Guest essay by Eric Worrall
A senior member of the British government has just boasted about bypassing the US Federal Government, and coordinating British government policy directly with US cities.
UK bypasses Donald Trump to discuss climate change with US city mayors directly
Claire Perry, the Climate Change Minister, says British Government is now speaking to ‘other players’ in US about how to fight global warming
Ian Johnston @montaukian Tuesday 25 July 2017 14:21 BST
The UK has started bypassing Donald Trump over climate change, talking directly to city mayors and other officials committed to trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the new Climate Change Minister has revealed.
Claire Perry, who was appointed to the post after the general election last month, said that British ministers had not “missed an opportunity” to tell the US President that they were disappointed he had decided to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the news service Bloomberg reported.
She said she had been speaking to “other players” in the US, including the mayor of Houston, Sylvester Turner, who visited the UK last week.
…
“The UK is ranked third in the world in tackling climate change,” she said.
“I think we need to exploit and take that leadership position because we can change the world doing this and we can also generate highly productive jobs.
“I look at this and see it’s the way the world is going, so it’s not just about British businesses, it’s about global mega-trends, so how do we seize that opportunity to decarbonise our own economy and help other countries.”
…
In my opinion this British government initiative represents a crazy level of interference by a foreign power in US domestic politics. Imagine the outcry if the Trump administration started boasting about bypassing the British government, about coordinating US policy directly with British cities.
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United Nations is also addressing cities directly:
https://www.compactofmayors.org
“The Compact of Mayors was launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael R. Bloomberg, under the leadership of the world’s global city networks – C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40), ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) –with support from UN-Habitat, the UN’s lead agency on urban issues. The Compact establishes a common platform to capture the impact of cities’ collective actions through standardized measurement of emissions and climate risk, and consistent, public reporting of their efforts. Through the Compact, cities are:
Increasing their visibility as leaders responding to climate change;
Demonstrating their commitment to an ambitious global climate solution, particularly as nations convene around a new climate agreement in Paris in December 2015;
Encouraging direct public and private sector investments in cities by meeting transparent standards that are similar to those followed by national governments;
Building a consistent and robust body of data on the impact of city action; and
Accelerating more ambitious, collaborative, and sustainable local climate action.”
OK then let Little gulp Bloomberg pay all the USA dues,, he has already declared he will pay a part of the climate indulgences Trump has withdrawn.
How much cash have US Cities pledged to contribute to the climate fund?
Probably the same amount as all the Hollywood liberals combined.
I get a kick out of phrases like; “tackling climate change” and “addressing climate change” ha ha what hubris.
I used to but now I get nauseous. These gibbering, yammering, poo-flinging, half-witted, superstitious primitives from your worst nightmare are actually and for real in charge of the country and now really do believe they’re some sort of modern-day Canutes. It’s terrifying and there is no telling what slobbering-at-the-moon insanity they will announce from their ivory tower somewhere on the planet Zog next.
Excuse my ignorance here, but when a municipality (or state for that matter) identifies an action that it intends to take, and that will require government financing, does it not have to specify the desired outcome in some concrete terms? A bridge will be large enough to handle X number of vehicles over some Y period of time and result in traffic flow Z.
Could not citizens insist on some kind of impact statement? “This expenditure of $5 million will result in global temperature increase being reduced by 0.000000017% by 2100” for example. Might expose the effort for what it truly is. Pointless. It’s like a neighborhood on Toronto marching for “world peace.” Nice but pointless.
Unless there is a law specifying such a requirement, no.
It is quite clear the UK environment, energy and climate ministers and departments have handed policy over to the unelected NGO bodies, namely Greenpeace, WWF, Friends of the Earth, and any other crackpot Green organisations, and after today’s announcement the UK will no longer allow the internal combustion engine to be used after 2040, it demonstrates the UK is now on a path to return to the stone age. Thank goodness I am of such mature years that I will not be alive to see it happen, but I do fear for my children and grand children.
good
She is in the remain camp, probably trying to cause problems relating to a US/UK trade deal, same as Gove with his chlorinated chickens.
http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk/culture/culture-news/news/a37369/claire-perry-mp-on-why-shes-voting-to-remain-in-the-eu/
Seize British assets in the U.S.
You’ll need to be seizing all foreign assets, because except for N Korea, the rest of the world is of the same mind and will be doing the same thing.
It’s not illegal to talk. That’s all it is, is talk. Green, Lefty mayors may have something in mind, but they have to answer to their local taxpayers, and I personally do not think many of them will be successful if they go asking local taxpayers for tax increases.
Virtue signaling is what they are doing. Nothing meaningful will come of it.
Oh I can see some liberal mayors taking funds from municipally funded celebrations for Memorial Day and the 4th of July and sending those overseas. I would think that as long as there was no treaty, compact or agreement to do so but rather just the use of a Mayor’s discretion of spending appropriated funds, it would not be unconstitutional. Now, that’s not to say it may violate a city ordinance on spending or that some unhappy tax payers may take it out on such a mayor’s hide, but that’s the chance any mayor would have to take if they really believed in what they were doing was going to help.
I’m surprised Rudd hasn’t commented. He usually has something to say regarding the legal aspects of the insanity we’ve been facing.
I’m sure there are some federal judges appointed by Obama that will go along with this.
This would be a good time and excuse to ban the clear cutting of US forests for wood pellets shipped to the UK. Or maybe clear cut the agreement cities instead.
It would.
all UK green groups would agree.
The “Climate change” mania corrupts every aspect of civilized life.
Someone above referred to the UK government as a socialist power!! That could hardly be further from the truth.The current government under Theresa May is simply a continuation of Cameron’s Conservative government. Their primary concern was to dismantle the welfare state so far as that was/is electorally acceptable, though they’ve been very adept at concealing the extent to which they’ve been successful. Privatisation of almost everything is their objective. Austerity has been their means. Free market economics is their gospel, allied to the old “perfidious albion” machinations, which Americans should be very well aware of! The rich, powerful, and privileged are still extremely influential, and when a Conservative government goes down the Green route it’s because there is something in it for them and their friends: money, advantage, power or some combination of the three. It’s the way the UK government works. It’s motives are never transparent. So look at the board very carefully before you reach conclusions about any moves the UK government makes or statements made by any of its ministers – who are also frequently jockeying for personal advantage. Green corporate power is gaining ground, rightly or wrongly, and some governments and functionaries will gamble on that bandwagon gaining momentum throughout this century.
Things are rarely as they seem . . .
“when a Conservative government goes down the Green route”
It’s no longer conservative then, is it?
Conservatives in the U.S. are for individual personal freedoms. Are their any political parties in Britain like that? Did the British people vote for these current British energy policies, or were they imposed Obama-like? Is it conservative to try to control the market by banning gasoline-burning automobiles or fiddling with the energy sector?
The whole CAGW hysteria is not conservative, yet all British political parties buy into the scheme. I’m sorry, I don’t see much conservatism in Britain.
The term “conservative” is a relative term, TA. Conservative in the US refers to a time in which all of these things you cite were the norm. At the time, those people would actually have been considered “progressive,” because their ideas were a radical departure from what had been the norm. Conservative in the UK means something similar, but not exactly the same as here in the US. Classic liberal is probably a better description of what you are describing, which is not entirely true of either set of conservatives today, btw.
I did say that things “are rarely as they seem” . . . and gave a few hints as to what makes them tick . . The name is only nominal, and a rough guide to their history, but the party is certainly predominantly right wing, at least as right wing as your Republican Party, especially behind the scenes, where I suspect that democracy is not held in high esteem though. Remember that our Conservative party originated prior to the democratic era. . . . many of the powerful figures in the shadows are more inclined to a feudal outlook. And all parties have to adapt to survive. That’s something the Conservatives do well. But it’s mainly about gaining advantage and this lot don’t do that in a transparent, linear way . . . If you’re wondering where principle fits into the equation, then that would be a mistake. It isn’t an important consideration for them, or for most politicians though of course they’d like you to believe that it is . . . At the moment Gove and company are probably trying to pressure Trump into returning to the Paris agreement by indirect means, or they’re looking to the future when Trump is gone . . . or they’ve got something else quite different in mind . . .
Individual person freedoms? The Conservatives here are the closest party to your Conervatives, but freedom of the individual isn’t quite so important to them because of their history. Elected governments tend to have manifesto commitments as you know, but they’re free to try to enact legislation on other areas too, if they can get it passed through the usual democratic channels, often in response to pressure from lobbies – something which happens in the US too. And there are various ways in which the Parliamentary process can be bypassed here too and it’s probably done here more often than in the US.
The Green lobby grows ever stronger. And it isn’t all left wing by any means. The Conservatives are mainly not very sympathetic to the notion of AGW, but now and again they’ll talk and act as if they are, for the sake of appealing to voters who might be persuaded by the AGW case. These people tend to speak in code. And the situation is complicated just now because different personalities have their eye on Theresa May’s job. She is unlikely to survive for very long given her performance at the recent election. Gove is likely to be a leading contender! He’s a very ambitious and devious man.
All governments interfere with markets to varying degrees – just look at food safety. Road traffic legislation. Taxation of petrol, diesel etc. The list is very long.
Be well, sir.
“but the party is certainly predominantly right wing, at least as right wing as your Republican Party”
That can be taken more than one way. 🙂 Sometimes I wonder just how conservative some of our Republicans are.
Thanks for the detailed response, jim hogg.
And what of Labour Govn’ts? No self-serving ministers? Pull the other one mate…
Why do I get the feeling that the ‘leave it in the ground’
mobMarxists have successfully managed to capture my government? (Ex PM) Major had a word for people like Gove….he was right.Perhaps they could make a deal with Slapout, OK USA. It was originally named Nye.
Perhaps they could deal with reality….
WSJ
EU Cautions U.S. on Russia Sanctions Bill
Juncker said sanctions could have ‘unintended unilateral effects that impact the EU’s energy security interests’
The EU should calm down. If Putin tries his energy blackmail, the U.S. will step in and supply what you need. Aren’t you glad Trump has given you some choices. That’s better than being totally dependent on Putin, isn’t it? Yes, we are frakking away over here and you should be very happy about that.
I have no problem with cities/states doing whatever they want. At least then I can choose to live there or not, and my federal tax dollars aren’t paying for it. Win-win.
True, but sometimes what they are doing can complicate, or create a mess of things for other cities/states.
As far as I can see, she is not making any UK laws, and any US cities she claims to be talking to are not making any any US laws. This is on the same level as Scotland recently making a ‘climate agreement’ with California: Largely irrelevant talking shops for regional politicians who aspire to something ‘greater’ than their remit. Probably because it seems easier than doing what they were actually elected to do, which is respond to their local electorate.
This particular minister is a political nobody in the UK, and deserves nothing more from a US audience. Just sayin..
relax chaps. no one has even heard of her in the uk
I’m just impressed that Britain has a “Climate Change Minister.” Do they have one for Space Aliens as well? How about a Loch Ness Monster Minister? That would be really cool.
In the last week of August 1976 Brits appointed Mr. Denis Howell as a ‘Minister for Drought’, but that was at time when the ‘new ice age cometh’ cry was on the vain.
..and there si no such post as ‘climate change minister’ since decc and defra were reshuffled.
The Brits will now sell only electric vehicles after 2020. This does not stand even elementary analysis. Our mother country has forsaken reason.
You mean 2040.
I larfed. Typically, far enough in the future that no politician responsible will be around when it doesn’t happen or ends in ruin.
Ban her from entry to the USA.
Hmmm. I wonder if any of these mayors could be considered treasonous – what with bypassing the feds to bargain with a foreign government?
Any US city official, “negotiating” with British government on this subject in writing, becomes indictable under 18 U.S. Code § 953. The sentence is up to three years in prison.