爱华网Whywefight
ByJamesDelingpole
January1st,2013
Myresolutionthisyearistobemuchmorediplomaticandemollientandgenerallymoresympathetictotheotherpointofview.
Naah.Justkidding.
ButwhatIdidthinkwouldbeagoodideaatthestartofyetanotheryear'sbloggingistoremindourselveswherewe'reatandwhyitisthatIdothethingsIdo,writethethingsIwrite,andsaythemintheuncompromising,no-prisoners-takenwayIsaythem.
Youmightthinkitwasbecauseofpeoplelikethisman–RichardParncutt,ProfessorofSystematicMusicologyattheUniversityofGrazinAustria,whoarguedontheuniversitywebsite(tillhewasembarrassedintotakinghiscommentsdown)thatallclimatescepticsshouldbeexecuted.SinceI'moneofthoseon"zelist",IsupposeIshouldbequiteexercisedbythis.ButtobehonestI'mdelightedandfeelIoweHerrThroatcuttahugedebtofthanks.HehasdoneprobablymoretodiscreditthecauseofclimatechangealarmismthanperhapsanyonesinceRichardCurtis'sinfamous"NoPressure"film–akaSplattergate.
No,thebiggerproblemarenottheout-and-outeco-fascistsbuttheirusefulidiotsamongthebroaderpopulace.Mild-manneredandreasonable-seemingpeoplelikethiskindlygentleman,oneDrJamesWillis,whoemailedmeoverChristmasthus:
Thisisthetextofmynewyearemailtoquitealotofpeople,sadlythelovelypicturesdon'tworkinthistextbox.EmailandIwillgladlysendthem:
DearAll,
On6June2006ouryoungestgrandchildwasborninOxford.ThiswasthephotographItookthatevening:
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ThatsamemorningIwasgivingtheopeningkeynoteaddresstotheNorthEuropeanConferenceonTravelMedicine(NECTM2006)inthegreathalloftheInternationalConferenceCentreinEdinburgh.Mysubjectwastheurgencyoffacingdownthedenialistswhoweredelayingremedialactiontomitigatetheworsteffectsofman-madeglobalwarming.Youcanreadtheaddresshere:www.bit.ly/SYAwCR
Sincethenthepredictionsofmainstreamclimatesciencehavebeenbeenshowntobe,ifanything,conservative.Andthedenialists,withafewexceptions,havebecomeevenmoreentrenched,andevenmoreinfluential.Thegeneralpubliccontinuetothink,contrarytotheoverwhelmingweightofevidence,thatthescienceisstillinsomekindofdoubt.
ThatbabyisnownearlysevenandhereisthepictureItookrecentlyofhimplayingtheone-stringguitarhesaysIhelpedhimtomake:
Inlineimages2
Since2006IhavecompletedaBAHumanitieswithLiteratureFirstClassfromtheOpenUniversityanddonealotofactingandsinging.Inotherwords,Iamnotan'environmentalist'.CertainlynomorethanIama'photographer',ora'woodworkhobbyist',andcertainlymuchlessthanIamagrandfather,father,husband…InfactIamanordinaryhumanbeingwhoisdesperatelyworriedthatwearemissingourchancetosavehumanityfromaterribledanger.
WhatIhavedecidedtodoistohirethemainhallatAltonAssemblyRoomsfor7.30pmonWednesday16thJanuary2013whenIwillrepeatthetalkIgaveonthelittleboy'sbirthday,wordforwordandslideforslide.LesleyandIarepayingalltheexpensesitwillbeentirelyfree.Docome,anddoreadthetalkfirstifyouwantto.Ireaditfromtimetotimemyselfandstandbyeveryword.IamalsogoingtosendinvitationstoasmanycelebritydenialistsasIcanthinkof.Idon'tsupposetheywillcome,becauseIdon'tsupposetheythinkweareverysignificanthereinAlton.
Iwouldliketoprovethemwrongaboutthat.
Bestwishes,
JamesWillis
NowthereasonIquoteDrWillis'sletterbecauseitcontainssomanyofthetropesandrhetoricalfallaciestowhichtheclimatealarmistmovementisprey,allofthemwrappedupinablanketofwarmcaringnessandnoblealtruism.Towhit:
1.Thecopiouscloyingreferencestohisgrandson.Climatetruebelieversthinktheyhaveamonopolyoncompassion.Theythinktheyaretheonlypeoplewholovetheirchildrenandgrandchildrenorevenstoptoconsidertheplightof"futuregenerations".Thisgivesthemthemoralauthoritytowritesurreptitiouslymalevolent,passive-aggressiveemailstopeoplethey'venevermetandwhoseopinionsthey'venevertroubledtounderstand,accusingthemofbeing"celebritydenialists."
2."Denialists."IemailedDrWillistoaskhimwhatitwasthatthese"denialists"weredenying.Ipointedoutthatthisinflammatorytermhadbeenquitedeliberatelychosenbyalarmistpropagandiststoequatescepticismaboutclimate"science"andpolicywithHolocaustdenial.DrWillisreplied:"Iusethetermdenialistintheusualsensetodenotesomeonewhodeniessomething.Notreallyveryinflammatory,orpuzzling."SoIwroteagaintoaskwhatexactlythese"denialists"weredenying.Hereplied:"Ohdear.IthinkyouknowexactlywhatImean,James."
3."ThatsamemorningIwasgivingtheopeningkeynoteaddresstotheNorthEuropeanConferenceonTravelMedicine(NECTM2006)inthegreathalloftheInternationalConferenceCentreinEdinburgh."Readthespeech–ifyoucanbearit.AsDrWillismakesclearhehasnospecialistexpertiseinthisfield.Butthat'snotnecessarilyaproblem–thinkminingengineerSteveMcIntyre;thinkeconomistRossMcKitrick;thinkex-bankerNicLewis:manyofthebiggestmostrecentadvancesinourunderstandingofclimatesciencehavecomefromnon-climate-scientists.Whatismoreworrying,though,ishowcursorilyWillishaslookedintothesubjectonwhichhepresumes,nonetheless,todeliverakeynotelectureataninternationalconference.Hissources?Wikipedia;theIndependent;theBBC.
4."Sincethenthepredictionsofmainstreamclimatesciencehavebeenbeenshowntobe,ifanything,conservative…"etcEvidence???
5.Well,yougettheidea.
IfonlyDrWilliswerejustanotherharmless,elderlyeccentricwho'dgotthewrongendofthestick.Problemis,Isuspecthe'salotclosertowherethepublicstillisinitsunderstandingof"climatescience"thanIam.Andifyouwanttoknowwhythatis,youonlyhavetolookattheirsourcesofauthority.
Herearetwoofthem–TV'sperma-pout,smiley-boyastronomerBrianCoxand"comedian"RobinInce(H/TBishopHill)–writingaNewStatesmaneditorialexplainingwhyweshouldtrustthescientistswhogaveustheHockeyStick,Glaciergateand4-degrees-C-rise-by-the-end-of-the-21st-centurycomputermodel–andcompletelyignorealltheevidencewhichcontradictsthem.ButCoxandIncearenotalone.Withthemare:theBBC;theIndependent;thePrinceofWales;WalkersCrisps;theGuardian;theNewYorkTimes;theRoyalSociety;SimonSingh;BenGoldacre;everystandupcomicapartfrompossiblyAlMurray;everypopstar;99.9percentofallothercelebrities;theTimes;theSundayTimes;ABC;NBC;theCSIRO;theAustraliangovernment;TimYeo;LordDeben;theUKgovernment;theEU;theUN;theObamaadministration;BigWind;theRoyalInstituteofCharteredSurveyors;RIBA;LondonZoo;theBritishAntarcticSurvey;theNationalAcademyofSciences;SirPaul"Pnurse"Nurse;EdBegleyJr;GaladrielfromLordoftheRings;LeoDiCaprio;Knutthedeadbabypolarbear;theSierraClub;Coldplay;theWWF;GlastonburyFestival;GeorgeSoros;RichardBranson;TimFlannery;DavidSuzuki;MichaelMoore;Radiohead;Mackie'sicecream;AlexSalmond;MikhailGorbachev;theHon.SirJonathanPorritt;JuliaGillard;Build-A-Bear;yourkids'schoolteacher;mykids'schoolteacher;theMilibandbros;Springwatch'sChrisPackham;Wikipedia;everyoneinDECCsaveJohnHayes;everyoneatDEFRAsaveOwenPaterson;DaraO'Briaaiaann;RichardBacon,PhD.
Notoneofthepeopleorinstitutionsonthatlistabove,Ithinkit'saccuratetosay,hastheremotestunderstandingofwhatitisthatclimatescepticsthinkorwhyitisthattheymighthaveveryexcellentreasonsforthinkingit.This,Iwouldsuggest,meanswehaveaveryseriousproblemonourhands.
Onapersonallevel,it'saproblemforusclimatescepticsbecauseitmeanswefindourselvescontinuallybeingvilified–anddeniedairspaceorfundingorpreferment–onthebasisnotofwhatweactuallybelieveandsaybutonagrotesquecaricatureversionthereof,wherebywearemadeouttobesomehowanti-scienceorcorruptedbymoneyorideology.(Ithinkthetechnicaltermforthisis"projection")
Onabroader,economic,socio-andgeo-politicallevel,it'saproblembecauseitmeansthatpublicpolicycontinuestobehijackedbyenvironmentalistideologueswhohavesuccessfullyfoistedtheirjunk-science,anti-capitalist,self-loathing,misanthropic,hair-shirtpropagandaonacredulouspublic–withresultsthatarealreadyprovingdisastrousforusall.
AmIangrywiththesescumbags?YoubetIam.DoIthinktheydeservetheunpleasantepithetsIcastatthem?Absolutelynot–theydeserveinsultsfarnastierandmoregraphicthanIcouldevergetawaywithdeliveringinafamilynewspaper.
Yes,IknowtherearethosewhothinkIsometimesgooverthetopinthewayIsledgetheopposition.ButthisisnotacriticismI'mgoingtobuy–oreverwillbuy.DidChurchilleverissueawartimedirectivethat,followingcomplaintssubmittedbytheGermanembassyinDublin,soldiersshouldrefrainfromsinginghurtfulsongsaboutHerrHitler'smonotesticularstatus?NotasfarasIcanrecall.Inwar,allisfairgame.Whentheothersidebehavesbadly,itdeservestobecalledonit–inthemostexplicittermspossible–notexcusedonthedubiousgroundsthatifwe'reabitnicertotheImperialJapaneseArmyanddon'tdrawanynastycartoonsdepictingthemwithbuckteethandthickspectaclesmaybenexttimethey'lldesistfromtyingwoundedprisonerstotreesandusingthemforbayonetpractice.
AsIargueattheendofWatermelons,there'sonlyonesideinthisdebatewhichconsidersitacceptableordesirableto:
Rigpublicenquiries,houndblamelesspeopleoutoftheirjobs,breachFreedomofInformationlaws,abusethescientificmethod,lie,threaten,bribe,cheat,adoptnakedlypoliticalpositionsintaxpayer-fundedacademicandadvisorypoststhatoughttobestrictlyneutral,trampleonpropertyrights,destroyrainforests,driveupfoodprices(causingunrestintheMiddleEastandstarvationintheThirdWorld),raisetaxes,removepersonalfreedoms,artificiallyraiseenergyprices,featherbedrent-seekers,blightlandscapes,deceivevoters,twistevidence,forceeveryonetouseexpensive,dimlightbulbs,frightenschoolchildren,bullyadults,increaseunemployment,destroydemocraticaccountability,takecontrolofglobalgovernanceandimposeaNewWorldOrder.
Anditmostdefinitelyain'tthepeopleonmysideoftheargument.
