Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Oil industry consultant Dana Nuccitelli, writing for the Guardian, has launched yet another green attack on democracy, by suggesting that older people who voted for Brexit, or who vote against green policies, are committing “intergenerational theft”.
The inter-generational theft of Brexit and climate change
Youth will bear the brunt of the poor decisions being made by today’s older generations
In last week’s Brexit vote results, there was a tremendous divide between age groups. 73% of voters under the age of 25 voted to remain in the EU, while about 58% over the age of 45 voted to leave.
This generational gap is among the many parallels between Brexit and climate change. A 2014 poll found that 74% of Americans under the age of 30 support government policies to cut carbon pollution, as compared to just 58% of respondents over the age of 40, and 52% over the age of 65.
Inter-generational theft
The problem is of course that younger generations will have to live with the consequences of the decisions we make today for much longer than older generations. Older generations in developed countries prospered as a result of the burning of fossil fuels for seemingly cheap energy.
However, we’ve already reached the point where even contrarian economists agree, any further global warming we experience will be detrimental for the global economy. For poorer countries, we passed that point decades ago. A new paper examining climate costs and fossil fuel industry profits for the years 2008–2012 found:
“For all companies and all years, the economic cost to society of their CO2 emissions was greater than their after‐tax profit, with the single exception of Exxon Mobil in 2008”
…
It now falls to the US to do better than the UK. Risk management and the well-being of future generations must trump ideology and fear in the November elections. We simply can’t afford two of the world’s superpowers being dictated by populism and xenophobia at the expense of our youth’s future.
Most old people I know would throw themselves into a fire if they thought it would somehow improve the lives of their grandkids. Claiming old people en-masse do not care about the young is utterly obscene.
When older people vote for Brexit, or vote against fanatics who think it is OK to advocate disenfranchising groups who oppose their views, just maybe it is because they have the life experience to see through the lies of would be tyrants.
The problem we have is “cargo cult” economics. We have people who believe that if we simply return the UK’s status of the 1960’s, the world economy of the 1960’s will magically appear. We have a similar problem with that in the US where one candidate appears to want to Make America 1950 Again.
The situation in Europe is similar to what would have happened in the US had the Articles of Confederation been allowed to continue too long and many of the same arguments are being made against the EU that were made against the proposed constitutional government that replaced them.
Many of the arguments made for “Brexit” don’t even really apply to the EU, it was simply populist horse malarkey that was very effective at pushing emotional hot buttons. The migration issue was primary among those. The migration issue in the UK is the fault of the UK’s own Parliament and dates back to the late 1990’s when the Labour Party was running the government under Blair. The UK never gave up control of her borders to the EU and never joined the Schengen zone where border controls between EU states were removed. The UK retained their border controls. This is why there are camps of migrants in France trying to sneak into the UK.
This is not going to end well but the problem is that it will take a couple of years for the pain to be felt. That is probably long enough so that many do not associate it will this vote and instead blame whoever is running the government at that time.
More importantly, since the UK will likely try to remain within the economic zone (as Norway has), it will find itself subject to about 90% of the EU regulations it is currently subject to. The only thing they will find is that their 9% of the EU Parliament is now gone and they will have no influence on the crafting of those regulations. They are looking at trading membership in a representative body where they did have some influence for being subject to the rulings of that body without any representation and being completely irrelevant. This is the result of “cargo cult” populism.
Bollocks alert.
Stop reading what the MSM have to say, look around and then get back to me. Norway my arse.
EU Parliament has no power.
The UK member of the EU Council, which makes all decisions, is one out of 28 at the moment.
What evidence do you have crosspatch that we have ever held any influence at all – it would seem to me that the EU takes particular delight in making sure we ‘know our place’, and that is to do as we are told by those who know better. If we choose to trade with 90% of the regulations at least it is OUR choice to do so. I have been a member of the EEC (as we signed up to in 1975) for all 41 years since ratification and I cant think of a single moment where I thought my life was substantially improved by our membership. I am prepared to endure the pain of the next few years to be able to vote in the people who control my life – presently I dont have that privilege for at least another 2 years. I would lay my life down for my children and it goes without saying that I would risk my life now to see democracy returned to the UK and my children given the best possible future……..that was definitely not staying in this sclerotic association with the EU.
I am heartily sick of listening to my childrens empty words about the EU – what a fantastic job our schools are doing on them. They tell their own father how wrong he is about the climate and about the EU, now there is a chance to unscrew the brainwashing
Aged. You mean like Jeremy Corbyn?
Well in the end it’s estimated that between 60 and 75 percent of the 18-24 demographic neglected to vote. Had 75 % of them dragged thier carcasses to the polling station or indeed applied for a postal ballot and filled it in, and voted in the proportion suggested for that age group, then the vote would have gone the other way…. Don’t whine that something you didn’t bother to vote for has been “stolen from you” even if you can’t actually define what you think you’ve lost.
73% of 18-25 year old voters voted for Brexit. According to the Daily Telegraph today only 36% of this age group bothered to vote. Imagine what the result might have been if the average voter percentage (72%) was reflected in that age group. They might have got their wish (but be careful what you wish for; it might happen).
Same thought as Mike Ozanne above. only I got there too late.
One great thing about being old is that you were once young and can understand the folly of youth. Another great thing is that only parents know the importance of their kids to them. And finally, with age comes wisdom.
They will figure this out in 20 years when they are the ones being blamed for robbing their kids of their futures.
….and living in tiny apartments with rent increases.
According to unverified, and probably unverifiable, reports in the Daily Telegraph the Queen has been asking her guests at dinner parties, “Can anybody give me three good reasons for staying in the EU”. There are no reports on any answers given.
And that’s demagogic:
The inter-generational theft of Brexit and climate change
Youth will bear the brunt of the poor decisions being made by today’s older generations.
You have to love the Nuccitellis of the world. On the one hand for an issue like global warming, the Nuttis believe the only people who should be allowed to vote are the “experts,” which requires wisdom acquired over time–i.e., older people. On the other hand, when the issue is who gets to make the rules, Nuttis believe the only people who should be allowed to vote are the ones who will live with the outcome for the longest period of time–i.e., younger people. Why don’t the Nuttis of the world condense their “voting rationale” beliefs into a single all encompassing statement? Something like: “The only people who should be allowed to vote are the people who agree with us.”
Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves!
Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.
But apparently it’s OK for them to be a non-descript blob of ever decreasingly British flavored humanity buried deep in a sea of Euroblobs all ruled by a semi-secret non elected council of would be tyrants trying to create a super-state over which to rule. A rewrite is in order:
Rule European Union, European Union rule the waves!
Europeans ever, ever, ever shall be slaves.
“Europeans ever, ever, ever shall be slaves.”
Too late.
It was global warming wot did it.
http://www.thegwpf.com/thinkprogress-global-warming-caused-brexit/
“Joe Romm, a climate scientist and writer for the liberal blog ThinkProgress, wrote an article Monday arguing the so-called “Brexit” and the rise of GOP candidate Donald Trump are driven by global warming”
Perhaps it’s because the older people remember the lies that were told the time there was a vote.
So, 73% was it? Or was it 73% of 37% of little snowflakes who could be bothered to actually vote.
Could have been worse though, might have been 97%, and they could all have been constitutional experts.
On the bright side
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/28/siemens-freezes-new-uk-wind-power-investment-following-brexit-vote?
“Siemens freezes new UK wind power investment following Brexit vote”
Also – they don’t know if the youth didn’t vote for the thing. They have all their surveys, but those surveys turned out to be wrong. How do they know the youth weren’t just afraid to tell pollsters they were “for” such a politically incorrect vote?
Whether they were marginally for or against is irrelevant since they didn’t care enough to actually get out and vote.
Out by the skin of our collective teeth!
Under the radical proposals EU countries will lose the right to have their own army, criminal law, taxation system or central bank, with all those powers being transferred to Brussels.
Controversially member states would also lose what few controls they have left over their own borders, including the procedure for admitting and relocating refugees.
The plot has sparked fury and panic in Poland – a traditional ally of Britain in the fight against federalism – after being leaked to Polish news channel TVP Info.
Dana Nuccitelli is a nut. The older generation is trying to save the “world” for the youth by fighting the far-left Morlocks.
If you take the Scottish ‘we’ve got our own agenda’ out of the equation (they dont want to be a part of the UK anymore if the SNP can be believed) then the result which wasnt particularly close in the end anyway would have been even wider.
The Poles should understand (at least from my Brexit view of things) that the beef is not with them particularly or any other immigrant or residency issue – i t is just the catalyst for showing how cross I am with a political elite who think they know better than I do how my life should be. I personally welcome anyone as ethnic diversity has been this country’s strength for centuries – probably why democracy runs so deep. But to have a political elite that are entirely unwilling and/or prevented from providing security and equal opportunities for all walks of life angers me greatly. That illegal immigrants so easily get across our borders is bad enough but then for them to be to abused by gang leaders and unscrupulous employers is even worse. Our police force/customs/immigration service are neutered by political correctness that has its foundation in the EU and the unfairness and imbalance in our social and trading relationships is unbelievable.
Thank goodness for common sense at last….. a chance to reboot the whole system ……Go Boris
Monckton sums it up nicely:
http://www.theeuroprobe.org/2016-044-comment-by-lord-monckton-on-brexit/
“Youth will bear the brunt of the poor decisions being made by today’s older generations.”
Define poor decision… “We’ll see said the Zen master”.. Brexit isn’t per se a poor decision, Like all ethical questions it’s determined by the outcome. It depends entirely on the execution. It isn’t pellucid clear holding close to a commission that’s a non-democratic and willing to break it’s own laws is a good decision….
I read a comment recently only I can’t remember where; but it went something like this:
“It’s amazing how much abuse of the democratic process people can tolerate if they approve of the outcome”
Conversely, it is amazing how little respect people have for the democratic process if they don’t approve of the outcome.
Here’s a greenie approving of the arbitrary rules made up by unelected eurocrats, but griping about the result of a free and open vote.
Yes, democracy can be very frustrating. But what else is there?
Just shows how much Nutticelli is disconnected from reality.
Older people are much more familiar with the difference between predicted alarm and actual result. And judging by my 32 year-old nephew, the young keep sliding up the age scale.
Here’s the poll that really counted when you asked the fickle, wobbly Euroweenies to put their money where their loud mouth is now-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7806936.stm
Yes when their dough was on the line they certainly knew where their bread was buttered and with the Italian banks failing and the Greek economy to be bailed out amongst the house of Euro cards, it was a portentous decision to keep the pound safe from all their sticky fingers and now to put an end to propping up Brussels real estate prices.
London to a brick Queen Liz’s portrait will be around a lot longer than their pictures of old buildings and I note somewhat ironically that Islam doesn’t like depictions of the living either, so they are all well suited it seems.
WHY BRITAIN JOINED THE EUROPEAN UNION
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EkpS-yBj7gY&autoplay=1