Wednesday 31 March 2010

Scoundrels Defend Scoundrel

Professor Phil Jones, the climate scientist at the centre of the scandal over the leak of sensitive emails from a university computer, has been largely exonerated by a powerful cross-party committee of MPs who said his scientific reputation remains intact.
Whew! It's lucky for Prof Jones that the politicians' reputations are unimpeachable, then.

Oh. Hang on...

Update: For a longer review of this unprecedented government decision, check out MummyLongLegs.

5 comments:

Jeff Wood said...

You could also have a look at Bishop Hill's place, where he and his commenters are beginning to tear most of the committee new orifices.

http://bishophill.squarespace.com/blog/2010/3/31/the-parliamentary-report.html

DerekP said...

"The focus on Professor Jones was misplaced. His actions were in line with common practices and those practices need to be changed," Mr Willis said yesterday.

A minor substitution, and I think we can see how self-protection of corrupt groups works:
The focus on money-grasping-MP was misplaced. His actions were in line with common practices and those practices need to be changed

Actually, I think the statement "His actions were in line with common practices" damns the whole of CRU, and even UEA.

woman on a raft said...

I'm beginning to wonder if the thing which will pull down democracy is the moral imbecillity of people who have had every advantage in life and yet still behave like the abused children of a crack whore living with a series of depraved uncles, willing to tell any lies they must in order to gain momentary advantage.

Do these people really not know the difference between right and wrong?

JuliaM said...

"...he and his commenters are beginning to tear most of the committee new orifices."

Yes, it's all really rather unravelling for the AGW believers, isn't it?

Good!

"Actually, I think the statement "His actions were in line with common practices" damns the whole of CRU, and even UEA."

Indeed.

"Do these people really not know the difference between right and wrong?"

Sometimes I think they really don't.

And other times, I think they do, but think WE don't...

banned said...

Good stuff from Chris Booker in Sundays Telegraph

"the sceptics have been particularly intrigued by the background of the man chosen by the university to chair an assessment of the CRU's scientific record. Lord Oxburgh declared on his appointment that he is linked to major wind-farm and renewable-energy companies. He admitted that he advises Climate Change Capital, which manages funds worth $1.5 billion, hoping to cash in on the "opportunities created by the transition to a low-carbon economy", in a world market potentially worth – its website boasts – $45 Trillion.

What Lord Oxburgh kept quiet about, however, is that he is also a director and vice-chairman of a strange little private company few of us had heard of known as Globe International. The name stands for "Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment", and it describes itself as a worldwide network to lobby governments to take more drastic action on climate change. Globe is certainly well-connected, as it showed just before last December's Copenhagen conference by staging a seminar addressed by, among others, the conference's chairman Yvo de Boer, as well as Nancy Pelosi and Ed Markey, the leaders of the campaign to push a cap-and trade-scheme – which could make a lot of people fabulously rich – through the US Congress.

The international president of this lobbying organisation turns out to be none other than Stephen Byers MP, now best known for his description of himself on last week's Dispatches as "like a cab for hire", happy to take £5,000 a day for using his influence as a lobbyist.

Globe clearly knows how to pick its men. Its UK parliamentary team also includes Elliot Morley MP, Globe's former president, and David Chaytor MP, both of whom now face criminal charges for fraud..."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/7530961/Can-we-trust-the-Climategate-inquiry.html