A couple of events at the Hay Festival look amusing, with the festival organisers clearly "having a laugh".
On 27 May you can get your head round the wisdom of Marcus Brigstocke on the subject of climate change:
The comedian and broadcaster, who has witnessed the impact of climate change in the Arctic, is joined by Simms, author and campaigner with Global Witness, to discuss how close we are to crossing planetary environmental thresholds, how we got into this mess and what we need to do to get out of it.
I wonder what he saw there that made him so certain he was witnessing the impact of climate change?
Then, later the same day there is this comedy gem:
What would you do if you had to power the UK? Marcus Brigstocke and Libby Purves get to grips with how to generate enough energy to keep the lights on and power their appliances. Dependency on overseas supplies, volatile fossil fuel prices and the need for a low-carbon economy makes this one of the biggest challenges facing the country. Richard Smith of National Grid and David MacKay of the DECC are our expert advisors. Chaired by Mark Lynas and using the 2050 calculator.
Marcus Brigstocke and Libby Purves?! Praise the Lord. We're clearly all saved!
I'm not really familiar with what goes on at the Hay Festival, but is this typical of their output? Do people really go there to learn about energy policy from the likes of Marcus Brigstocke? Or is there some kind of post-modern irony that I'm missing? And how is this going to look if the lights go out next winter?