Sunday, October 14, 2007
An inconvenient fact
The Observer reveals that the school governor who challenged the screening of Al Gore's climate change documentary in secondary schools was funded by a Scottish quarrying magnate who established a controversial lobbying group to attack environmentalists' claims about global warming:
The Observer has established that Dimmock's case was supported by a powerful network of business interests with close links to the fuel and mining lobbies. He was also supported by a Conservative councillor in Hampshire, Derek Tipp.
Dimmock credited the little-known New Party with supporting him in the test case but did not elaborate on its involvement. The obscure Scotland-based party calls itself 'centre right' and campaigns for lower taxes and expanding nuclear power.
Records filed at the Electoral Commission show the New Party has received nearly all of its money - almost £1m between 2004 and 2006 - from Cloburn Quarry Limited, based in Lanarkshire.
The company's owner and chairman of the New Party, Robert Durward, is a long-time critic of environmentalists. With Mark Adams, a former private secretary to Tony Blair, he set up the Scientific Alliance, a not-for-profit body comprising scientists and non-scientists, which aims to challenge many of the claims about global warming.
There is a lot more. It just goes to show that nothing is as it seems.
The Observer has established that Dimmock's case was supported by a powerful network of business interests with close links to the fuel and mining lobbies. He was also supported by a Conservative councillor in Hampshire, Derek Tipp.
Dimmock credited the little-known New Party with supporting him in the test case but did not elaborate on its involvement. The obscure Scotland-based party calls itself 'centre right' and campaigns for lower taxes and expanding nuclear power.
Records filed at the Electoral Commission show the New Party has received nearly all of its money - almost £1m between 2004 and 2006 - from Cloburn Quarry Limited, based in Lanarkshire.
The company's owner and chairman of the New Party, Robert Durward, is a long-time critic of environmentalists. With Mark Adams, a former private secretary to Tony Blair, he set up the Scientific Alliance, a not-for-profit body comprising scientists and non-scientists, which aims to challenge many of the claims about global warming.
There is a lot more. It just goes to show that nothing is as it seems.
Comments:
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It all reads as a bit murky, but the bottom line is that Al Gore is forcing "Greenwash" (Hogswash) onto us all. The "Green" Agenda has spiralled totally out of control globally because of people like Al Gore and in Wales because of idiots like Cynog Dafis. The High Court judge put things in their proper place and I just hope that serious politiciand heeded what the Judge said despite the murkiness behind Mr dimmock. I find Al Gore to be more scary than Dimmock.
While the question of who is bankrolling the contrarians usually matters, I'm not convinced it matters this time.
Surely, whatever your interests, you are entitled to go to court and make your case. There is no suggestion that the judge was wrongly influenced.
Nor was it ever a big secret that there were a few errors and a bit of hype in the film.
Personally, I don't particularly like the use of Al Gore's film in schools. This is largely because it is pop-science not hard science. Schools should be teaching the hard, sober stuff.
Surely, whatever your interests, you are entitled to go to court and make your case. There is no suggestion that the judge was wrongly influenced.
Nor was it ever a big secret that there were a few errors and a bit of hype in the film.
Personally, I don't particularly like the use of Al Gore's film in schools. This is largely because it is pop-science not hard science. Schools should be teaching the hard, sober stuff.
This does not change the validity of the judgement however.
People like Al Gore do damage to the future of humanity and our planet through their over zealous preaching and the actions they would perform in power.
People like Al Gore do damage to the future of humanity and our planet through their over zealous preaching and the actions they would perform in power.
This is just smear tactics Peter. There is no suggestion that the judge was biased.
Anyway, murky right wing politicians shouldn't be neccesary to ensure that political propaganda isn't forced on children through our schools. Why the hell weren't your party funding a legal challenge to this iniquity?
Anyway, murky right wing politicians shouldn't be neccesary to ensure that political propaganda isn't forced on children through our schools. Why the hell weren't your party funding a legal challenge to this iniquity?
# posted by 
: 11:05 PM
: 11:05 PM
er..it is the facts. Neither I nor the Observer newspaper suggested that the judge was biased and until you raised it it had not even entered my head that such a thing was possible and I still would not countenance such a suggestion.
As for my party funding a legal challenge, why don't you? It is not the role of political parties to challenge such actions through the courts. By definition they work through political channels. And how much money do you think we have? All political parties in this country are strapped for cash and struggling to stay in the black. What money we have is for political campaigning. Get real!
As for my party funding a legal challenge, why don't you? It is not the role of political parties to challenge such actions through the courts. By definition they work through political channels. And how much money do you think we have? All political parties in this country are strapped for cash and struggling to stay in the black. What money we have is for political campaigning. Get real!
Fair enough. I suppose you opposed this politically in the assembly then when the WAG proposed sending this film to schools in Wales?
# posted by : 11:55 PM
: 11:55 PM
Not at all. Providing the film forms part of a package in which pupils get to hear a balancing view and are able to discuss it in that context I dont see a problem. I believe that view is in line with the judgement.
I think to desribe any politician with the experience and knowledge of Cynnog Dafis as an "idiot" is rediculous. I often disagree with his ideology but he certainly is no "idiot". As far as Gore is concerned he at least has discussing two important issues. Firstly what should and should not be taught in schools and secondly the future of the planet.
# posted by : 9:36 AM
: 9:36 AM
challenged the screening of Al Gore's climate change documentary in secondary schools was funded by a Scottish quarrying magnat
So? Your issue with the challenge is what, exactly?
Ad hominems like this are rather paltry, don't you think?
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So? Your issue with the challenge is what, exactly?
Ad hominems like this are rather paltry, don't you think?
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