Newsbytes by Dr. Benny Peiser at The GWPF
Politicians and Whitehall mandarins are pandering to global warming ‘alarmists’ and consigning Britain to a future of inflated fuel bills and economic misery, the former head of the Civil Service warned last night. Lord Turnbull – who served Tony Blair as Cabinet Secretary from 2002 to 2005 – accused MPs and civil servants of failing to challenge the ‘climate change consensus’. He suggested that by blindly following the green agenda, the Government had hit hard-working families with a range of costly policies. —Daily Mail, 9 June 2011
Former cabinet secretary Sir Andrew, now Lord, Turnbull has launched an unprecedented attack on his fellow mandarins for what he sees as their failure to challenge the political consensus on global warming. Calling for “an end to alarmist propaganda”, Lord Turnbull says: “I am disappointed that so many of my former colleagues in the civil service seem so ready to go along unquestioningly with the consensus.” So is he right? “It’s simply not true – Andrew’s got it wrong,” protested one senior figure. He added that officials covering transport, business and energy were being “very forceful” about curbing the greener instincts of Chris “Nul Points” Huhne, the climate change secretary. –Sue Cameron, Financial Times, 8 June 2011
Hidden green taxes now make up a fifth of every household’s gas and electricity bills, energy campaigners warned last night. Cash strapped families pay an average of £200 a year in stealth levies to subsidise Britain’s massive expansion of wind farms, solar panels and ‘environmentally friendly’ heating schemes. Yesterday outraged campaigners called for an end to the secret subsidies and demanded power companies reveal how much their customers are paying for climate change policies . —David Derbyshire, Daily Mail, 8 June 2011
The Government has to come clean and force the power companies to make their bills fully transparent. Only then, will those facing spiralling power bills have all the information required to make the appropriate decisions. Only then, will it be possible to see if a power company has been raising its prices unfairly and change supplier. And only then will the true cost of the Government’s mad rush towards renewable energy become clear, allowing voters to back or sack those who formulated the policy. But full transparency could also have one other benefit. It could persuade the Coalition Government to rethink this misguided and unaffordable energy policy altogether. —Daily Mail, 9 June 2011
Last week’s UCL conference, Population Footprints, was a brave attempt to locate the correct niche for the P-word within the big picture of global equity and sustainability. Curiously, it was UCL’s own Professor Chris Rapley who stole the show in the closing ten minutes of the event. He questioned whether international action on carbon dioxide emissions could learn anything from population policies. Does it make any more sense to set an arbitrary 450ppm target than to limit the number of people? We’re up against the same unstoppable tide of human behaviour. Running out of time, Rapley blurted out the thought that, as our 7 billion population has defied successive Malthusian calamity thresholds, “maybe we’ll find at 650ppm the wheels don’t fall off the planet.” —OneWorld Group, 31 May 2011
http://tinyurl.com/5uqjk8z
This is embazoned on the front page of the National newspaper, the Dail Mail today
“Ministers Fall For Climate Folly”
No, they did not fall; they took a long run up and jumped from a great height, proudly grabbing the world stage upon which to demonstrate their naivety.
Every since their fingers have been pushed firmly in their ears and their eyes clamped wide shut whilst singing at the top of their voices la,la,la,la,la..
They will point to scratching a minor itch by modifying the solar FIT for large solar installations, but this is far from the sea change that is needed very quickly if the UK is to have any energy security in the future. Overcrowded UK inner cities will not be good if the lights go out.
http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx
God bless the Brits for jumping on the Loser Bus with Oz. I just hope we have enough to go around when the time comes.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/06/09/silly-nazi-hijinks-lets-tattoo-deniers-for-the-grandchildren/#comment-676715
They embraced AGW with open arms, a nice little earner!
Ya think? This whole thing is destined to begin spiraling out of control before the world comes to its senses. Of course, Bolivia is hoping not.
You can laugh, but I honestly think that DEFRA should be taken to the serious fraud office, with the scientific evidence to indicate that the science is a fraud, therefore the taxes are a criminal fraud
Given the demographic catastrophy with 60 year old entitlement schemes as the baby boomers turn from the predominant tax providers to tax consumers when they retire and get sick, it is not surprising that most western governments are involved in regressing the tax system. Most western tax systems are overly progressive with substantial numbers of the population not paying taxes.Climate schemes are (or were!! )popular regressive taxes :a politician’s dream! Hence the unholy alliance of greens, socialists and apparently centre right coalition governments!
Just as a comparison for those around the world, this is my electric service charge for 4-20-11 to 5-19-11.
Usage was 731 kwh
New charges (Rate: RS-1 RESIDENTIAL SERVICE ) (U S dollars)
Electric service amount 69.47**
On call credit 9.50 CR
Storm charge 0.84
Gross receipts tax 1.56
Franchise charge 3.93
Actual electric charges 66.30
The On Call Credit works this way (from the FPL website):
“You allow us to cycle off select equipment for brief periods of time in exchange for a monthly credit.
This usually happens just 3-4 times a year – when it’s absolutely necessary. We simply require your permission to install an energy management device that may occasionally control this equipment. We typically do not activate this program during nights, weekends or holidays. It is normally implemented in early to late afternoons during the summer. It helps control electrical demand during peak periods or emergency situations
We give you a direct credit on your electric bill every month regardless of whether On Call® is activated or not
You can cancel the program at any time, without obligation or penalty
You always get to keep the existing credits you’ve earned”
I have the on call device on my electric water heater only.
I would like to see other bills to compare the taxes charged and price per kwh with those taxes included.
I pay higher fuel bills – about £250 per year – so rich people can reduce their bills and the fraudulent builders of wind farms can line their pockets. This stinks.
Tom, 736 KWh in a month seems rather a lot! We use 4800 ish for the whole year although our heating and water comes from solid fuel in the winter and we have solar hot water in the summer. We don’t need aircon here though!!
Grumpy Old Man says:
June 9, 2011 at 9:58 am
I pay higher fuel bills – about £250 per year – so rich people can reduce their bills and the fraudulent builders of wind farms can line their pockets. This stinks.
I’m considering installing PV panels, not because I think it will do the slightest bit of good for the environment, but because it may be the only way in future that I can pay my electric bills.
The problem is that these youngsters in government haven’t the experience required to achieve the neccessary diplomatic means to generate local revenue to lead the UK out of recession. The old hands in the political parties are ignored by the progressive generation and the current incumbents are easily led by those who lobby and pretend to advise for the good of the nation but are more interested in lining their own pockets and egos.
I am sure that the majority of the UK population fully understands that waste is bad and per head energy use is not as excessive as other industrialised nations but, weee, are expected to lead by example, hrmph.
What will happen and this is my guarantee, the more that the ordinary person is required to pay to maintain their standard of living then the greater the resistance to taxation will form. substantial black market trading already exists in regular society for highly taxed or illegal products such as tobacco, alchohol and drugs. Energy will fall into this field in the not too distant future. As energy costs rise more people will generate their own energy from portable generators, diesel, petrol and lpg instead of being connected 24/7 to the grid. Wind and solar are out of the financial bracket of the majority of the population. As commercial revenues start to fall major energy providers will lobby government to criminalise this activity which will only breed a new income revenue for organised crime.
The ever increasing taxation that we have to pay, or face incarceration, is being utilised ever more to line the pockets of those who are not part of our national society.
The bailout of the banking industry, as if the failure of a bank or two would be detremental to society, it would go a good way to reign in some of the feckless and greedy.
Funding overseas military actions to assist democratic movements in foreign countries while the very servicemen involved face redundancy or pay cuts beacause we are told that the country cannot afford them.
Overseas aid to increase to 1% of GDP including some countries that have their own nuclear and space programs, the very reason why I will no longer give to any charity organisations because the government donates my taxed earnings for me.
The extortionate contribution to the unelected beaurocracy of the UN, the IPCC and the conglomerate of thieves, liars, charlatans and grant grabbers that makes up the cess pool of modern environmentalists, yes Greenpeace and WWF that means you, that have the audacity to think that mankind has the capability to effect nature or the climate to any extent other than as a single species amongst many that could be virtualy wiped off the face of the planet overnight without impedence even with our limited technology.
You think I am a lone voice in these opinions, I am not, I am just a loud voice of these opinions, many think but remain silent…….. for now.
RobB says:
June 9, 2011 at 11:02 am
“Tom, 736 KWh in a month seems rather a lot! We use 4800 ish for the whole year although our heating and water comes from solid fuel in the winter and we have solar hot water in the summer. We don’t need aircon here though!!”
I have central air and heat, all electric so yes the usage gets higher in the hot months when the air is running quite a bit. FYI my thermostat is set at 83F (warmer is truly better) which I usually turn off at night and open windows. Another big user of electricity is this damn computer and the time I spend on this wonderful site!!!!
Lord Turnbull did not voice these concerns whilst in office. Or maybe he did and that is why he lost his job.
It is never too late Lord Turnbull, keep at ’em.
Whuah! powerful stuff! , Lord Beaverbrook says same as a lot of other people day to day say to – new slant on the Taxation / criminalising non criminal activities, etc – I have said many’s-a-time too that Food production will come under this Jurisdiction – just look at the Nonsense of E.Coli in the Cucumbers Blame game and the utter waste of the product and livelihoods ofthe Farmers concerned………… It’s this Itch thing – for how long must we tolerate all this nonsense……… Yesterday’s Comment from the ArchBishop regarding Governing doing what it wasn’t voted in to do, etc……………….
Good job Coffee -Break is over and the Sun is still shining – BUT is Soooo Cold in N SCotland with the 6th week of almost continuous strong winds – Cold from a high level – = Global warming ? ??
Oh & Before i GO – JUST BEEN READING OF THE SNOWFALL & hEAVY rAINFALL in S Africa & Namibia……. What d’you call that ? O ! just wet 😉
It’s marvellous that a past senior member of the British Civil Service has at last spoken out strongly against the Green madness that is directing our government and country to a future which does not bare thinking about on the falshoods put out by a group of self indulgent scientists. We need more past or present government officials to voice their opinions publicly and strongly. Carry on Lord Turnbull, the rational thinkers in this world are all behind you. The Green movement is getting all too powerful in this world as shown by their recent success in persuading the German government to close down all nuclear plants in the next few years without any policy as to how they are going to replace the lost 25 percent of their output as a result. The Greens are a boil on the arse of progress, and unless their madness is curtailed soon it could all be too late.
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One difficulty in trying to change the attitude of the present government lies in the fact that the Prime Minister and his parents are, I believe involved in the manufacturing of wind power units. If this is correct, then he should not be allowed a voice in government decision making on matters related to energy generation.
What a great post above by Lord Beaverbrook. Why can’t he get the views in his blog published in the main
media? Surely his title should give him some inluence with some of the more sceptic media outlets
George Lawson,
A pure psuedonym, Lord Beaverbrook was a Canadian born immigrant entrepreneur to the UK who became a newspaper magnate and memeber of parliament during the second world war appointed by one of his friends, Winston Churchill, see Wikki for details.