NASA has announced that this year is the hottest year so far, just as climate scientists predicted it would be. This has been accompanied by the fastest decline in Arctic sea ice in satellite records, and other extreme weather events around the world, many of which were also predicted by climate scientists. It is against this backdrop that one of Britain’s most prominent climate change ‘sceptics’ has admitted he’s driven by “ideological war”.
NASA has announced that this year is the hottest year so far, just as climate scientists predicted it would be. This has been accompanied by the fastest decline in Arctic sea ice in satellite records, and other extreme weather events around the world, many of which were also predicted by climate scientists.
It is against this backdrop that one of Britain’s most prominent climate change ‘sceptics’ has admitted he’s driven by “ideological war”. Many of you will be familiar with James Delingpole, seen here with our prime minister in a former life. He now writes regularly for The Daily Telegraph and The Spectator.
Last week he was on the BBC advocating for the establishment of a British Tea Party Movement, but perhaps you’re more likely to remember him from his appearance in Channel 4’s “When Boris Met Dave” when he recalled his disappointment at not making it into “the Buller” (that’s the Bullingdon Club to you and me) like his old uni chums Boris and Dave.
Anyhow, this week Delingpole was given an award for his Telegraph blog posts about climate change by the Exxon-funded International Policy Network, a ‘free market think tank’ that is run by former Big Tobacco lobbyists. As the Telegraph’s comment editor described in a piece applauding him for winning, Delingpole’s blogs have:
“… made a huge international impact on the debate over global warming.”
They certainly have. But what’s interesting about Delingpole is that in a recent must-read blog post titled ‘Only the Tea Party can save us now’, he admits to his real motivation for homing in on the climate issue:
“As you all know, since Climategate I’ve been dedicating far more of my time than is healthy to exposing the great Global Warming scam. This is not because I’ve suddenly realised I’m a scientist manque who wants to spend the rest of his life obsessing about forcings, feedbacks and solar radiation.
“It’s because I understand that “Environmentalism” is but one strategically significant theatre in a much greater ideological war being waged across the world.
“It’s the same one Toby Young is fighting over education; the same one the likes of Rod Liddle, Andrew Gilligan, Nick Cohen and Mark Steyn are fighting over political Islam; the same one Melanie Phillips is fighting over Israel; the same one Douglas Murray is fighting on pretty much everything.
“And its ultimate outcome is at least as important as those of the ones we fought in 1914-1918 and 1939-1945.”
This is just the latest illustration of how the ‘climate change denial’ netroots is being motivated not by any real scientific questions but by right wing political ideology. Earlier this year Left Foot Forward exposed how the man who is perhaps the world’s most influential climate sceptic, Anthony Watts, was tweeting links to the neo-nazi British National Party.
77 Responses to “UK’s leading climate sceptic admits he’s driven by “ideological war””
Anon E Mouse
Henry – I am now a supporter of the Lib Dems. Two things:
1. That doesn’t mean to say I slavishly support everything:- they’re not Labour you know where justification for unfair policies is par.
2. My complaint is with this self serving individual who excuses people being left to starve for effectively anti-American teenager politics.
It’s not too late to join the Lib Dem’s though Henry. You should try it. Supporting the party than can affect change feels great…
Henry
Anon: I was once an active Liberal Democrat. Never again, thank you, especially under the leadership of Flip Flop Clegg. And it seeems I’m not alone as – if you believe the opinion polls – over half their supporters in the general election have already abandoned them.
Chris
@Walter Mitty
“Which bit about Joss Garman wasn’t true?”
The bit when you accused Joss of being a Labour stooge, don’t you remember? When he pointed out his record of opposing Labour policies, going so far as being arrested protesting against them.
“Are you now saying freedom of speech is only free if you agree with it in a typical New Labour Lickspittle style smear?”
No, I’m saying your constant puking of utter bullshit into the comment box whenever someone posts an article that is critical of the coalition is pathetic.
“run a small electronics business with two director/employees (both middle aged ex-Labour voters) and work for WELL below the minimum wage.”
Well below the min wage and your middle aged, f*** me that is pathetic. Maybe you should spend more time working and less trolling on the internet. Or perhaps you could email Lord Cashcroft and ask him for some money…
“You?”
Earning a lot more than the NMW.
“Quoting Tory party web pages – especially when they are telling the truth about Labour’s terrible results in government – is not a crime.”
Ermm, you denied that you’d quoted a tory press release before. Are you now admitting you lifted an entire paragraph from a tory press release?
“Much as you’d like it to be Chris this is not North Korea…”
Well for the money you claim to be earning the average North Korean probably has more disposal income than you.
“Supporting the party than can affect change feels great…”
So, basically mousey your a glory supporter. Pathetic.
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Anon E Mouse
Chris – Public forum. People watching. You telling lies and smearing people. Sound familiar?
Which bit about Joss Garman wasn’t true? He makes grandiose claims in public forums and should be open to scrutiny or shouldn’t make the claims. People died over the lies spread on GM by his cohorts – I don’t think that’s right. Why do you?
Your tone and sneering shows exactly why Labour’s core vote has deserted it and it now represents the party of big business, city slickers and spivs.
To mock someone who has never taken a penny in benefits (except for my kids) was made redundant, went self employed and got through a massive recession to (hopefully) employ two people in the new year is a disgusting attitude Chris.
The Lib Dems are sorting the removal of tax on the first £10K earnings – Labour removed the 10p tax and wanted to increase NI. That’s why your core vote will never come back Chris.
People like you with this attitude of dishonest lies to justify what is simply unfair have made Labour unelectable and you continue to do it.
Anyway you forgot to say why you thought lies about GM resulting in thousands of people starving to death was acceptable.
This is the forth time you’ve avoided answering it. Well?