COP26

This is exercising my mind ! The UK has done a good job so far in reducing CO2 emissions from energy production with natural gas replacing coal and wind and solar beginning to make a difference. However over 50% is still fossil fuel dependant so a lot more needs to be done. Transport has improved by 0.2% and buildings by 1.6%. Car transport should improve with more electric cars, but only if power production is sustainable. The governments policy on air and train transport is lamentable whilst the emissions caused by importing from abroad are (like most other countries) ignored. Farming has not been properly assessed.

BREXIT

When science and facts meet populism. The Office for Budget Responsibility has stated that Brexit will reduce UK GDP by4% or over £100 billion. 44% say the UK economy is worse off due to Brexit (28% said better!). I wonder how many will deny voting for it. Project Fear was probably understated and it looks like things will get worse as our posturing scare crows trumpet their hollow challenges.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Martin as ever is sort of correct, but so am I! His assertion that no social change happens without government legislation is sort of correct. I think we both ignored revolution. However people’s actions can make government action either inevitable or prudent. Students in Michigan mobilised a door to door campaign to ensure can recycling was introduced in (I think Michigan), this was despite a multi million dollar campaign by CocaCola. The students won and legislation was introduced. A similar situation led to the banning of white fur seal coats in the 70’s. This time it was a post card campaign which made government aware that it would be a popular move. maybe the reaction to MP’s voting down an amendment to the water bill presently before parliament may lead to another volte face.

My exemplar of recycling is still valid, albeit not the best. People collectively put a lot of time into an activity which they know is not the best way to help the environment, but do so in the absence of an alternative.

So yes Martin you are technically correct, but actions by individuals have a place too. And this is where the absence of leadership in the Labour Party comes in. Or any alternative leadership. We know that signing petitions has little impact as the numbers are actually very small – a petition with 5 million names would make politicians realise that their majorities could be toppled. Meat consumption per head in the UK has dropped considerably (17% in last decade) – but not enough (30% is a target), the number of anti-electric car voters is falling and we can expect numbers to rise rapidly soon. I am not sure the clothing industry has changed much, but is under increased scrutiny. Johnson says recycling plastic does not work, so basically ban it.

On flying I guess not many travel more than once a year – so make that a limit before imposing a surcharge at the same time as renationalising the railways (a popular move), as would renationalising the water companies.

FOOTBALL WEEK 10

The gunners take the foxes down 2-0 away. After a rather atrocious start to the season the Gooners have something to celebrate. They move up to 5th and with Spurs playing ManU and Brighton at Anfield they may well be heading for top 4 soon. WHU versus Villa might be interesting tomorrow. Villa are a very rich club with big ambitions, whilst the hammers are negotiating for an input of cash from some Czech sugar daddy, and have a huge stadium thanks to the London Olympics.

FISH

I am a bit puzzled by the spat between France and the UK over fish. I like fish but the whole industry is less important to the economy than hairdressers and tattoo parlours. If they were arguing about the quality of the seas and the need for environmental restrictions I could be interested. However they are like a couple of drunks postering about who is the best dresser.

WEATHER

Wet or what! Although warm for time of year it has been wet. Not in the usual autumn way of showers but intense storms on top of it. This area has had more thunder and lightning this year than I can remember for the last 5 or 6 years together. And we have another yellow rain warning for tonight/early tomorrow morning. Flood warnings across the south west and worse in Scotland. Perhaps storms for the next 2 weeks of COP26 would be good with the lack of investment by water companies resulting in sewage down the streets – it might make the so called ‘world leaders’ realise that shit happens, especially when economics becomes more important than environment.

COP26

Johnson talks a good talk, almost Churchillian in content and delivery. But then we think back to the budget just 3 days ago where levies on short haul flights were reduced and fuel duty frozen. The latter of these two makes sense at the moment but there was mention of climate change, no plug for insulation, solar panels, wind turbines, etc. Nothing in the way of positive action. Zilch. The man is all hot air and bluster.

Anne Marie-TREVELYAN

New international trade secretary is accused of climate emergency denial after a series of tweets came to light in which she insisted the world was not getting hotter and dismissed global warming campaigners as “fanatics”. I am quite liberal and do not expect her to be arrested, but she should resign from public life forthwith.

COVID

The figures continue to confuse. London with a relatively low vaccination rate has low levels of infection (as do the major cities of the north), whilst the West gets hammered. Is it down to previous low rates of infection not giving us in the SW crowd immunity? Or was the spike due to the dodgy company putting out 45000 false negatives (will they be fined or have to repay some of the £220 million they have received from the tax payer – not bad for a company that did not exist 2 years ago!).