Seen on Channel 4 News just now:
Sammy Wilson, Northern Ireland's environment minister, has banned some environment adverts calling them an "insidious propaganda campaign".
"Switch the light off, turn the heating down, buy a more fuel efficient car. " [is] hardly the most controversial advice for people concerned about the environment, but to Northern Ireland's Environment Minister Sammy Wilson it's part of "an insidious propaganda campaign".
He's banned the government's advertising campaign on climate change from broadcasting in the province.
Diminished
1 hour ago
10 comments:
The first two are sensible advice for saving money, whether you are bothered by CO2 emissions or not.
Buy a new car could be bad advice for the environment - what car do you have now, how many miles do you drive? Will the better fuel economy be enough to offset taking a usable car out of circulation and making a new car that wasn't needed? Controversial- could be.
If a govt wants to change our behaviour - tax it. Far more effective than boneheaded exhortations.
He was nearly floored by Ed Stourton who pointed out he was not a scientist...
Sammy should have replied by pointing out the Chancellor of the Exchequer is not an economist but another damn lawyer...
Oh dear, Labour devolves power and promptly one of its 'underlings' puts 'a spanner in the works' and exercises their right of self-determination, or choice! Whoops!
Marksany: you obviously do not recognise the word 'choice'. It is not up to governments, in a democracy, to dictate how people should exercise their right of choice. By allowing governments to tax a persons 'behaviour' you are advocating a form of dictatorship over that 'behaviour'.
WFW - I said "if" govt want to change our behaviour, tax what they don't like. You still have a choice, just pay the tax. If you don't want the tax, vote them out.
I just can't stand this drip, drip, drip of the gummint whining at me! Either tax me into doing what you want me to do or shut the fuck up.
When will Government start taxing the underclass and criminals out of existence!?!
S, a small step in the right direction would be to stop subsidising them into existence ...
@snafu
He was nearly floored by Ed Stourton who pointed out he was not a scientist...
Neither is roger harrabin, global warming correspondent/advocate for the beeb
Predictably, the Greens have spat their dummies and insisted he be sacked:
"But Brian Wilson, of the Green Party, said the environment minister should be removed from office for refusing to recognise climate change.
"He is a climate change sceptic. We have got to take all measures we can to reduce our carbon footprint. Mr Wilson does not agree with that.
"This is totally incompatible with him being minister for the environment," he said. "
Remind me again why we don't class this as a religion...?
Marksany - "I just can't stand this drip, drip, drip of the gummint whining at me! Either tax me into doing what you want me to do or shut the fuck up."
The main problem here is that not everyone pays tax or an amount of tax that is 'representative'. Therefore control is only exercised over a proportion of the population. Not fair.
When will the Church of England ban vicars from being climate change sceptics!?!
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