I was invited to be on the Murnaghan programme on Sky News this morning – which I always find a great deal more intelligent than the Andrew Marr alternative on the BBC. I declined because I did not want to get up and get a 7.30am train from Ramsgate on a Sunday morning. I had a meeting until 11.30pm last night planning a conference on human rights in Balochistan [I still tend to say Baluchistan], and I have a newly crowned tooth that seems not to want to settle down. But I am still worried by my own lack of energy, which is uncharacteristic. Is this old age?
I also have some serious work to do on my Burnes book, and next week I shall be staying in London to be in the British Library reading room for every second of its opening hours. So there may be a bit of a posting hiatus. I have in mind a short post on an important subject on which I suspect that 99% of my readership – including the regular dissident commenters – will strongly disagree with me.
This is a peculiarly introspective post, perhaps because my tooth is hurting, but I seem to have this curmudgeonly spirit which wishes to react to the huge popularity of this blog by posting something genuinely held but unpopular; a genuine view but one I don’t normally trumpet. The base thought seems to be “You wouldn’t like me if you really knew me”.
Similarly when I wrote Murder in Samarkand I was being hailed as a hero by quite a lot of people for my refusal to go along with the whole neo-con disaster of illegal wars, extraordinary rendition and severe attacks on civil liberties, sacrificing my fast track diplomatic career as a result. My reaction to putative hero worship was to publish in Murder in Samarkand not just the political facts, but an exposure of my own worst and most unpleasant behaviour in my private life.
I am in a very poor position to judge, but I believe the result rather by accident turned out artistically compelling, if you don’t want to read the book you can get a good idea of that by clicking on David Tennant in the top right of this blog and listening to him playing me in David Hare’s radio adaptation.
Anyway, that’s enough musing. You won’t like my next post, whenever it comes. Promise.
@Phil
Must the poor go hungry just so the rich can drive?
George Monbiot, The Guardian, Monday 13 August 2012 20.50 BST
{http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/13/poor-hungry-rich-drive-mo-farah-biofuels}
The Deniers are still sticking to the “It’s the UN” theory, it would appear. As healthy sceptics, I’m sure they’ll understand my hesitation in embracing this massive conspiracy theory.
For instance, how does the UN run NASA and the UK Metoffice again? J might help explain how the UN is running The BBC and The Guardian. The really curious thing (a point absolutely ignored by the True-believing Deniers) is why NASA, the US environmental agency and so on, would take orders from the UN, rather than its own government for the entire “Dubbya” Bush regime.
The Dubbya Bush regime – just to refresh memories – was absolutely opposed to even recognising GCC, let along doing anything about it. It takes an impressive leap of faith to see them taking UN orders via the government agencies. But such impressive belief systems are what lie at the heart of the GCC denier.
Zoologist 24 Sep, 2012 – 6:11 pm
“Must the poor go hungry just so the rich can drive?”
Sorry, I don’t understand what your point is.
OMG referencing Wikipedia and Monbiot on global warming! Sorry, activists just don’t cut it. And computer modelling* the climate! Wow, just wow! Even the IPCC showed some sense on that: chaotic non-linear systems (it is impossible over climatic time scales by definition). Though they managed to flub that in the next few weasel worded sentences of their report so managed to get it wrong in the end. I’m really sorry, you’ve come to a gun fight with a blunt penknife and haven’t figured out how to open it.
So, anyone please explain how to model a non-linear chaotic system like the climate. Make my day. A Nobel prize, for what it’s worth, awaits. This is why real scientists laugh at certain climate scientists: they don’t even get the basics right! If anyone is relying on models of the climate you KNOW they are talking out of their arse. No ifs, no buts. You might as well say you can predict the stock market over the next five years.
Think I’ll bow out now…
*The Met Office uses the same model for weather and climate. Now that works for a day or two at best, beyond that it is essentially random. Unless you’ve been seeing different forecasts from me.
Clark; more than one hyperlink launches ‘moderation’?
Ben, yes, more than one link, including the one linked from your name if you fill in the “Website” field on the comment form, sends your comment to the queue. I’ll now release yours which is waiting.
Thanks, Clark.
@Climate Change Debaters – The following resource is useful for clarifying certain arguments. If you find it useful, please share it.
http://www.skepticalscience.com/argument.php
Glenn don’t put words in my mouth. I see no point in blowing away your straw men. Poor show. I’ve been around the block too many times to be drawn into spurious arguments. I fairly sure all my posts have been factual, just some people’s extrapolation seems somewhat awry, for which I can take no responsibility. If people want to add two & two and make five that’s their problem, not mine.
Go read some Monbiot, it’ll make you feel more comfortable. He’s either a fool, knave or been knobbled. Take your pick.
Phil,, regarding Zoologist 24 Sep, 2012 – 6:11 pm
“Must the poor go hungry just so the rich can drive?”
Zoologist is referring to biofuel crops subtracting from the global food supply, but conflates climate science with political implementation of policy. Of course.
@Phil
Germany’s coalition government has announced a reversal of policy that will see all the country’s nuclear power plants phased out by 2022.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13592208
Not heard about Stuxnet ?
On 1 June 2012, an article in The New York Times said that Stuxnet is part of a U.S. and Israeli intelligence operation called “Operation Olympic Games”, started under President George W. Bush and expanded under President Barack Obama.
Stuxnet is a highly sophisticated computer worm, it initially spreads via Microsoft Windows, and targets Siemens industrial software and equipment.
A malicious virus, released into the wild in order to disrupt the Iranian nuclear program, which uses embargoed Siemens equipment.
It then escaped into the wild.
Fukishima also used Siemens controllers.
Germans suddenly shutting down all nuclear power.
Coincidence?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet
J 24 Sep, 2012 – 6:16 pm
“OMG referencing Wikipedia and Monbiot on global warming!”
Wikipedia as one of the great innovations of the internet. Like OS software it’s great strength is it’s open system. Perhaps you prefer Encyclopedia Britannica or infowars.
In this instance it merely led to a handful of studies regarding peer reviewed science.
If you have any proof to suggest that Monbiot is a secret agent for the evil empire then please provide it. Of course the mere fact that he does not confirm your world view is not such proof.
I don’t pretend to understand computer modelling nor be particularly clued up on global warming. But I can spot the deluded.
OMG indeed. Are you ROFLYAO?
skepticalscience. Oh dear. In a polarised debate they are one of the extremes. I think it’s obvious which. Approach with caution.
“Zoologist is referring to biofuel crops subtracting from the global food supply, but conflates climate science with political implementation of policy. Of course.”
My point throughout has been that climate science IS politics.
You have concern about the poor starving millions of the future.
I have concern about the poor starving millions NOW.
People would NOT support nuclear power if it weren’t for fear over carbon emissions.
It was Margaret Thatcher’s promotion of nuclear power and her related campaign against coal miner’s (who had brought down a previous prime minister). Not trusting Middle Eastern oil as a power source that would produce stability, she wanted to move Britain toward nuclear energy.
The argument that coal was harmful to the environment was embraced by Ms. Thatcher for political reasons and resulted in establishing and funding the IPCC.
No great discussion over what we plan to do with the radioactive crap left at the end of course.
Obviously, a welcome side product of nuclear fuels is nuclear weapons and depleted uranium “bunker busting” bombs. Double whammy for the arabs.
Phil.
I referenced William Connelley previously r.e. Wikipedia. That’s a big clue. Go figure it out yourself.
Wow, another straw man! Secret agent indeed! Hahaha my choice is fool for what it’s worth. You seem so keen to project conspiracies on people…
If you can’t even pretend to understand computer modelling (yes I get your sarcasm) you are truly lost. Really, why the hell are you arguing about something you admit to not being clued up on? You just gave yourself away and can now be safely ignored. I see you don’t even TRY to actually argue the science. The ignorant are in no position to identify the deluded. But I can identify you as a troll. BYE BYE
.
Zoologist, the Stuxnet malware is an interest of mine.
The Siemens industrial controllers are not especially vulnerable to malware. Micro$oft Windows was, and remains, the problem. But we don’t see governments changing from Windoze in droves, in fact, hardly at all.
Look, your argument is idiotic. The anti-nuclear campaigners have been warning about the potential for catastrophic loss-of-coolant disasters in Pressurised Water Reactors and Boiling Water Reactors for decades. Even Alvin Weinberg, one of the primary developers of the PWR, advised that PWRs, while useful for military applications, carried dangers too great for civilian applications.
The problems at Fukushima were greatly increased by the crazy decision to store the “spent” fuel rods in the reactor building roof space.
So various sources warn us for decades that water cooled reactors are accidents waiting to happen, and then when there is a real disaster, suddenly you tell us NO! It’s all a conspiracy, and industrial controllers, pre-primed with malware, are triggered to cause a disaster AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME AS A TSUNAMI HIT!
I take it you’re suggesting that Fukushima was all part of a New World Order plot to reduce the human population.
Grief, this sort of argument is nonsense.
I support nuclear power. You can only do so much by burning 65 million year old sludge.
http://energyfromthorium.com/essay3rs/
http://energyfromthorium.com/plan/
No response from anyone about the MoD spraying Zinc cadmium sulfide all over Norfolk?
We are obviously all OK with that then?
I only ask, it is what I would consider REAL pollution and it has been killing people ever since. My mother died aged 24 in 1972 and my cousin at 36 in 1979. My grandfather also had oesophageal cancer in 1980 and stomach cancer in 1987.
Before you ask – no I don’t have empirical eveidence, only circumstantial, that they may have been poisoned by the MOD. They certainly won’t admit it.
I guess I’m just a conspiracy theorist. Hey ho, at least I’m not a consumer.
I said:
And he was sacked for saying so, because the US wanted to develop reactors that also produced plutonium for weapons. The original PWR was designed for the US Navy submarines. It was dual purpose; submarine power, and plutonium production.
Clark; IYO, how far off is ‘fusion’?
Zoologist at 24 Sep, 6:40 pm wrote:
Wrong. I have concern for BOTH.
J: Don’t be oversensitive. The UN grand conspiracy theory is between SB and Chris Jones, I think Zoologist buys into it too. They think the UN runs all these government agencies. I was wondering how they achieve that.
You, on the other hand J, asked whether I believe the Guardian or the BBC. Of course some things are less than truthful, but that doesn’t automatically mean everything is a lie. Maybe you’d be kind enough to explain your conspiracy theory on why the BBC & Guardian promote action against GCC.
While you’re at it, J, could you back up why you think this terrible GCC lie, hoax, call it what you will, will “live in infamy” longer than Blair’s name? Blair & Bush killed over a million, displacing millions more, and destroyed at least two countries for their phoney wars of choice. Kindly explain how this is far worse than the action of GCC alarmists?
Ben, about 150,000,000 kilometres.
Clark, I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.
Counting carbon causes no harm so I care little if people chose to do it. I wonder how many here actually do do it. Hypocrits would still be flying off to Spain twice a year. I do not.
At present I consider nuclear fuels to be less save than fossil ones. Especially when governments do something so reckless as release a stuxnet.
I care about the environment and the people, plants and animals in it.
My priorities would be different to yours.
I think that the MSRs, Molten Salt Reactors, should be developed so we can “burn up” the “spent” fuel already produced by solid fuelled reactors.
The reason we have such mountain of “waste” is because only 1% of the available energy in the fuel rods is used before they have to be removed from the reactor. The other 99% is what keeps the “spent” fuel radioactive for tens of thousands of years.
Look at the graphs:
http://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/clark-energy-resources-and-the-future/
How the Hell are you going to fill in those green and blue areas without nuclear power? How the Hell do we ever explore the solar system?
I want humanity to have a future. A good, bright one.
Zoologist 24 Sep, 2012 – 6:36 pm
“Not heard about Stuxnet ?”
Zoologist, not heard of humility? As it happens stuxnet is something I know about. I know how widely used those Siemens controllers are too. I also somewhat understand how stuxnet targets.
I find it interesting that you happily quote the NYT here.
I am not sure why you ask me if I have heard of stuxnet though.
Coincidence? Possibly. What does infowars think? That the US are attacking the Germans? No that’s not it. I just haven’t a clue what you’re on about. But your bold lettering is convincing me you must have a very important point. I am such a fucking idiot.
http://www.margaretthatcher.org/document/107817
1989 Nov 8 We
Speech to United Nations General Assembly (Global Environment)
“Mr President, it gives me great pleasure ..
What we are now doing to the world, by degrading the land surfaces, by polluting the waters and by adding greenhouse gases to the air at an unprecedented rate—all this is new in the experience of the earth. It is mankind and his activities which are changing the environment of our planet in damaging and dangerous ways.”
We are seeing a vast increase in the amount of carbon dioxide reaching the atmosphere. The annual increase is three billion tonnes: and half the carbon emitted since the Industrial Revolution still remains in the atmosphere.
”
Mrs Thatch, that well known left-winger.