blog. It is known that the PM reads this, so how is it that Yeo retains his place on the E&CC select committee?
When the MPs' expenses scandal was raging wasn't David Cameron accused of taking a more lenient line with those Conservative MPs he liked that those who he disliked? I forget the details but I'm sure I did not simply imagine this.
I really think you should take a close look at how Select Committees are set up, how they select their membership and how they choose their chairmen before accusing Cameron and Clegg of arm-twisting.
Much of the problem lies with the indifference of MPs and the ability of some influential and loud-voiced members to push themselves forward — look at Patricia Hodge on Public Accounts, Clive Betts on Communities and Local Government, and Anne Begg on Work and Pensions, hardly coalition cheerleaders any of them.
Yeo is chairman of ECC because he wants to be, because he knows about energy and climate change (yes, because he's up to his snout in the stuff!) and his colleagues have the (at first sight) common sense to elect as their chairman someone with some expertise in the subject, a quality that tends to be sorely lacking in parliament these days.
What happens after they've elected him may well be a different matter but since only three MPs out of the whole of the Commons voted against Baby Bryony's Climate Change Bill (remember?) it seems a bit harsh to suggest that Yeo, Cameron and Clegg have somehow or other suborned the committee process in order to impose some personal, and by implication minority, point of view on the lobby fodder.
We keep on forgetting that our view on climate change continues to be a minority one and while we would all agree that Yeo's vested interests make him at best a dubious selection as ECC chairman (in our opinion), that is not a view that commands widespread support in parliament where his expertise is, even though perhaps misguidedly, welcomed.
Mike Jackson,
"We keep forgetting that our view of climate change is a minority one", I would have thought that the majority view is that the climate will and does change over time. The point of argument is why, naturally is the most obvious reason since it has changed since we had a climate to speak of. As to Yeo getting the job because of his expertise, being involved in wind farm companies does not make him an expert on anything outside that industry. His "expertise" appears to be that of the con man making a lot of money off of the less well off! He most certainly has a major conflict of interests, all of them against the interests of those he is paid to serve!
Mike J
The organisation of any bureaucracy is like a septic tank - the really big chunks always rise to the top.
[Snip -raise the tone please]
Derek Buxton / James P
Sorry chaps, but as I expected the only replies I get miss the point.
I'm not defending Yeo nor am I arguing that he has any actual expertise on the subject of climate change. What I am saying is that as far as the climate change argument goes we do well to remember that sceptics, as defined by those who attempt to make their voices heard in any sort of rational manner, are in a minority. Also that Yeo probably has more "expertise" on climate change than virtually all the other members of the House of Commons put together albeit we don't think very much of the use he puts it to. At least his colleagues have made some attempt to find a chairman who at least on the surface seems to know what he is on about on the subject they are all supposed to have oversight of.
Were stuck with the politicians we have. The cure, as I've said before, is simple. If you don't like the politics go and join the party of your choice and sort it.
My understanding is that "Trougher" Tim stands to gain in almost every way he can through promoting "green energy" through his chairmanship of the Energy and Climate Change Committee and been paid via various directorships to do so.
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100144779/just-why-is-tory-mp-tim-yeo-so-passionate-about-green-issues/
Make no mistake, Tim is no fool when it comes to lining his pockets.
He has even "hedged his bets" by promoting a new cross Channel electrical interconnector from France for when his damnable windmills do not work.
What a reptile!
Mike Jackson:
There are some MP's who are aware of the issues. Owen Paterson, the Environment Secretary, is outspoken on the need to cut subsidies for renewables. He is quoted as saying: 'Soviet' wind farm subsidies blight rural lives and may have worse impact than climate change'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2215471/Soviet-style-wind-farm-subsidies-blight-rural-lives-worse-impact-climate-change-says-minister.html