All over the place!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

All over the place!

Following our piece onsea level rises, oneenterprising blogger has plotted on a graph the various sea level rise by 2100 predictions quoted in BBC articles since 2000.

It seems that the current prediction of a one metre rise by 2100 is pretty much in the middle of the range of predictions that the BBC have reported, which go up to four metres. In this game, it seems, as long as you are a "climate scientist", you can predict any garbage you like and the BBC will rush in to warn us all about the latest variation on Armageddon.

The ultimate arrogance of these people, however, is that while they evidently expect us to take note of what they say, clearly they take no notice of what they themselves have said.

Over term, we are getting a rise of about 3mm per year, although far from the rate increasing, the latest satellite dataset actually indicates a slight fall-off in the rate of increase, thus completely contradicting the latest doom-laden predictions.

Interestingly, with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer predicting a five-foot rise in 50 years – way back in 1986, we should have seen a 26 in rise. In fact, we have seen less than three inches. Yet still, the likes of the BBC take these buffoons seriously. It really does get rather wearying.

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Meanwhile ...

... I am still working on a piece on the launch of Libertas UK (if it is to be called that, which is doubtful at the moment). Yes, I was there and even asked a question. More later.

There are several books acquired by me for review that will be interesting on the blog and I fully intend to write about them. They are: Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism" (no, it is not about the EU or indigenous populations of any country), "The Great European Rip-Off" by David Craig and Matthew Elliott and Eamonn Butler's "The Rotten State of Britain" (also not about anything remotely resembling indigenous populations).

Of course, the most interesting book I acquired recently is Andrew Roberts's "Masters and Commanders" but that I am not going to write about, defence and strategy being the boss's province.

One rule for them …

In all the welter of bad news, incompetence and government-inspired disasters, it is very often the little things that have most impact. Hence a letter from Andrew Cole in The Daily Telegraph has a certain resonance.

Mr Cole runs a design consultancy employing 25 staff and complains about an astoundingly rigorous inspection by HM Revenue & Customs. Expenses, he writes, were subject to particular scrutiny, even petty cash expenses of under £10 were questioned and explanations demanded.

The tax officials were critical of the level of written detail recorded in justifying expenses (covering, for example, a train or Tube fare for an employee travelling to a meeting) and disallowed a percentage of business expenses, "leaving us with a hefty bill to settle or face protracted legal wrangling."

Writes Mr Cole, "While I have never been comfortable with the enthusiasm and relish with which some HM inspectors approach their work, they set out to ensure that companies operate within unbelievably complicated tax rules. It is demoralising that some of the many hundreds of thousands of pounds that my company pays in tax helps to fund an expenses system for MPs which is not subject to the same level of scrutiny. "

He adds, rather caustically, "In addition, perhaps some of the enthusiasm of HMRC should be used to regulate the taxpayers’ interests in the banking industry."

This is small beer compared with the big events we see covered, but it is episodes like these – an accumulation of small injustices – that rankle. Turning to the Moslem demonstration in Luton yesterday, not a few people are asking why it is that arrests were made, but the Muslims – who were clearly inflammatory - not only enjoyed police protection, but walked away Scot-free.

Small injustices make a big difference, because they affect people on a personal level – a level that relates to them. Add them all up and you change the mood of the country. Then, all it takes is a spark.

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