Guardian: BoJo’s Political Weakness Endangers Climate Action

Guest essay by Eric Worrall

UK PM Boris “Lockdown Party” Johnson’s deteriorating political fortunes are worrying climate activists, who are concerned his successor might be more focussed on lowering the cost of living than hitting net zero.

Johnson’s political weakness leaves climate agenda at risk, say campaigners

Analysts fear government’s commitment to net zero is facing most severe test yet as PM comes under increasing pressure

Fiona Harvey
Environment correspondent
Wed 12 Jan 2022 05.08 AEDT

The government’s climate agenda is under threat as Boris Johnson’s popularity slumps, according to green campaigners who work closely with the Conservative party.

As the prime minister faces further lockdown party allegations, and angry Conservative MPs seek answers over energy price rises and the cost of living crisis, analysts fear the government’s commitment to net zero is facing its most severe test yet.

Tom Burke, a co-founder of the E3G green thinktank and a veteran government adviser, said: “Johnson has been the standard bearer for net zero, and lots of people were happy about that. There is now a sustained assault from the right on net zero. They see the prime minister’s political weakness, and they see net zero as a flank on which to attack him.”

Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is meeting backbench Tory MPs this week to calm fears that the squeeze on incomes caused by rising inflation and soaring gas prices will turn away voters, particularly in “red wall” seats in the north of England. He is under pressure from vocal quarters to abandon green measures such as carbon levies, which play a small role in energy bills.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/11/boris-johnson-climate-action-net-zero-conservative-party

In his frantic struggle to survive, Boris Johnson has put his weight behind populist measures like eliminating the mandatory BBC license fee, which would in itself be a major blow against climate activism, by exposing the BBC to consumer choice.

I think this political farce is going to become a lot funnier before Boris Johnson loses his job. I look forward to writing about all the costly green initiatives BoJo unhesitatingly dumps overboard, in a frantic but futile effort to save his own skin.

4.7 11 votes
Article Rating
128 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Dudley Horscroft
January 18, 2022 10:06 pm

” eliminating the mandatory BBC license fee, which would in itself be a major blow against climate activism, by exposing the BBC to consumer choice.”

Well said. Good to expose the BBC and its Australian counterpart, the ABC, to common sense.

Dudley Horscroft
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 18, 2022 10:10 pm

Boris is revered by many as he got Brexit done. But he is also remembered as the man who scrapped the Cross River Transit scheme of Red Livingstone, the previous Mayor of London.

M Courtney
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 18, 2022 11:57 pm

He didn’t get Brexit done.

He’s trying to renegotiate what he has already signed (The NI protocol) because even he can see he flummoxed that up.
He has increased red tape, not reduced it.
He lost the fishing rights.
He failed to get a trade deal with the USA.
He has failed to achieve any of his Brexit goals so far.

Anyone could have passed something through Parliament saying “Brexit is Done”. Even Teresa May could have done that; a Potemkin Brexit. But no-one bothered as the trick was to actually get Brexit done. And that’s a lot harder.

It’s beyond the current Government’s ability, clearly.

griff
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 19, 2022 12:31 am

and the man who spent millions on a ‘Garden Bridge’ which never got built

fretslider
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 3:43 am

But he did get more than 20% of the vote

Khan has no real mandate to do anything. Only 40% of people turned out, so it’s far from valid.

pigs_in_space
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 5:13 am

that “man” you voted into office! Griff as usual is 1000 miles from reality.

Dave Andrews
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 8:12 am

I don’t know why griff is getting the downvotes when this is the only thing he has ever posted which is based on truth

Ben Vorlich
Reply to  Dave Andrews
January 19, 2022 9:11 am

My thoughts too, but if it;s Griff it must be wrong.

Griff could have mentioned Boris’ Water Cannon bought at huge expense, illegal and sold for scrap, his Thames Estuary floating airport, the latest being the tunnel under the Irish Sea.

If you’ve got a madcap scheme Boris is your man.

M Courtney
Reply to  Ben Vorlich
January 19, 2022 10:30 am

It’s fake sceptics. Actually Griff id usually wrong, but not always.
People need to read and consider objectively.
In this case he is exactly correct.

Clyde Spencer
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 12:07 pm

The problem is, griff has created a reputation, not unlike the “Boy Who Cried, ‘Wolf.'” People are reluctant to invest time in reading what has been overwhelmingly bovine feces. Time is valuable. We all have a finite amount of it, even if we don’t know what the amount is. It is similar to those who claim that if we can’t point to a cause of warming other than CO2, then it must be CO2 by default.

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  Clyde Spencer
January 19, 2022 8:02 pm

I find him a refreshing break, like watching clowns fighting on a boat going over the falls, you know it’s going to end badly/stupidly but I have to watch/read

griff
Reply to  Clyde Spencer
January 20, 2022 1:56 am

Or perhaps I’m right 100% of the time and you need to reset your axis of belief…

I do try to post references to everything I assert… it isn’t just me saying anything I post, there is evidence

Graemethecat
Reply to  griff
January 20, 2022 2:36 am

You’ve been caught out many times telling utter porkies (eg your smearing of Dr Susan Crockford, for which you have still not apologised). Your credit rating on WUWT is zero.

Frank the Norwegian
Reply to  griff
January 20, 2022 5:02 am

A short stay in a re-education camp will cure us all?

If you believe you are posting “evidence”, you are very much dilutional. Or a liar…

Robertvd
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 19, 2022 2:42 am

Puppet Boris is everything he promised not to be. If that is now the party line than in the UK you have now 2 choices when voting. It’s either socialism or socialism. Boris is one of the best leaders the Labour party ever had.

Alba
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 19, 2022 2:43 am

“he is also remembered as the man who scrapped the Cross River Transit
scheme”.
Not up here int’ North, me lad. Never heard of it.

Dave Andrews
Reply to  Alba
January 19, 2022 8:16 am

But he is now remembered as the man who scrapped the Leeds branch of HS1

Dave Andrews
Reply to  Dave Andrews
January 20, 2022 7:10 am

Dang. HS2 not HS1

michael hart
Reply to  Alba
January 20, 2022 2:07 am

Hey, I’m further south, in the midlands, and I never heard of it either.

BJ’s biggest disappointment to me is that he actually seems to believe all the climate twaddle, and is going all-in. Many other politicians may at least just be paying lip service to something they don’t much care about or believe in.

One of Boris’ predecessors, David Cameron, got me to vote for his party for the first time by privately letting slip that “We need to get rid of this green crap”. Cameron also had the problem of a green-crazy wife to negotiate.

My problem, is that the opposition parties are even worse. I think all the politicians take the view that the green vote is somewhere more than 5% of the total, and want to make sure they don’t lose it in tight elections. None of them are yet brave enough to say “Look at the harm these policies are causing.” When energy bills really start to pinch, there may be more votes to be had by going anti-green.

DMacKenzie
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 18, 2022 11:18 pm

BBC, ABC, and kissing cousin CBC….Canadian parliament just announced $.4 Billion additional funding to the CBC to help finance its “mandate to ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of Canadian audiences” Everyone knows “audiences” really means “Justin Trudeau’s news stoolies”.

Mike Lowe
Reply to  DMacKenzie
January 19, 2022 12:43 am

Similar to TVNZ in New Zealand – bribed biased Lefties!

Paul Hurley (aka PaulH)
Reply to  DMacKenzie
January 19, 2022 9:20 am

Most of the legacy media in Canada depends on government subsidies. They won’t criticize their main customer.

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  DMacKenzie
January 19, 2022 8:03 pm

Yes, got to service the 1% of the population that believes them

decnine
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 19, 2022 12:46 am

The Arctic will be ice-free before the Beeb ceases to be a wokeist cess pit.

Disputin
Reply to  decnine
January 19, 2022 3:42 am

What? 40,000 years?

MarkW
Reply to  Disputin
January 19, 2022 6:57 am

40,000 years should put us in the middle of the next glacial phase.

griff
Reply to  decnine
January 20, 2022 1:56 am

The beeb is going in 2032?!?

dodgy geezer
Reply to  Dudley Horscroft
January 19, 2022 1:38 am

 “eliminating the mandatory BBC license fee”

Often announced by the Conservatives, particularly shortly before elections.

Never happens.

pigs_in_space
Reply to  dodgy geezer
January 19, 2022 5:15 am

won’t happen because the British are addicted to their dose of bullsh.t and can’t miss “the archers”

IanE
Reply to  pigs_in_space
January 19, 2022 6:09 am

Wrong: the BBC as a subscription service will still be available for Archers-loons.

griff
Reply to  pigs_in_space
January 20, 2022 1:57 am

I gave up on it… after 30 years…

January 18, 2022 10:07 pm

So some good may yet come from BoJo’s Political Fall if it endangers further useless ‘Climate Action’.

Robertvd
Reply to  nicholas tesdorf
January 19, 2022 2:48 am

Only rich countries can pay for climate action. With Boris/socialist style government you only get poverty/serfdom forever. Not snow but freedom is a thing of the past.

LdB
January 18, 2022 10:26 pm

Griff for PM … Clearly the UK needs a bigger clown 🙂

griff
Reply to  LdB
January 19, 2022 12:31 am

Thanks…!

Would you like to head up the Ministry for Silly Walks?

Ed Zuiderwijk
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 1:33 am

Now that is funny. You clearly deserve eachother.

Bill Toland
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 1:58 am

Griff, you have the Ministry for Silly Talks all sewn up by yourself.

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 8:06 pm

Gave you an uptick for trying, even though the Ministry of Silly walks was classic Python roasting the over reach and incompetence of government.

If Python was still around the skit would be about the Ministry for controlling climate change, and you would never get the joke, unfortunately.

griff
Reply to  Pat from kerbob
January 20, 2022 1:53 am

Is this the room for an argument?

IanE
Reply to  LdB
January 19, 2022 6:12 am

Surely Grief would be running the Monster Raving Lunatic Party (or, at least, their tea-trolley) and not the No 10 Drinks Party!?

Ben Vorlich
Reply to  IanE
January 19, 2022 9:17 am

Thanks to the MRLP we have 24 hour licencing.commercial radio, pet passports and have lost the 11+ exam and dog licences.

Quite sane in reality

griff
Reply to  IanE
January 20, 2022 1:54 am

When I was young someone always used to stand locally for ‘the All Night Party’

Redge
January 18, 2022 11:16 pm

Bojo is a useless slab of red meat who can’t keep it in his pants

His opinion flip-flops depending on which way the wind is blowing

The sooner he goes, replaced by a proper Tory, the better (I’m a compassionate Tory, so I believe society has a duty to help the genuinely vulnerable, but the hangers-on can frack off)

Part of me likes Sunak because I think he’s more pragmatic and encourage fracking in the UK. The other part of me thinks he’s infected with the CAGW virus

Last edited 1 year ago by Redge
M Courtney
Reply to  Redge
January 18, 2022 11:59 pm

The inventor of Eat Out to Kill your Grandmother is not the sharpest tool in the box.
Unless, perhaps, you limit the box to the current Cabinet.

griff
Reply to  Redge
January 19, 2022 12:29 am

Well, people told you what he was like before he became PM… people who had employed him, people who knew him well…

I was Boris Johnson’s boss: he is utterly unfit to be prime minister | Max Hastings | The Guardian

“I have a hunch that Johnson will come to regret securing the prize for which he has struggled so long, because the experience of the premiership will lay bare his absolute unfitness for it.”

(That piece may have been in the Guardian, but its author is a distinguished military historian, who was editor-in-chief of The Daily Telegraph)

Redge
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 12:40 am

You don’t need to convince me, mate, I’ve never supported BoJo

I agree with you and Max Hastings

michel
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 1:29 am

The question isn’t whether Johnson is good. He is I think no worse than most other recent Prime Ministers. Its ironic that the same media that are now denouncing his supposed untruthfulness were supporters of Blair, whose lies were about the imaginary weapons of mass destruction, and whose staff constructed a whole fake dossier about them and tried to sell it to the world.

Johnson had one great advantage that no amount of Downing St parties can counterweight. That is, he was not Corbyn.

His staff were not MacDonnell, Milne, Murray. He was not an admirer of terrorists of all descriptions, Islamic or Irish. He did not condone the Brighton Bombing. He did not go to ceremonies in honor of Black September. He has never tried to excuse or minimize the Soviet holocausts under Stalin. Corbyn has denied and condoned large scale and vicious anti-semitism in Labour. Johnson is, of course, totally free of that sickness. And he said where he stood on Brexit, unlike Corbyn, who was present but not involved, or Starmer, who wanted to have a second Referendum until the British people gave the right answer. And who still has not seriously tackled anti-semitism in Labour.

This is the choice the British people were faced with at the last election, and to their great credit they said no to Corbyn by a large majority. The people who are now joining in the witchhunt to try to eject Johnson without an election are the ones who would have preferred Corbyn just because he was at the time Labour. But who will not admit that is their real position, and are indulging in manufactured indignation about trivial failings.

Johnson got the UK out of the EU in the only way open to him at the time.

He got the country vaccinated.

He finally refused to lock down over Christmas despite the dire alarmist warnings of the science establishment and the Labour Party.

And he’s not Corbyn!

MarkW
Reply to  michel
January 19, 2022 7:00 am

Both weapons of mass destruction as well as labs to create more, were found. No matter how many lies the left tells about it.

Izaak Walton
Reply to  MarkW
January 19, 2022 12:08 pm

Nonsense. Where exactly where these weapons and labs? Also why on earth would the left lie to support a right wing dictator rather than a left wing labour prime minister?

Editor
Reply to  MarkW
January 19, 2022 1:35 pm

The way Saddam Hussain behaved, obstructing inspectors at every turn, made it pretty reasonable to suppose that he still had chemical weapons. The inspectors did subsequently find that he had had far more chemical weapons than he had declared. Hindsight is lovely, but reality has to be faced before any hindsight is available. IOW the notion that Saddam Hussein had chemical weapons was not unreasonable at the time.

“Painstaking, on the ground investigations by UN inspectors soon revealed to them that Iraq had possessed far more weapons than it had declared.” – an interesting read – https://www.historytoday.com/what-did-happen-saddam’s-wmd

Izaak Walton
Reply to  Mike Jonas
January 19, 2022 9:15 pm

Mike,
the link you referred to is referring to the first gulf war. It goes on to state: “American and British troops entered Iraq. They found nothing.” and also states that Saddam destroyed all his chemical weapons in 1992.

As to whether it was reasonable to believe Saddam had any weapons in 2003 there were plenty of voices stating that he had none and that the war was illegal.

Tom.1
Reply to  michel
January 19, 2022 7:57 am

You seem to have a good grasp of the situation. The fact that BoJo has “gone around the bend” on climate change is evidence of just how effective the brainwashing campaign of climate change alarmists has been. I’m still looking for the high political leader who can enunciate a way to manage climate change issues and make it clear that if what the alarmists want is going to happen, it must take a back seat to reality, and the reality is that presently, technology and economics don’t allow for it.

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  Tom.1
January 19, 2022 8:10 pm

Tom.1
Manage what climate change issues?
The only ones I see are climate change policy issues, that is what will destroy us

Ben Vorlich
Reply to  michel
January 19, 2022 9:26 am

The press in the UK is Tory apart from two The Guardian and Mirror/Record. Blair, as New Labour was not particularly popular with the Tory press or the Mirror Group.

The sad thing is his failings were well known to the press and MSM but he was elected on a three word slogan.

It’s a sadness to me that I couldn’t persuade one of my sons that Johnston wouldn’t even manage Brexit cleanly, and would mess up many things and make things up as he went along, usually being economical with the truth. He’s learnt that his old dad can be right sometimes

michel
Reply to  Ben Vorlich
January 19, 2022 12:38 pm

Did you vote for Boris or Corbyn? Boris is not the issue. Of course he has failings. Of course they were well known. Including to those who voted for him.

The issue was, you had to choose between him and Corbyn. So which was it?

As long as the denigrators of Boris refuse to come clean about that, we are entitled to assume all the hate and rage directed at him has nothing much to do with him. Its because what they want is a Labour Government. Who heads it is immaterial. Whether they are the personification of a low key British version of Stalinism doesn’t matter.

So come clean. Did you want Corbyn, MacDonnell, Milne and Murray in preference?

As for the UK press being Tory, no, it really isn’t. It used to be maybe, at least it used to be claimed by the left to be.

But at the moment you have the Telegraph and Express and Spectator, clearly Conservative. You have the Guardian, Mirror and New Statesman clearly Labour. The Economist has turned gently but decisively to the left and I would say now is about Blairite, so right wing of the Labour Party. The Times? Don’t know, possibly left wing of Conservatism or right wing of Labour. The Standard? Don’t know. Probably more interested in advertising revenue than anything else. The Independent, or what there is left of it? Labour.

Then you have the elephant no-one talks about, the BBC, which is dyed in the wool Remain and Labour. Its basically the broadcast arm of Labour. And Channel 4 which is as woke as they come. ITV is about centre. There is now a new channel, UK News, well to the right. But the balance is 90% Labour.

When Guardian readers complain about the Tory press the question to ask them is how many Conservative papers they think would be about right.

The answer, which they will never give, is none. Just like the Guardian for years after Cameron was elected had a leading article on their politics page headed something like, How did the Tories do it? They carried on being puzzled about this until the next election, and they are still puzzled about that one.

They cannot think of a Conservative government or winning an election as being anything other than a catastrophic abnormal oddity. Despite the fact that the British have voted for and had Conservative governments for well over 50% of the years since WWII. An aberration, to the Guardian and the BBC.

They should get out more, take a guided tour of Britain one day. It would open their eyes.

griff
Reply to  michel
January 20, 2022 1:50 am

Blair is a war criminal and Corbyn delusional… and Boris is a lazy liar unfit to be PM

We don’t put up with incompetence and deceit because others were also liars and delusional.

Graemethecat
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 7:35 am

For once, Griff has actually said something verifiably true. I need to go and lie down.

Mike Lowe
Reply to  Redge
January 19, 2022 12:45 am

If / when he goes, can he please make sure to take Carrie with him? Having an activist Greenie in the marital bed has been a major factor in Boris’d downfall1

michel
Reply to  Mike Lowe
January 19, 2022 1:33 am

I don’t know about Carrie, but Net Zero is going to be a total disaster.

But its not Johnson particularly. Its all of all of the UK political parties that are in the grip of the mania. There is no significant difference between Johnson, his party, Labour, Liberals and SNP. In fact the SNP is probably more extreme in its adherence to a form of Net Zero than any of them.

griff
Reply to  Mike Lowe
January 20, 2022 1:52 am

The Green policies of this govt have been there from the start and in multiple manifestos: you can’t blame Carrie for them.

Honestly I don’t think Boris has even noticed them… as always with him others are carrying on the actual work, policy etc

Robertvd
Reply to  Redge
January 19, 2022 3:09 am

Is there still anyone who thinks these puppet clowns run the show ? They do as they are told by their masters behind the curtain. 

Derg
Reply to  Robertvd
January 19, 2022 4:48 am

Build Back Better

For someone else

griff
Reply to  Robertvd
January 20, 2022 1:53 am

Ooh! who? Is it the Masons? Or the lizard men???

MarkW
Reply to  Redge
January 19, 2022 6:58 am

Individuals have a duty to help those who need help.
Using government to steal money and give it to those you want to help has never helped anyone.

kim
January 18, 2022 11:23 pm

Heh James II giving back the city charters. How glorious.
==================

Vincent Causey
January 19, 2022 12:05 am

It’s a bit disingenuous to claim that “the carbon levies play a small role in energy bills.” The writer, through either ignorance or design, ignores all the rest of the cost burdens that arise from climate mandates. First there is the extra burden of maintain spinning back up of gas fired power stations to provide power when wind and solar fails. Then there is the cost of paying wind producers not to produce if there is too much power. Even worse, on a longer timescale, has been the failure to develop existing gas field which is leading to a tightness in the gas market. This is where the recent price rises have come from. The reasons are to do with pressure on the energy industry and finance industry to not invest in providing a source of fossil fuels. This is entirely a by product of the climate agenda.

griff
Reply to  Vincent Causey
January 19, 2022 12:26 am

First there is the extra burden of maintain spinning back up of gas fired power stations to provide power when wind and solar fails. 

There isn’t!

The UK National Grid has 94% accurate predictions of renewbales 24 hours in advance and just schedules ramp up/down of gas, pumped hydro, hydro, bring in of power over HVDC accordingly.

And the constraining of wind power is rapidly declining with new transmission lines plus grid scale batteries and green hydrogen.

michel
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 1:17 am

There are no grid scale batteries. There is no green hydrogen. Give a reference for the 94%, I simply don’t believe it. And neither will anyone else who charts the daily hour by hour figures for the output of wind. It is not forecastable with 94% accuracy 24 hours in advance.

Also, specify exactly what you mean by the 94%. Are you really saying that 24 hours in advance the Grid can predict, hour by hour, what wind output is going to be? That when they predict 100 units, its never going to go outside of 97 – 103? Don’t believe it.

The whole point of gas is that you do not have to schedule it. Its rapid start when you see instability starting.

Why on earth do people have to bury their heads in the sand about wind, just because they think there is a climate emergency? Whether there is or is not an emergency, wind is not any part of any solution to it.

M Courtney
Reply to  michel
January 19, 2022 1:41 am

Give a reference for the 94%, I simply don’t believe it. 

Do you need a reference for the Grid collapsing 6% of the time?

The weather forecast may be right 94% of the time. It doesn’t matter. Because no-one could use that weather forecast 100% of the time.

6% of the time being wrong means 1 day in about 20 being wrong.
The grid collapsing every three weeks is not a viable policy.

Last edited 1 year ago by MCourtney
Oldseadog
Reply to  michel
January 19, 2022 2:10 am

When I was working as a Pilot we had a tame meteorologist company which we could phone at any time for a wind speed update for any berth on the river.

They would only do so for at most three hours into the future.

So much for 94% accuracy for 24 hours.

fretslider
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 1:31 am

“ The UK National Grid has 94% accurate predictions of renewbales ”

No it doesn’t Dream on, griff

Right-Handed Shark
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 4:16 am

Did you read that in the Guardian? Or as many here refer to it, the Grauniad, a reference to their inability to spell the simplest of words and the general level of their journalist’s education. My preferred anagram though, is the Dung Aria, as their output is truly a shit song. And you must be the lead chorister.

Andrew Wilkins
Reply to  Right-Handed Shark
January 19, 2022 5:18 am

” 94% accurate predictions of renewbales 24 hours in advance ”

Um, no.

PS You’ve been reading the Graun for too long. You can’t spell renewables correctly

Dave Andrews
Reply to  Andrew Wilkins
January 19, 2022 8:29 am

I always thought it was spelt unreliables. 🙂

Andrew Wilkins
Reply to  Dave Andrews
January 19, 2022 9:13 am

Ho ho!

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  Dave Andrews
January 19, 2022 8:13 pm

I thought he was talking about bales of marijuana, time to renew his stash

griff
Reply to  Right-Handed Shark
January 20, 2022 1:45 am

I read it in an interview with the head of the National Grid.

Strictly Come Dancing: National Grid prepares for biggest surge of the year | Energy | The Guardian

The grid gets useful wind forecasts 10 days ahead, and 24 hours ahead can predict the amount of electricity that will be generated to within 4%. 

pigs_in_space
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 5:20 am

Griff spouting utter bollox again, about subjects of which he knows sweet FA!

Ebor
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 6:07 am

You, sir, are insane! “is rapidly declining with new transmission lines plus grid scale batteries and green hydrogen”

Like how you conflated the present tense building of new transmission lines (will take you at your word on that) with the completely hypothetical “grid scale batteries and green hydrogen”. Unicorn farts abound! Hate to burst your bubble (again) but grid scale batteries will take years to come to fruition at massive cost (and who pays for that?) and green hydrogen is even more speculative. Sure, these solutions look good on powerpoint but even if they can be proven at scale they will require huge investments in infrastructure and take many years to implement. Meanwhile we’ll all be reduced to paupers. But don’t worry, the Chinese will loan us all the money required for these fanciful dreams of yours.

And all this because some disingenuous climate modelers have freaked you out with their wholly unsupported theories of runaway Climate Catastrophe (TM) you think the reasonable solution to the unreliability of wind and solar is to build a massively expensive Green Hydrogen (TM) industry and covering the planet with battery farms. Talk about digging the hole deeper…good luck with all that!

MarkW
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 7:02 am

It really is amazing the number of lies that griff is able to believe.
Imagine that, he actually believes that they are able to predict the speed of the wind to within a kph or two, minute by minute for the next 24 hours.

Just saying that it’s going to be windier, or less windy than today, doesn’t cut it form wind generation.

Tom.1
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 10:13 am

If you’re right, all you have to do is wait a year or two and then open an extra large can of “I Told You So”. For now, save your breath, so to speak.

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  Tom.1
January 19, 2022 8:14 pm

Tom, those items are measured in decades

griff
Reply to  Tom.1
January 20, 2022 1:48 am

I’ll put away an extra can, just for you.

Clyde Spencer
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 12:16 pm

The UK National Grid has 94% accurate predictions …

Is that claimed accuracy for false positives or false negatives? You are again engaging in hand waving.

fretslider
January 19, 2022 12:11 am

“ Lockdown Party”

It is a lockdown Parliament- all of ‘em. It is also a green nutter Parliament

The deckchairs might be rearranged but that’s about it

“ From June, any conservatory intended as part of a new development will need to show it will not create ‘unwanted solar gain’.”

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10416599/New-climate-change-rules-outlaw-new-build-conservatories-create-unwanted-solar-gain.html

Last edited 1 year ago by strativarius
griff
January 19, 2022 12:24 am

The Conservative Party as a whole has endorsed all the green policies in the last 2 elections…

Even a lurch further right by next PM is not going to change the Net Zero course in the UK.

fretslider
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 12:29 am

Parliament should be razed to the ground

Zig Zag Wanderer
Reply to  fretslider
January 19, 2022 12:35 am

Guy Fawkes has entered the chat

fretslider
Reply to  Zig Zag Wanderer
January 19, 2022 12:37 am

I think you’ll find he was a Catholic

Zig Zag Wanderer
Reply to  fretslider
January 19, 2022 12:40 pm

Ehat on earth does his religion have to do with his wish to destroy parliament? It doesn’t matter why he wanted to do it.

Last edited 1 year ago by Zig Zag Wanderer
M Courtney
Reply to  Eric Worrall
January 19, 2022 1:44 am

The Conservative Party is largely funded by Russian oligarchs.
They are not going to fund domestic natural gas production. He who pays the piper calls the tune.

commieBob
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 5:01 am

To a point.

After that populism rears its head for better or worse. You’ll have a hard time convincing me that the masterminds behind the curtain masterminded Brexit and Trump.

It dismays me that the ‘masterminds’ have ignored that message. For some reason, Al Hibbler comes to mind. That’s not quite it … it’ll come to me …

Climate believer
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 5:55 am

“The Conservative Party is largely funded by Russian oligarchs.”

Johnson seems intent on picking a fight with Putin at the moment.

That would be yet another bad idea from the Lyin’ King.

MarkW
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 7:05 am

And Trump was elected via Russian collusion.

commieBob
Reply to  MarkW
January 19, 2022 7:24 am

No collusion required. I do not think the Russians would have behaved differently whether they did, or did not, talk to Trump.

If Putin thought he could mess up America by getting Trump elected, well too bad for him.

MarkW
Reply to  commieBob
January 19, 2022 9:40 am

We have Trump, who was promising to unless America’s oil companies vs Hillary who was promising to shut them down.
Given the fact that Russia makes most of it’s money selling oil and gas, which one do you think he would like to win?

griff
Reply to  Eric Worrall
January 20, 2022 1:36 am

And now Spain has gone back to renewables in a big way…

Climate believer
Reply to  griff
January 19, 2022 3:28 am

“Even a lurch further right by next PM is not going to change the Net Zero course in the UK.”

No, reality will do that.

Ed Zuiderwijk
January 19, 2022 1:31 am

Wow. They see rational politics on the horizon and mistake it for the fifth horse of the apocalypse.

MarkW
Reply to  Ed Zuiderwijk
January 19, 2022 7:07 am

For socialists, reality is pure poison.

Laertes
January 19, 2022 2:19 am

Johnson has been the standard bearer for net zero, and lots of people were happy about that. There is now a sustained assault from the right on net zero.

Boris was never a “right” politician. He was extreme left, chosen to ensure that UK remains on radical left agenda despite Brexit. He stole conservative vote and promoted Extinction Rebellion. Now it’s in plain sight and they acknowledge it directly.

M Courtney
Reply to  Laertes
January 19, 2022 5:45 am

That’s a little insane.
He was made PM by Conservative MPs and Conservative Party members. They could have had Rhyming Slang Jeremy but they went for Boris. A former Foreign Secretary, hardly a fresh-faced unknown..
They did not go for a pinko. They went for the right-wing nut-job. And got him.

Editor
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 1:47 pm

They went for Boris and got Carrie. Boris is now just her representative in Parliament.

MarkW
Reply to  Laertes
January 19, 2022 7:06 am

He’s to the right of the pure communists.

Kevin
January 19, 2022 2:31 am

“I look forward to writing about all the costly green initiatives BoJo unhesitatingly dumps overboard, in a frantic but futile effort to save his own skin.”
Boris will find himself sleeping on the sofa if he tries that.

Jerry Mead
Reply to  Kevin
January 19, 2022 11:11 am

I believe the description is “punt-struck” or thereabouts. I relaxed a little after we got rid of Potato Ed Davey from environment and then jailed that Huhne pratt, but never in a million years did I dream that this country’s stability and prosperity could be flushed down the toilet quite so quickly by a 30-something woke Nut Nut halfwit. Desperate stuff.

Peta of Newark
January 19, 2022 2:51 am

Quote:”are worrying climate activists,

About >expletive> time too

Also that those self important hypocrites are ‘feeding a crocodile‘ only doubles up the lack of sympathy that anyone should feel for them

Maybe now they’re getting a taste of what it’s like to be on the receiving end of an out-of-control drunken child.
Esp that before UK’s total contribution to Global Emissions has value of 0.001 relative to either China or India emissions, the emissions from UK home heating and personal transport is damn near nil relative to even that.

So why is he picking on the little people – wtf is wrong with the man? Why is he on a program of systematic mental and physical torture aimed exactly at them?

We know exactly what is wrong with the man:
He was a spoilt brat child brought up in a home where he wanted for nothing. On growing up, he discovered alcohol as a replacement for the refined sugar he’d been brought up on, used as a carrot/stick method of control by shit-lazy buck passing parents who constantly dumped on nurseries and baby-sitters.
Then, as a grown man went constantly chasing women looking for a ‘mother replacement’ – none would have it hence the litany of drunken rows although valiant efforts were made via baby production by some of those girls.

As anyone who has ever attended an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, they will know that no matter how good your ‘alcohol handling’ skills/experience are, there is No Such Thing As Just One Drink.
And the, nigh-on 60yr old, Boris Johnson we see today is the result of that. His physical and mental frames are both completely trashed/wasted/empty.
And when the current Mrs Johnson dumps him, inside 3 years of his leaving #10, boy-oh-boy is he on a very slippery slope.
Will you bung him ‘just 20pence for a cuppa tea‘ when you pass him semi crashed out on the street at a bus-stop along somewhere along Shaftesbury Avenue?

Will you? Be careful because The Met Police strongly suggest you don’t – a procession of similarly paranoid & wasted individuals masquerading as UK Prime Ministers have installed a forest of CCTV to make sure you don’t…. and legion upon legion upon legion of tedious little nobodies will be down on you like a ton of empty wine bottles looking to extract their pound of flesh.

edit: sp

Last edited 1 year ago by Peta of Newark
zee
January 19, 2022 3:24 am

I think this political farce is going to become a lot funnier before Boris Johnson loses his job. I look forward to writing about all the costly green initiatives BoJo unhesitatingly dumps overboard, in a frantic but futile effort to save his own skin.

Mark BLR
January 19, 2022 4:09 am

… his successor might be more focussed on lowering the cost of living than …

And that would be a problem … why, exactly ?

Josh Scandlen
January 19, 2022 4:46 am

Hey, if this is what it takes to get that clown to propose some populist stuff, I’ll take it. However, I’d rather Boris just leave. What a complete disappointment. Kinda like Trump being Big Pharma’s biggest salesman. Just pure idiocy.

Ben Vorlich
Reply to  Josh Scandlen
January 19, 2022 9:45 am

Remember to do some research on these people, Bojo got sacked from his first job as a journalist.in 1988, when writing the story in question he had made up quotes, fabricating the words of his godfather, the academic Colin Lucas. Lucas’ career took a long time to recover. He then denied having an affair with Petronella Wyatt and was sacked from the Shadow Cabinet for that. Then Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe ended up still in an Iranian jail because he opened his mouth and put his foot in it. His quote “Fuck Business” was wide of the mark, he did it to all of us

Bruce Cobb
January 19, 2022 4:52 am

As Kermit said, “It’s not easy, being green”. Reality has a nasty habit of hitting Greenie-weenies over the head with a baseball bat. Such fun to watch too.

Newminster
January 19, 2022 5:10 am

Obvious comment to that headline: “Oh, good! I knew he’d turn out to be useful for something!”

pigs_in_space
Reply to  Newminster
January 19, 2022 5:26 am

yes useful – TOAST.

Nice with marmite, another great British invention and never copied in PRC.

Andrew Wilkins
January 19, 2022 5:21 am

Sh*t went down at PMQs in Parliament today: a conservative MP crossed the floor to join Labour. It’s all collapsing around BoJo.

M Courtney
Reply to  Andrew Wilkins
January 19, 2022 5:58 am

And former Brexit Secretary David Davies told him to go using the quote that got Neville Chamberlain out. Boris claimed not to recognise the quote, meaning he lied to the House or didn’t write his history of Winston Churchill.

But the biggest blow to his authority was inflicted by Stephen Kinnock. He asked if the PM agreed with the Leader of the House (Rees-Mogg, a Cabinet member) that the Leader of the Conservatives in Scotland was a “lightweight”. And Boris fumbled the answer. He left the Scots undefended. A huge hara-kiri.

Given the choice between Boris and the Union there’s no way the Tory MPs will back Boris.

Andrew Wilkins
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 9:12 am

Bojo is lying out of his backside to claim he didn’t know the quote.
His useless tenure as PM is collapsing around him. Good.

Ben Vorlich
Reply to  M Courtney
January 19, 2022 10:00 am

Douglas Ross is no Ruth Davidson, but she’s no fan of Johnson. Seems like the Scottish Tories will not invite Boris to their conferences, almost unprecedented.

In 1955 the Tories got over 50% of the vote. Falling to 15% in 2015 recovering to 28% in 2017 (Davidson effect), falling to 25% in 2019.

Eton and Oxford educated politicians do not play well in Scotland in the 21st century

Paul Johnson
January 19, 2022 6:11 am

Alternate Headline: “Climate Action Worsens BoJo’s Political Weakness”

John the Econ
January 19, 2022 6:37 am

Is The Guardian admitting that Net Zero means higher costs for consumers? Because green activists keep telling me how cheap green energy is supposed to be.

Pat from kerbob
Reply to  John the Econ
January 19, 2022 8:28 pm

Bingo

amac
January 19, 2022 6:37 am

Another feature of the current political crisis in Britain is the question of the covid models which predicted much greater rates than actually occurred. This is feeding into the questioning of the climate models and their comparison to actual data.

MarkW
January 19, 2022 6:54 am

If Boris does manage to eliminate the licensing fee, he might go down in history as being a champion of freedom. Even if that wasn’t his intent.

Rud Istvan
January 19, 2022 7:22 am

The same can be said of Biden in the US concerning the Green New Deal.

ResourceGuy
January 19, 2022 8:58 am

So, climate was a political shield for him all along. Otherwise, the weather continues and cycles turn.

Pat from kerbob
January 19, 2022 7:59 pm

“ who are concerned his successor might be more focussed on lowering the cost of living than hitting net zero.”

Imagine doing what is best for your people being derogatory

Only in greeeeenland

%d bloggers like this:
Verified by MonsterInsights