Friday
May152015
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill Barker takes the rotating door
May 15, 2015 Climate: Parliament Ethics Everybody breathed a sigh of relief with the news last year that Greg Barker was going to stand down as an MP. Having been one of the leading lights of the crony capitalist wing of the Conservative Party, his exit could only be a positive development.
Not that Barker was going to let things improve if he could help it, and news comes to us today that he has miraculously been appointed to the board of green lobbyists the Climate Group, who "work with corporate and government partners to develop climate finance mechanisms, business models which promote innovation, and supportive policy frameworks".
I wonder if Amber Rudd has started putting out feelers yet?
Reader Comments (12)
As a minister Amber Rudd would come under different rules, but the point is well made.
I thought he stood down so he could spend more time with bank managers in exotic locations.
I do hear that he is changing his first name to 'Beg'.
Trefor
All ministers will one day be ex-ministers and one assumes they always plan for their futures.
There is a long list of ex-DECC ministers who have joined green trougher outfits - Huhne, Barker, Hendry to mention ones I can immediately recall. And then there are the other ex-ministers or members of committees who have done the same. And I won't mention the ex-ministers who join other types of NGO and the BBC etc. MPs claim that they need the super pensions that they get when retiring (or being forced to retire) because they don't have the skills that are needed to get employment in the real outside world - but it is not their skills that they are recruited for. Influence and contacts anyone?
The Climate Group referred to, sounds as useful as the Chocolate Teapot Manufacturers Association.
Who could possibly have thought anyone would need it? Green Luvvie Capitalism at its best, hopefully it will be as successful as the other GLC, and no one will miss it.
Following Barker was (as I was obliged to do) was one of my more tiresome chores. He never failed to disappoint.
After following him for several years I surmised that he must have been emplaced at the request of a significant party funder since his only discernible talent was detecting a photo-op in the same way that an overweight labrador can detect a rustling crisp packet on the other side of a crowded noisy pub.
Climate Group's gain is absolutely no loss to government - unless your're a manipulative Sir Humphrey looking for a gormless compliant minister.
He's certainly had an interesting business career. From various Russian oil oligarchs, to green saviors wishing to punish us for energy profligacy. I wonder what is their attitude to using a staff microwave at the Department of Energy and Climate Change to warm a cushion for his pet Dachshund, Otto.
Not long before 'Ed' pops up having done the same thing.
Its shows that no matter what reality and science tell us , the CAGW is funding bucket is still deep , well filled and attractive to those how regards ethics to be a running joke.
According to the Telegraph, Amber Rudd is going to spend £800m per year of our money subsidising solar panels.
Tomo:
brilliant. I'm going to borrow that.
Will - you're welcome. Flatulent Labrador occurred to me after the edit timeout.... :-)