The Daily Telegraph's James Delingpole reports back from the International Conference on Climate Change which has just finished in Chicago. To him, this stellar gathering of climate scientists has established beyond reasonable doubt that only morons now believe in global warming. By contrast, to Roger Harrabin, of the BBC, who was also there, the whole event was easily dimissed as a gathering of right-wingers. Mr Delingpole has interesting observations about Mr Harrabin's approach to his job. Incompetent, Immature and Ham-fisted.
>> THURSDAY, MAY 20, 2010
“Ben Anderson gets exclusive access to the English Defence League, the movement set up to protest against what it sees as the dangerous spread of militant Islam in Britain. ”
“Exclusive Access?” Any Tom Dick and Arry could have had access if they asked nicely.
Poor Ben Anderson. His technique was as clumsy as a dyspraxic bull in a china shop. His agenda hung out shamelessly. His presentation was done in extreme plonking, that weird, patronising delivery.
“I wanted to find out if .....”
No he didn’t. He didn’t want to find anything out. He interviewed people and added a voiceover beginning, “I found (whatever they said) unconvincing.”
Ben Anderson found out that the EDL looked like football hooligans, skinheads, racists and Nazis, they were fairly inarticulate, one made monkey noises and they called people Muslims. But he knew all that already.
He interviewed a Muslim extremist to show that he didn’t represent the Good Muslims. To prove this he went to an Islamic Centre which had been on the receiving end of a firebomb, but as all the damage had been cleared up way back, Ben Anderson and Abdul the community leader just had to gaze at a bit of wall and reminisce nostalgically about the damage.
So. The EDL call people Muslims, the racists.HARRABIN - A PINCH AND A PUNCH?
The other main objection I heard – from the BBC’s Roger Harrabin – is how utterly ridiculous it was that a total know-nothing like James Delingpole was speaking on a “Science” panel with meteorologist Joe D’Aleo, climate expert Fred Singer, and economist Ross McKitrick (co-destroyer – with Steve McIntyre – of Michael Mann’s hockey stick). Indeed, when I introduced myself to him, he snapped back “I’m not sure whether I should shake your hand. I want to punch you.” He sounded jolly cross indeed – and ranted that I was utterly irresponsible and had disseminated lots of lies – though he later apologized to me saying he was jet-lagged and had confused me with Christopher Booker. Hmm.
In the interests of fairness, I would point out that we have only Mr Delingpole's account to go on that this exchange happened; but I have no reason to disbelieve him, and a hundred reasons to believe that Mr Harrabin's reporting of this issue is exaggerated, one-sided, left-wing fanatasy.
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Posted by Britannia Radio at 11:02