Saturday, February 28, 2009

Back on the Rock – and…….Oh God, Ned Greensleeves is awake……...

Clameur de Haro?, returning to the Rock and resuming blogging, after an overseas assignment in more equable (and considerably better fiscally managed) climes since just after Xmas, has noticed that the States’ debate over the La Collette incinerator seems to have resurrected several of our resident eco-mentalist watermelons (green on the outside, but in reality light red on the inside) from what CdeH? would have assumed to be, did they only practise themselves what they demand of others, their winter hibernation.

And, in the realms of holier-than-thou, self-righteous proselytizing, none more so than Ned Greensleeves (aka Nick Palmer), who regrettably passed up the chance to give a deserved wider currency to what is actually rather a good book, such was his desire on 26 February to heap bile and odium of truly Syvret-esque proportions on those States members so unenlightened as to reach a democratic decision at variance with his own views (views comprehensively rejected, incidentally, by an Island-wide electorate, less than 4 months ago).

Now CdeH? suspects that, even if most of the green/Gore fallacies serially peddled by him, and fellow-travellers - CdeH? uses the expression advisedly - less honest than he, on the green left (eg. peak oil theory, MMGW, economic self-improvement = “greed”) are flawed, on the incinerator question itself, Nick is actually on to something. Nick is a highly intelligent man, if misguided on politico-economic issues, and CdeH? does find his claims about the relative merits of a thermal pyrolysis / gasification plant to be persuasive.

But - that is not the point of this post. What is the point is that, in plumbing Syvret-like depths of vituperation ("…The level of stupidity and incompetence on view was just incredible…” ) and ( "…incapable of rational judgment…” ) etc. etc., Ned unwittingly reveals his unerring consistency with the overwhelmingly and universally defining characteristic of the pernicious green religion – its utter intolerance of any contrary view, which must be countered with vitriolic, ad hominem abuse, not reasoned argument.

And predictably – such is the level of anger and zealotry engendered – he misses the supreme irony inherent in his railing against “…the extreme arrogance and self-belief of too many members….”. Allegations of arrogance and self-belief, Mr Palmer? From a green religion proselytizer sufficiently presumptious as to describe himself publicly in his blog’s About Me sidebar as “thinker” ? But then of course, we plebs like CdeH?, who are justifiably skeptical of the green religion, its threats to individual liberty, and the uncanny resemblance of its policy prescriptions to those of statist socialism, don’t have the capacity of thought, do we?

And as for that reference to Sarah Ferguson’s “coming out” as a “global warming denier” - well, doesn’t Ned’s use of that latter phrase tell you everything you need to know? Welcome, Sarah – it’s taken a few of us a little time, but you’ve seen the light.

How long before you and your ilk advocate that “global warming denial” becomes a crime, Nick?

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