Britannia Radio

The EU OBSERVER describes the Brussels "climate" deal in mixed terms ---

"Climate deal slammed as a 'mirage'
President Nicholas Sarkozy has called the EU's climate deal, agreed 
on Friday, "historic", while development and green NGOs have called 
it a "mirage", as European industry and the power generation sector 
in eastern Europe turn out as the big winners from the bloc's last 
top-level summit of  the year."  In fact it was the usual horse trading.

The trouble is that while the politicians are sold on the CO2 false 
religion their peoples are largely sceptical if not downright 
disbelieving.   But they are playing these futile - but hugely 
expensive  games of charades.  If it did work it would trigger an ice 
age, but it won't so that's all right then, isn't it?  NO it isn't 
all right! It can leave us without electricity altogether  and ruin 
us financially too.

There is no doubt about it - something has addled all these mad 
Greens' brains and warped the judgments of the politicians who fall 
in behind them   It's no use arguing with them  The facts change - 
but they don't change their opinions.

Christina
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EU REFERENDUM Blog   13.12.08
What is the point?

The EU "climate deal" - stitched-up at the European Council - is 
being variously hailed as an "historic agreement" on cutting 
pollution (they mean Carbon dioxide) and, by the Greens a "failure".

Generally speaking, anything that pisses off the Greens is something 
we favour but, in this case, even their "failure" is highly 
destructive for democracy.

Without going into the finer points of the deal - mainly because they 
are so utterly tedious - what should strike everyone are some of the 
broader details, helpfully provided by The Independent.

This paper tells us that the "colleagues" have agreed a 20 percent 
cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, compared with 1990 levels . 
nothing new there. Then there is a 20 percent increase in use of 
renewable energy by 2020. Nothing new there either, except it ain't 
going to happen (nor is the emission cut, but never mind).

Something newish is a 20 percent cut in energy consumption via 
improved efficiency by 2020. That hasn't a hope in hell of happening 
through efficiency but, when the electricity system shuts down, that 
surely will help cut consumption.

Now we get to the interesting bits. The allocations of "carbon 
permits" under EU emissions trading scheme is to be cut by a fifth 
from 2005 levels, power companies will have to buy their permits at 
auction from 2013 and auctioning for other industrial sectors and 
aviation will be phased in by 2020.

The point . always the point. These are to be mandatory provisions, 
locked in by EU law, agreed by all the member states including our 
own. That makes 2013 an interesting year - it will be three years 
after our general election. The year 2020 is at least three if not 
four general elections away. Yet these matters are being decided and 
cast in stone by this parliament.

Whatever happened to the doctrine of "no parliament can bind its 
successor"? And, if this no longer applies, what really is the point 
of having general elections?
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Posted by Richard North
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TELEGRAPH   13.12.08
Weather: Coldest start to winter since 1976
Britain has endured its coldest start to winter in more than 30 years.

By Stephen Adams

Since December 1, the meteorological start to the season, the average 
UK temperature has been only 35.1F (1.7C), well below the long-term 
1971-2000 average of 40.5F (4.7C) for the first 10 days of the month.

It is the coldest start to December since 1976, when the average was 
33.4F (0.8C).

Arctic and continental winds have dominated the weather since mid 
November, bringing colder conditions than normal.

On December 3 the temperature dropped to 9.1F (-12.7C) at Tulloch 
Bridge near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands and Tyndrum in 
Central Tayside, while Copley in County Durham received more than 
eight inches (21cm) of snow the next day.

While forecasters consider December 1 as the start of winter, many 
people consider the season to start on the solstice, which this year 
falls on December 21.

Saturday will see bands of rain cross the country from the west, with 
warmer air trying to push in. Temperatures will be higher than 
recently, reaching 48.2F (9C) on the south coast.

But Nick Grahame, the Met Office's chief forecaster, said that did 
not signal a change in the pattern of weather, with colder air set to 
return early next week.

He said: "The start of the weekend will bring a spell of wet and 
windy weather as milder Atlantic air attempts to push across the 
country. However, colder air looks set to win the battle again which 
means that frost and ice will become hazards with the risk of snow in 
places".