7 Responses

1. Mike Parr says:

   September 22 2023 at 7:55 am

   The reaction of the UKs gutter press (is there any other sort? excluding we-love-kid-starver-Guardian and the FT?) will have gratified Smirknak (Smirking Sunak – he always has a smirk on this face) and the vile-tories. The lies about cancelling a whole series of non-polices/never existed laws – got the predictable reaction from the trash-press. This will have hearted Smirknak & vile-tories and probably confirmed a narrative they will carry to the next election: any actions to do with energy, energy efficiency or living better cost too much and we, the vile-tories, are the only group that makes sure mad-green policies are not foisted on poor innocent UK serfs. The gutter press will lap it up.

   Smirknak – with his brylcreamed bonce and his stick on smirk is a second-hand car dealer – the lethal wrecks (= gov policies/non-policies, all polished to perfection & promoted by the gutter press scum) that he is selling will kill users, but Smirknak will be long gone by then, £750million, house on the west coast of the USA, cockstails @ 5 etc whilst the UK goes down the environmental and economic plug-hole. It is almost as if, he planned it all along. I guarantee, one month after losing the election he will be gone from the UK.
   • Pilgrim Slight Return says:

     September 22 2023 at 12:47 pm

     Mike

     ‘Just wanted to say that I don’t care what anyone says – I love your view from the stalls and your penchant for mangling the names of the accused.

     Generally Pie is full of great ingredients as per usual.

     The bit about Libya though – I recall that it was not long ago somewhere oop North where an under-maintained dam sprung a leak above a hamlet in this country – was it Todmorden or somewhere like that?

     When we see stuff like the Libyan disaster, Hurricane Katrina etc., we are looking increasingly at our own future brought about by an inability to invest and look after our infrastructures as part of adapting to our changing environment because we are so obsessed with extracting value from everything.
2. Rod says:

   September 22 2023 at 8:37 am

   Jonathan Pie nails it, again .The gaslighting, the lobbying, the word twisting and political mayhem. Satire is moral outrage transformed into comic art, said Philip Roth. In a tradition worthy of Gillray, Rowlandson and Cruikshank, that cap fits.
3. Mike Parr says:

   September 22 2023 at 9:46 am

   Apologies for posting twice. Maybe this could be used in a separate blog.

   In his excellent speech Mr Pie mentioned the terrible events in Libya. Most people in the UK will have felt great sympathy. The same will happen in the UK. “Cloud rivers” of the sort that caused the Libya disaster have already occurred in the UK on several occasions. One of the highest levels of rainfall recorded in the UK was 316.4mm over 24hrs in Borrowdale, 2009.

   Let us consider South Wales, its hills and valleys and coastal strip. Taking one 3 river system (llynfi, Ogmore and one without a name) feeding into Bridgend and then down to the sea. The catchment covers about 120 kms2. A cloud river that deposited 150mm of rain in this area over 24 hours would mean roughly 18 million cubic meters of water looking for somewhere to go.

   The hillsides in the region are mostly bare – grazed by sheep. Thus the rain, all 0.75 million cubic meters per hour/210 cubic meters per second would pour through Bridgend. Putting this into context, the river Severn at Apperly has an average flow of 107m3/s. Thus if a cloud river did drop 150mm of rain over 24 hours, then twice the volume of the Severn would flow through Bridgend. I do not wish this on anybody. I cite it as an example. If such an event did occur government would wring its hands and talk about “a tragedy” – which indeed it would be for the poor people of Bridgend (or Cardiff, or… the list is long). However, the use of the word “tragedy” masks a bitter reality.

   We know that with rising temperatures cloud rivers will occur more often. We know that bare hillsides will amplify the impact of prolonged heavy rain. We know the actions that could be taken to mitigate this (lots of trees and perhaps beavers). We know the politicos also know. When it happens (there is no “if” involved), somewhere, at some point, keep in mind the above. The politicians knew, but chose to do………..nothing. & it’s not as if actions such as mass tree planting costs much money. The “tragedy” is that UK citizens allowed elected politicos to hoodwink them.
   • Richard Murphy says:

     September 22 2023 at 9:54 am

     May I post that as a blogpost in its own right?
     • Mike Parr says:

       September 22 2023 at 11:36 am

       Yes.
     • Richard Murphy says:

       September 22 2023 at 11:42 am

       Thanks