Wednesday 23 February 2011

Nice Reputation You’ve Got Here. Be A Shame If…

…anything was to happen to it:
… the veteran children’s TV presenter is paying the price for his outspoken remarks.
Yes, it’s Johnny Ball and The Persecutors Of The Skeptical.
He claims the internet has been used to try to discredit his opinions.

Bloggers have run campaigns stating Mr Ball ‘should not be allowed near children’.
And an imposter has even tried to cancel his booking at a training day for maths teachers in Northampton.
OK, so it’s not exactly crime of the century, but come on! Trying to ruin his livelihood?

Isn’t that the actions of someone who isn’t sure secure in their own claims?
He said: ‘This was clearly a criminal act to damage me and my career business. People have every right to make up their own minds on my stance. But to deliberately smear my name in ways that are clearly criminal is so very disappointing.

‘I would hope it is not the way fair and sensible debate is going in this far more open, modern society.’
Ah. I see where you are going wrong there, Johnny. It’s that ‘fair and sensible’ bit. They don’t like ‘fair and sensible’. They don’t like it at all...

They certainly don’t like you pointing out that mankind has the unique ability to find ways round any inevitable climate shift with technology:
… my main concern is that the alarmism is actually frightening schoolchildren to an alarming degree.

‘It is suggesting to them that the previous generation have all but ruined the planet, and unless they switch stand-by lights off, for instance, we could all be going to hell in a handcart.

‘This does nothing to promote confidence in our young. It sends the message that all technology is harmful. Yet, in truth, great strides are being made.

'Gas-fired power stations now produce twice as much power for the same fossil fuel as they did 15 years ago. Cars have far cleaner exhausts and have doubled their mileage and tyre wear, and they are all recyclable or reclaimable.
'These are success stories.’
Quite.

Mind you, it could just be someone annoyed at his part in inflicting Zoe Ball on Radio 2. I could sort of agree with that…
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8 comments:

  1. banned23 February 2011 at 09:51

    I do love plus-ticking the Mail comments when their readers go mental.

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  2. Clarissa23 February 2011 at 10:15

    Oh, I don't know. I quite like Zoe Ball on R2.

    /beats rapid retreat

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  3. The Grim Reaper23 February 2011 at 10:51

    I'm afraid that this story might not be all it seems. From what I understand, this was first reported in the Times Educational Supplement before being picked up by the Daily Mail.

    Johnny Ball himself denies the claim that he made any reference to climate change in his original article. Me? I'm just very confused.

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  4. NickM23 February 2011 at 11:56

    This is a shark-jump from the Greens.

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  5. Weekend Yachtsman23 February 2011 at 12:24

    Why is Mr. Ball such a sensitive plant?

    All climate realists get abuse from the True Believers, that's part of what happens when you don't follow the fashionable religion du jour.

    otoh Zoe Ball used to be quite attractive.

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  6. Angry Exile23 February 2011 at 13:42

    Another hand up for Zoe Ball. There are (or certainly were) far more annoying things on Radio 2. Chris Evans for one. WRT Grim Reaper's comment, whether he said it or not isn't even that important anymore. For the loopier tree shaggers it's enough that someone has denounced him - he must be guilty so let the hate begin.

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  7. Pavlov's Cat23 February 2011 at 18:35

    Do I recall correctly that David Bellamy said that thay ahd forced him of TV for saying pretty much the same sort of things.

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  8. JuliaM24 February 2011 at 05:42

    "I do love plus-ticking the Mail comments when their readers go mental."

    Heh! I play the same game at CiF.. ;)

    " I quite like Zoe Ball on R2."

    She's not the worst, by a long shot. Angry Exile is right there.

    I can't STAND Vanessa Feltz, or the guy who does 'Sounds of the Sixties' on Saturday morning.

    " Me? I'm just very confused."

    Me too now!

    "This is a shark-jump from the Greens."

    Oh,. I think they'll have enough plausible deniability...

    "All climate realists get abuse from the True Believers..."

    Abuse is one thing, but this goes a little further, if it's true.

    "There are (or certainly were) far more annoying things on Radio 2. Chris Evans for one. "

    I've warmed to him. He's no Terry Wogan, but he's pretty good.

    "Do I recall correctly that David Bellamy said that thay ahd forced him of TV for saying pretty much the same sort of things."

    You do indeed.

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