From Andrew Bolt, my “mate” down under at the Herald Sun, comes this surprise. I’ll have to say, it is to George Monbiot’s credit to do this. I embrace his first statement, because it succinctly sums up the situation:
It’s no use pretending that this isn’t a major blow. The emails extracted by a hacker from the climatic research unit at the University of East Anglia could scarcely be more damaging(1). I am now convinced that they are genuine, and I’m dismayed and deeply shaken by them.
– George Monbiot on his personal blog
George seems to realize that, “it’s worse than we thought”.
From Andrew Bolt:
Even George Monbiot, one of the fiercest media propagandists of the warming faith, admits he should have been more sceptical and says the science now needs to be rechecked:
It’s no use pretending that this isn’t a major blow. The emails extracted by a hacker from the climatic research unit at the University of East Anglia could scarcely be more damaging. I am now convinced that they are genuine, and I’m dismayed and deeply shaken by them.
Yes, the messages were obtained illegally. Yes, all of us say things in emails that would be excruciating if made public. Yes, some of the comments have been taken out of context. But there are some messages that require no spin to make them look bad. There appears to be evidence here of attempts to prevent scientific data from being released, and even to destroy material that was subject to a freedom of information request.
Worse still, some of the emails suggest efforts to prevent the publication of work by climate sceptics, or to keep it out of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. I believe that the head of the unit, Phil Jones, should now resign. Some of the data discussed in the emails should be re-analysed.
Sure, Monbiot claims the fudging of what he extremely optimistically puts as just “three or four” scientists doesn’t knock over the whole global warming edifice, yet…
If even Monbiot, an extremist, can say that much, why cannot the Liberals say far more? And will now the legion of warmist journalists in our own media dare say as Monbiot has so belatedly:
I apologise. I was too trusting of some of those who provided the evidence I championed. I would have been a better journalist if I had investigated their claims more closely.
Scepticism is the essential disposition of our craft, yet too many journalists have abandoned it. Remember: the opposite of sceptical is gullible.
UPDATE: Here’s the screencap from Monbiot’s blog on the Guardian:
Click to see the original.
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BBC Richard Black’s Blog update:
After being shut down for more than 3 days it up and running again.
Looks like the BBC had a change of heart and realized that the massive cover up that they orchestrated just made them look like the bunch of silly green zealots that they are. We will not forget that they tried to cover up fraud. The BBC were complicit in this entire manipulative alarmist agenda.
======================
Update 2309: Because comments were posted quoting excerpts apparently from the hacked Climate Research Unit e-mails, and because there are potential legal issues connected with publishing this material, we have temporarily removed all comments until we can ensure that watertight oversight is in place.
Update 2 – 0930 GMT Monday 23 November: We have now re-opened comments on this post. However, legal considerations mean that we will not publish comments quoting from e-mails purporting to be those stolen from the University of East Anglia, nor comments linking to other sites quoting from that material.
Update 3 – 2116 GMT Monday 23 November: As lots of material apparently from the stolen batch of CRU e-mails is now in the public domain, we will not from now on be removing comments simply because they quote from these e-mails.
find “data”
Well-said:
“Worse still, some of the emails suggest efforts to prevent the publication of work by climate sceptics, or to keep it out of a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.”
Wow, wonders never cease.
Not to pour salt on moonbat’s wound, but:
Iowahawk Geographic: The Secret Life of Climate Researchers
…. and this from the BBC, lifted from another thread:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/markeaston/2009/11/is_cumbria_a_victim_of_climate.html
Is this whole thing falling off a cliff ??
Was this planned ?? With China and Russia and other countries making obvious noises that Copenhagen would be an excellent way to fleece the US and Europe, did someone finally realize that now would be a good time to apply the brakes ?? Better late than never, eh ?? Just thinking aloud.
If so Phil and the Motley Cru – don’t bother getting up from under the bus. There are plenty more coming.
Wow, this is a gift that just keeps on giving! You better watch out, sanity is coming to town!
Will George publish a new book? – A rebuttal of the tones he has written such as “Heat”. Will he refund my time to read his misleading books and the cost of purchases? I doubt it. George Monbiot will capitalise on this and make money. Another Al Gore in the wings.
J.Hansford (20:28:05:
Well, his lucidity only lasted half his article, before he slipped once more into moonbattery and was dragged into that dark place that consumes his reason;-)
RIGHT ON. ALWAYS ALWAYS READ THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT PPL. MONBIOT IS STILL INSINCERE AND UNSTABLE.
These guys have invested their lives and the institutions they control into this – it’s not just gonna go away politely once the dishonesty has been exposed.
I’m confused though… is the apology sincere? Whats with the clearly ironic email at the end?
As several others have pointed out, this feels mostly like the apology George was given in Seinfeld by Jason Hanky (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apology_(Seinfeld))
HANKE: (talking with two men in Monk’s) Guys, there’s no doubt that the pay is good. But I don’t just know if I see myself working with ice cream.
MAN #1: You get pretty buff forearms.
HANKE: I don’t know if I’m into that.
GEORGE: (entering Monk’s) Oh, hello, Hanke, others.
HANKE: George.
GEORGE: You know, Jason, I, uh, I couldn’t help notice, I… I didn’t get my apology.
HANKE: Apology? For what?
GEORGE: A drafty apartment? A… sweaterless friend? A ball-game giveaway Metlife windbreaker?
HANKE: George, come on, not that neck hole thing.
GEORGE: Yeah, the neck hole thing, and I would appreciate it if you would say you’re sorry.
HANKE: No way, you would’ve completely stretched it out.
GEORGE: You’re an alcoholic! You have to apologize. Step Nine! Step Nine.
HANKE: All right, George, all right. I’m sorry. I’m very, very sorry. I’m so sorry that I didn’t want your rather bulbous head struggling to find its way through the normal-size neck hole of my finely knit sweater.
“The hacked emails are a hard knock, but the science of global warming withstands much more than that.” – Monbiot
As a scientist, I don’t have much interest in a journalist’s opinion on science. So let’s just take his apology at face value assuming that journalism IS something he knows something about.
Over at the _Grauniad_ site, it has been common for quite some time that any pro-AGW article, by George Monbiot or anyone else, will have the overwhelming majority of skeptical comments promptly editorially censored.
I have seen a few comment threads there on AGW articles where quite literally nine-tenths of the entries on the page, over and over, consist simply of the stern admonition that
“This comment has been removed by a moderator. Replies may also be deleted.”
So fierce is their desire to dampen out any embers of dissent that you will have your post yanked even if that post simply quotes the _Grauniad_ itself in a manner or context which they consider to cast aspersions upon the AGW theory.
Of course, the wildest and most hysterical sorts of pro-AGW comments are left entirely alone by the moderators. I’ve never seen one be pulled.
So does Monbiot’s recantation mean that all of those enormous numbers of vanished skeptical comments will now be restored in full, and that future censorship will not be practiced by the gnomes of the _Grauniad_?
I doubt it. I doubt it highly.
Recall that these people took the comical Catlin crew seriously.
In the mean time the AGW propaganda machine is firing from all guns.
Today prominent in the news: IPCC scientists issue warning. Never before in human history our atmosphere has been so polluted by greenhouse gasses!
Very scary, very untrue.
It’s time to smoke this gang of criminals out.
We need more push and power to get moving.
Lord Moncton has issued a complaint, read here: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/viscount-monckton-on-global-warminggate-they-are-criminals-pjm-exclusive/ but is not sure the British Government will take an action.
Senator Inhofe has called for an Investigation (which is a good idea because it could force the British Government to undertake action) But the AGW Conspiracy currently relies on the support of Princes, Presidents and Celebs who will look very stupid if the general public finds out they are supporting a bunch of scam artists.
I say we push this through. The price we have to pay now will be peanuts compared to the price we ahve to pay if those loons turn their scam into legislation.
So send links from articles, youtube video’s and to your representatives, to the press, and push the scam.
This has to stop.
Moonbat’s post, now that i have read it, looks like a liberal’s attempt at clever distraction. It is spin, not apology. He is “dismayed and deeply shaken” ….
He tries to equate the CruTape Letters with a Kooky email from a ?fictious Carbonic Knight, thereby discrediting both. Its a false association and straw man argument disguised in false apology.
“This (carbonic knight) is the kind of conspiracy the deniers need to reveal to show that manmade climate change is a con. The hacked emails are a hard knock, but the science of global warming withstands much more than that.”
A real apology would not read that way.
The real clue: “published in the Guardian, 23rd November 2009”. That paper refuses to publish any anti-Watermelon story or column.
Folks, “Me thinks he doth protest too much!” Do NOT fall for his fake sincerity. He is still AGW thru & thru! He is laughing at us all right now!
This week has been an amazing moment in the history of science.
We had all suspected that behind all the smoke and mirrors the Wizards of Climate Oz were really quite different from what their followers expected,
and now that the curtain has been pulled back we see how small and petty and pathetic they really are.
You can hear them screaming ” Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!”
just a beautiful moment for those who have labored so hard to pull back the curtain.
Thank you all so much.
Hey guys. Are you sure Monbiot is not making a practical joke?
I know its not April Fools but that does seem more likely……
Jeremy,
Thanks for that update, the BBC and the NYT will make good bed fellows when this is all said and done.
Oh, wait, I forgot, Revkin is STILL not allowing any of the the emails to be posted on his blog.
As far as forgiving a dolt and a fool. Forget it.
I read some of the forgiving remarks here and want to puke.
This is one of the big cheerleaders who has been complicit in a fraudulent manipulative alarmist agenda.
These journalists are in a unique position of authority to influence millions of people – they are supposed to be the very ones whom we can trust to be independent. They are supposed to behave responsibly. They are required to investigate what they claim.
The apology of such a fool is not worth anything at all.
Or at least to a town near Mr. Monbiot …
As I tell my staff at work all emails are admissable evidence in a court of law.
I hope this story stays alive for a while. In one of those emails, somebody said a media blitz is coming in December for Copenhagen. We’re going to need all the ammo we can get.
Oh, brother. No way, Jose. Slick Willy has a brother and his name is George. In other words, I’m not buying it. Too easy and too late. If I could think of some other way to communicate a cheap attempt, I would. How about, GADS!!, we are being struck from the rear?
Climate news story breaks on the front news page of the BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8375576.stm
pity it’s a story about how alarming the science is and that floods, extreme weather and thremaggedon are on the way if we don’t cut co2 now, it must be true the met office say so.
I’m sick.
The BBC “we are not biased” have gone to far, they forget they are a public body and this is breaking their charter.