We all know they are caught up in the warming meme, but the Met Office in the UK is now trying to spin the idea that they had truly forecasted a cold and snowy winter, but they just didn’t tell anyone. The rationale? We skeptics here (and elsewhere) are a bunch of meanies for making fun of the BBQ summer that never happened, so we’ll keep it to ourselves.
The spin you are about to witness is Maytag quality spin. It is shameless, stupid, and beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Both James Delingpole and Autonomous Mind take the Met Office out for a spin cycle that ends up in a full stop. The propaganda is shameless, the smell odious, and the public relations disaster is even worse than before. They apparently just don’t know when to stop talking.
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From Autonomous Mind:
This is a potentially huge story with a nasty smell of conspiracy about it. There appears to be a concerted effort to whitewash serious failings at the Met Office, with the assistance of a senior climate change propagandist at the BBC who is fully bought in to the Met Office’s warmist agenda.
The Telegraph reports today that: ‘The Met Office knew that Britain was facing an early and exceptionally cold winter but failed to warn the public, hampering preparations for some of the coldest weather on record.’ The article goes on to say:
In October the forecaster privately warned the Government – with whom it has a contract – that Britain was likely to face an extremely cold winter.
It kept the prediction secret, however, after facing severe criticism over the accuracy of its long-term forecasts.
October? That is the same month that this temperature probability map was published – for public consumption:
There is absolutely no logical or rational basis for the Met Office publishing the probability map above, yet ‘secretly’ telling the government a completely different story. The Met Office not only published the map, it had meterologists speaking publicly about the map and setting an expectation of a very high probability of warmer than average winter, as I will explain…
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The stench of deceit surrounding the Met Office, it’s disgraceful self serving effort to mislead the public and apparent attempt by a publicly funded BBC journalist to distort the facts is overpowering. There now needs to be an independent inquiry into this whole matter. A Freedom of Information request is being submitted to ask for this secret October forecast.
Read the whole post here at: Autonomous Mind
From James Delingpole at the Telegraph:
So apparently the Met Office isn’t useless after all. Just cruelly misunderstood.
It seems that the reason it didn’t provide an accurate forecast of this winter was not because it didn’t know bad weather was coming. It was because we were all so horrid last time it made a boo boo over the infamous “barbecue summer” that it decided it wouldn’t make its forecasts public any more.
Which means the real victim of this sorry story is not us (for having been misled about the extremity of cold we could expect this winter) but the poor old, much-put-upon, much-maligned, but basically splendid and well worth the £170 million it costs us every year Met Office.
Hurrah, Hurrah and Thrice Hurrah for those magnificent men (and women: let’s not forget the great Julia Slingo) at the Met Office!
Hmm. Is anyone else as unpersuaded as I am by this extravagantly implausible piece of spin? There’s a big clue in the identity of the fellow from whom it originated: Roger Harrabin. Yes, Roger Harrabin as in the BBC’s High Priest of Gaian Worship and Climate Alarmism.
Read the whole post by James Delingpole at the Telegraph.
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Surely the good people of the UK have to be sick of this by now?
If you are, here’s my advice: picket the Met Office.
Borrow the tactics shown by the greens at Ratcliffe and Kingsnorth and show the burea-weasels what it’s like to feel the brunt of public scorn. A few protestors with a banner outside the Met Office (shown below) would be all it takes to make the news.
Demand accountability, not GIGO spin.
“A few protestors with a banner outside the Met Office (shown below) would be all it takes to make the news.”
Depends on which news you mean – remember how one sided our media are. There would be a far greater chance of Russia Today covering this than the Beeb, that’s for sure….
And contacting your MP to complain about media bias doesn’t work – I’ve tried on more than one occasion.
FOI request:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/this_winters_weather_forecast_go
The Met Office isn’t very good at Forecast Reconstructions.
If this is the Met office taking a shot at the coalition government then that makes even less sense given that the coalition government is the only folks would could corroborate the story.
Er….the map is quite accurate -October 2010 WAS exceptionally warm in the UK. However I agree with the main sentiment on here, the Met Office should stick to predicting the weather, not spending half the budget on Climate Change sorry Climate Disruption.
The airports, roads and railways clearly are under the impression, fed by the Met Office et al, that heavy snowfalls will become very rare events. This is what we were told in 2000 by the Met Office (generations of children will grow up never seeing snow etc). Hence the lack of investment in snow clearing capability.
Robert A says:
January 4, 2011 at 3:03 pm
What source is your quote please?
Also why State and not Central Planning?
‘In 1949 some friends and I came upon a noteworthy news item in ‘Nature’, a magazine of the Academy of Sciences. It reported in tiny type that in the course of excavations on the Kolyma River a subterranean ice lens had been discovered which was actually a frozen stream- and in it were found frozen specimens of prehistoric fauna some tens of thousands of years old. Whether fish or salamander, these were preserved in so fresh a state, the scientific correspondent reported, that those present broke open the ice encasing the specimens and devoured then with ‘relish’ on on the spot.
source: – Solzenitysn A (1974) The Gulag Archipelago
moderators: I do not know how to use italics in wordpress, as such ‘Nature and relish’ are typed with inverted commas, an aberration from the original text where they are italicised.
Oops–I’ve just read the news stories and now see that this news was broken by a Met Office ‘spokesman.” So I was mistaken when I wrote, about ten posts upthread, that: “But it’s not THE Met that’s blowing the whistle, it’s most likely an aggrieved individual whistleblower …”
Well, it’ll be fun watching ’em toss this hot potato around.
Thanks Anthony for expanding my comment at 1.02 on the earlier Weekly Roundup thread.
I am impressed by the speed with which you expanded my contribution with a plethora of substantiation and a devastating rebuttal of this puerile attempt to spin the MET into a good light.
I love this blog – it leaves no place to hide!!!!!!
Climate Projections
If everyone wants a laugh, I suggest that they visit this site. Note the disticntion between projections and forecasts and probability versus possibility.
http://ukclimateprojections.defra.gov.uk/content/view/12/689/
I actually saw a presenatation from these people where they said that their projections could guide local authorities to what the weather would be like in 30 years down to a 5km grid!
Chhers
Paul
The Norwegian Met office has been under heavy fire the last two very cold months. The reason is that they constantly forecast temperatures that are 8-12 degrees off what is actually observed. According to their website the reason is that they are using model output from….you guessed it….the UK Met office.
So what you are saying is that the “Met Office” is ligit?!?!?!?!? Dear gawd. Where have I been. I thought it was one of the English comedies I get such a big kick out of. Are you sure the acronym is not “Monty’s Excellent Tripe Office”? I’m aghast I say!
I’m a British tax-payer and I think it is odious that this USA based site should feel that it has a right to advise us to picket the Met Office.
Also – I too have written to my MP (and e-mailed before his election to ensure I knew his views) and the day that he starts to spout any of the skeptic nonsense I see trotted out here (e.g. Easterbrouke’s debacle) is the day he loses my vote.
@RichieP
“I wish I could say the same – my MP is Britain’s only Green member, the appalling Caroline Lucas.”
You have it worse than most, mate. Trying to convince Lucas that her carbon-is-evil mentality is wrong will be near-enough impossible. Still, do your best. The more people in her constituency write to her to highlight the CO2-myth the better.
Louise says:
January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
I’m a British tax-payer and I think it is odious that this USA based site should feel that it has a right to advise us to picket the Met Office.
Also – I too have written to my MP (and e-mailed before his election to ensure I knew his views) and the day that he starts to spout any of the skeptic nonsense I see trotted out here (e.g. Easterbrouke’s debacle) is the day he loses my vote.
If I was him I would not worry about your vote, there are a lot more to be lost if he carries on supporting AGW.
UK opinion has moved on and AGW is sooo last year !!!! 😉
Louise says:
January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
So I guess you wouldn’t dream of commenting on things the USA do then? like CARB, or Afghanistan, etc? But I suppose you think it’s OK for the EU to direct us too?Hmmmm….
Louise says:
January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
I’m a British tax-payer and I think it is odious that this USA based site should feel that it has a right to advise us to picket the Met Office.
Surname Gray, by any chance?
“Stop Common Purpose says:
January 5, 2011 at 4:24 am
FOI request: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/this_winters_weather_forecast_go”
This is the most constructive comment so far!
As the MSM in the UK are too lilly livered to cover anything like this, is it possible that this EXCELLENT US based website could keep this FOI request covered ?
I didn’t do the ‘fine read’ (read all the fine details), but is it not British tax-payers/posters “advise[ing] us to picket the Met Office”?
Please note also, Louise, the reference to other websites e.g. the Telegraph in the initial posting.
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Louise says:
January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
I’m a British tax-payer and I think it is odious that this USA based site should feel that it has a right to advise us to picket the Met Office.
Also – I too have written to my MP (and e-mailed before his election to ensure I knew his views) and the day that he starts to spout any of the skeptic nonsense I see trotted out here (e.g. Easterbrouke’s debacle) is the day he loses my vote.
It may amaze you, but we actually have that right here in the U.S., Louise.
Feel free to write your MP and tell them what ever you want, but if your Met Office doesn’t get it’s act together then don’t expect your elected officials to stick by them when they could just as easily listen to Piers Corbyn and actually be prepared for once.
Louise says:
January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
I am a British Tax payer.
I think it is odious that a group of foolish activist extremists posing as climate scientists should be given any taxpayer’s money whatsoever.
addendum: the Met Office, that is.
latitude says:
January 4, 2011 at 5:55 pm
What was your first clue………….
Did you not ask an answer the question in the same post where you asked above and stated below:
….it was -6 degrees on October 25 you numbnuts!
Seems self explanatory to me. 🙂
Incidentally, I’m quite glad the Met office are always WRONG. I like these white winters
I haven’t read all the comments but . . . .
I think your story is why “they” changed the term Climate Warming to Climate Change . . . Heads you Lose . . . Tails “they” Win! Regardless, “they” still assert “we” caused it!
Louise says:
January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
‘I’m a British tax-payer and I think it is odious that this USA based site should feel that it has a right to advise us to picket the Met Office. Also – I too have written to my MP (and e-mailed before his election to ensure I knew his views) and the day that he starts to spout any of the skeptic nonsense I see trotted out here (e.g. Easterbrouke’s debacle) is the day he loses my vote.’
Doncha wish you had that nice little Red Button handy, Louise? That’d sort out all us awful, awful people wouldn’t it? Pah! (And I’m a British tax payer too, so there.)
@Louise says: January 5, 2011 at 6:07 am
“I’m a British tax-payer and I think it is odious that this USA based site should feel that it has a right to advise us to picket the Met Office.”
Well, I’m another British tax-payer and I could find it in my heart to forgive if the USAAF carpet bombed the MET Office.