Tuesday
Jun092015
by 
Bishop Hill
Bishop Hill The new man on the ECC
Jun 9, 2015 Climate: Parliament The SNP have, you will recall, been allocated the chairmanship of the Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee and they have now put forward their "candidate" to sit in that role: Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil. His background is interesting: as an engineer he might be expected to have at least a small clue about energy projects, although his support for renewables seems pretty unwavering. That, I suppose, we should put down to pork-barrel politics.
His record on climate is patchy, however, having voted for the Climate Change Act, but having managed to absent himself from several more recent votes that touch on the subject. We will wait and see, if more in hope than expectation.
Reader Comments (17)
In fairness there weren't many options for the SNP.
They haven't had too many members before this year and he has been effective over the Honours system scandals.
He has to know that there are seats in Aberdeen that have recently turned nationalist - and they will be watching him.
Wikipedia notes his hands on experience.
If he pursues "cash for windmills", like he pursued "cash for honours", he could win more support.
Looks like he's a bit hands on in the inappropriate front? Not a lot of hope here....good for expenses largely.
Bit of BBC Climate bias on R4 this am. Dug up Davey boy to get the panic going and some professor (again), female variety with an annoying modern speech twang. Suppose it was needed to back up the G7 decision for lets go for it, only not sure what, by end of century if poss. So thats slung over the fence to those who can further invent subsidy.
The SNP & wind energy are much the same: all spin and no real power.
MikeHaseler, like it! And they want to make sure no one in Scotland has any power, using what power they have to obstruct any alternative to Unreliables.
Golf Charlie "Unreliables" - like it!! A great name for bird-mincers.
As the SNP Western Isles MP, he probably blames the English for not finding North Sea oil, off the beautiful West Coast of Scotland, and losing all the benefits for the local economy to the East Coast of Scotland.
Who will East Coast of Scotland SNP MP's blame but the English, for the redundancies due to the oil price crash?
The SNP really need to focus on the benefits of 'power'. I really hope they do.
Golf Charlie + MikeHaseler
You two should have your own regular spot on TV "Climate Comedies" or "Climate Capers" informing the public to where all their taxes getting blown into the wind
Can we expect him to demand a tidal lagoon for the Western Isles?
It doesn't add up,
he may wish to turn England into a tidal lagoon, just to avenge the wrongs of Culloden, when the majority of Scots were killed by Scots led by the English.
To quote Owen Jones:
"Last week the Sun, now more or less openly working as Conservative Central Office’s propaganda unit, published a mock-up of Nicola Sturgeon in a skimpy tartan skirt, riding Miley Cyrus-style on a wrecking ball labelled Tartan Barmy. "
The likes of Golf Charlie bemoan the few nats who are anti-English rather than the majority who are merely pro-Scots. But with such childish anti-Scots bile produced by the English press and politicians (principally Cameron and motor-mouth Boris), principally during the election campaign but also routinely at other times, who can blame any Scot for feeling belittled and downtrodden by Westminster in general and the English Tories in particular? Is this what they really think of the Scots, they can legitimately ask. Well is it golf Charlie? Physician heal thyself!
Meanwhile, talking about the blame game, the English media seem to blame everything on the EU - even the financial crisis which was obviously started by Wall Street creating toxic debt that was spread around Europe like confetti by the illustrious 'City' of London. The EU is at least trying to tackle the debt while the UK just kicks the can down the road a bit and continues to pretend that growth based entirely on once again hiking up house prices to crazy levels, is actually a good thing.
JamesG when the SNP start trying to do something to help themselves you might be more credible. That the SNP swept to power is no surprise given the way Westminster has treated Scotland, Creating a common enemy to focus your hatred is a great way of uniting people, but does not fix anything.
So don't jump to conclusions about my political affiliations, in order to make facts meet your prejudiced preconceived ideas. It might sound like a persecution complex.
The 'power of Scotland' is not a wind turbine, much as the SNP haved deluded themselves. The EU have shown themselves to be brilliant at spending other peoples money, even when they have not got any.
If I lived in Scotland I would not lend the SNP my credit card for 5 years.
So JamesG, I have worked outside the EU with people who had fought in a civil war, based on racial hatred. Have you?
golf Charlie
"So don't jump to conclusions about my political affiliations, in order to make facts meet your prejudiced preconceived ideas. It might sound like a persecution complex."
Without getting into a he said, I said, debate, you really are describing yourself here, not me. Have you seen anything from any SNP candidate where they blame the English for anything? Yes they blame the Tories - because the Tories are undeniably guilty, and sure most Tory supporters are English but that does not amount to blaming the English for everything, which is your own irrational hobbyhorse, not theirs. If you don't like racial stereotypes then don't foment them.
"I have worked outside the EU with people who had fought in a civil war, based on racial hatred. Have you?"
No but I have worked inside two EU countries and I am grateful that the existence of the EU has prevented war between its members for 70 years. Whatever they spend is still far less than another European war would cost. And the UK is quite good at wasting money on it's own btw: 70 billion was spent by the UK on pointless wars that made the situations worse than before. From what I see, I am wont to believe the general dislike of the EU is based more on xenophobia than anything else.
As for the snipe about the SNP and credit; they have balanced the books every year - unlike the rest of the UK. The facile and slanderous notions that they are spendthrifts or 'subsidy junkies' (another English media insult) are pure and utter lies. They merely think that the Scots could manage their own economy better, and their time in office proves that - at least to the Scots, who had also had their doubts initially.
BTW
If wind power works anywhere then it works better in Scotland* so there is a reason for SNP enthusiasm about it - whether that is misplaced or not remains to be seen.
*"There are five commercial wind turbines on Shetland and they are the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th best producing wind turbines in the world - generating twice as much as average turbines elsewhere."
JamesG:
The EEC didn't even exist for the first dozen years after WW II, enlarging from 6 countries to 9 only in 1973. The peace was driven by the NATO perception of the threat of the Warsaw Bloc (and vice versa), not the EU.
Shetland is indeed a windy place - 12 hours on the ferry from Aberdeen - which makes grid connections a rather expensive proposition: connections that the SNP believe should be subsidised all the way to the English border and beyond so they can hope to import power when Longannet closes.
JamesG thanks for your lecture on european history, and english xenophobia.Your interpretation is interesting.
I like it your the new man on the ecc. You can book online ecc 2015 conferences at UK for any purpose.