Regardless of what you think about Donald Trump he does exactly what it says on his tin.
That’s not to say what is in the tin is especially nourishing. Personally I would not like to be sitting down for a steaming bowl of Trump every day for the next four years. The Americans voted him in and it’s their lot now.
But what is surprising is how surprised the US media is whenever Trump makes a policy announcement.
First we had the immigration bans. The US media went into a profound almost anaphylactic shock over that one. Trump had promised it and he made good on his pledge.
Since Trump concluded his European tour WaPo, The NY Times, Politico, the New Yorker and The Atlantic among many others have reported almost breathlessly in musings of the “will he, won’t he?” type regarding the Paris Accord.
Full column here.
Somehow found myself two blogs behind yesterday so I’ll put this up again, OT as it may be, but there’s been other comments here (some giving credit to Clive James for knowing a lot more about science and actual things-that-have-or-are-happening-in-the-world than he actually does):
A mild but exceedingly smug piece by Clive James today, a sample from the IPA’s forthcoming publication “Climate Change – The Facts” (lawdy). The natives are giving him a standing ovation. To be sure it’s well-written, but it’s arrogant tosh. I had three goes at a comment before it was accepted. It’s nothing special, but I submit it below just to spite them!:
Preaching to the converted here Clive. I agree with you that when the media gets a hold of an idea, all sorts of people jump on the wagon, the basic ideas become dogma and opinion is very hard to shift. This doesn’t alter the fact that what you have written is an Unreliable Memoir. You’ve always been a smart arse, you’ve acknowledged that and made a living out of it. Much of what you’ve written here is arrant bullshit delivered smugly, devoid of fact and quoting the most simplistic interpretations of events. You admit that you have no understanding of the science but you ‘know’ that it’s all crap. I have news for you. No-one knows for sure at this time, but the effects, if the theories of the actual scientists are true (and Einstein and Feynman may well have agreed with it all, we don’t know do we?) then the effects, such as sea-level rise, which *is* occurring, will be gradual. Very. You won’t live to see this proved or disproved. But your certitude is unwarranted.
One thing about Greenpeace. They are a bunch of clowns who actually don’t help their cause much at all.
You may recall that during the plague there was no end of advice of how to avoid it and this ranged from keeping the house as filthy as possible to the opposite. Everything in between and on other tangents was postulated. One or two of them was correct but no-one knew at the time. It’s a bit like that now. You’d keep a dirty house.
Excellent critique, TV. The article should have been titled, “I’m not a scientist but…”
He wasn’t preaching to the converted, Trivalve quite the opposite. Clive was pointing out how the earth evangelists will struggle to find new converts as their fire and brimstone hysterics is starting to wear thin. For mine it wasn’t a “well written”article, rather it was all over the shop and weakly structured. However, you may also want to consider what some actual, or even real, scientists offer on what is perversely (and smugly) called “settled science”.
And if you recall the plague, TV then you are doing well!
Milton, the article was an extract which may explain the all over the shop part. It was published on the online Australian front page with a comments section. You know that crowd. They are the converted. Go have a look.
That explains it, TV. Despite his ailing health I doubt he would be able to lose the ability to structure an argument.
And some/many seem to miss the point.
In what I read, Clive deals with Monbiot (?). Jean Baptiste responds with what I assume was the article James was referring to.
Furthermore, Baptiste suggests that James doesn’t engage with the “climate” science and then delivers Monbiot’s avoidance of climate science, beyond several unsubstantiated throwaways, followed up by some facile nonsense on old people and the likelihood of them being “sceptics”. Maybe they developed wisdom, or have lived through enough bullshit. Regardless, Monbiots article did not make a case for the catastrophic climate change that our Jean, and his Unmade disciple promote. And Clive makes flaccid these hollow, blind, but ever searching, Che shirt wearing revolutionaries. And if they had their way they would make Stalin. Mao, Castro etc and their death count look like amateurs.
look elsewhere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiKfWdXXfIs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXxHfb66ZgM
of course these are old fogies, so what would they know?
Dithering old inveiglers with relevance issues Milton. 97% of actual climate scientists, ie, people who observe the changes that have happened already and know what they are talking about see things differently.
AGW deniers would flock after a cow with “climate science is crap” written on it’s arse nowadays.
https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-scientists-react-trump-president-2086750457.html
TV, one of the things that feeds climate change scepticism is the certain knowledge that it’s better to drown or burn in the company of a man like Clive James than to live in the company of a man like Al Gore.
I hope JB is right (he isn’t) and the last of humanity will be dead by 13 May 2027. The deaths of billions of innocents will be worth it just to shut up the self-important halo-polishers who earn money, votes and access to the soft, milky thighs of wide-eyed sacrificial virgins of Gaia who want to bear the children of the odd Climate Messiah.
These hucksters have been around forever in the form of priests, seers, soothsayers, witch-doctors, medicine-men, oracles and snake-oil salesmen. The pitch is always the same – throw me your cash and innocent daughters and I will have a quiet word with the gods to spare you from your sinful ways – oh, and give me lots of other free stuff while you’re at it.
” access to the soft, milky thighs of wide-eyed sacrificial virgins of Gaia”
What’s this? I wasn’t told about these lovelies when I was thrown a lot of graphs.
You think they’re sharing?
The “halo polishers” have no call to rate themselves just on the basis that they are way smarter than you Swantoon, that’s a bar Basil Marceaux might trip over, but he would get over it.
It would appear you have inadequacy issues behind that macho persona and egocentric equivalency judgements but the sheer entertainment value of your melodramatic protests are worth the price of admission.
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/why-republicans-still-reject-the-science-of-global-warming-w448023
https://tamino.wordpress.com/2016/12/07/climate-deniers-top-3-tactics/
Mate, given the quality of the last link you put up I won’t waste my time and neither should you.
I couldn’t have written better parody of the “I’m a denialist just because it pisses off liberals” stance in a million years. Congratulations!
The death of a planet is a fair price for pissing people like you and JB off, John, believe me.
Lord all mighty, aint you just the centre of the universe! The Swantoons pathetic emotional needs in his own mind are of more importance in the grand scheme of things than all living humans and those that might have lived!
And I thought God was a narcissistic psychopathic twat!
And no, so sorry but your imagined death of the planet providing some satisfaction at my annoyance for you would be in vain Swantoon as there is absolutely nothing you can do or say to piss me off, and I suspect your magical thinking will not in any way affect outcomes for humanity. But you should pretend I’m pissed off it helps.
(Well the science isn’t settled on that, I’m going on a gut feeling based on observation.) And I find you hilarious and entertaining by the way and not in the least annoying.
I’m resigned to the fact that there simply aren’t enough humans with their heads out of their arses to prevail against the human stupidity of AGW denial.
I’m in the throes of a religious conversion by the way, I find the idea of unintelligent design quite plausible.
You don’t think your real problem is coping with things and people you cant control by any chance?
I agree with you on Greenpeace.
In their heyday they were inspirational to millions, but these days they’re just another big corporate who’ve sold-out their supporters on every issue you can think of. The rhetoric doesn’t match their deeds any more.
Regards, Bella
Most great writers usually have one big lacuna in their career which makes them either sound anywhere between silly and truly objectionable. AGW Denial is Clive James’ big one, riddled with a myriad of jive claims.
At least he’s not stabbing his wives, playing William Tell with firearms, or collaborating with Nazis or a hardline Stalinist like some/many have been, though.
I’ve ordered “The Art of the Deal”, as I think it may be the best tool to understand President Trump, what he wants, and why. I expect something like Dale Carnegie, but I’ll give it a go. His ability to backtrack and bluster, on the same topic, on different days, has all the hallmarks of a successful real estate salesman. “Buy here, buy now or you will regret it forever, unless you want this other one which you can also afford, and is in many ways better”. I’ll be in the US later this month, but I don’t expect a substantially different America to the one that was there in September last year. I travel the inland States and unemployment is high. I’m sure that won’t have changed. I hope the polarised political atmosphere has changed. I’m not a political bloke so I found the venom of the campaign intimidating.
I used a dodging tactic if I ever got caught in a political argument or someone demanded an opinion. I steered the conversation to which desk either candidate would use in the Oval Office. Fortunately I know a lot about Presidential desks. Americans are more aware of their history than we are of ours, so most knew quite a lot about the desks and the Presidents who used them,and it always calmed things down. Then gtfootq.
Congratulations to SimonT for a fine win in Champions League tipping, a bottle of red will be winging its way over to him on his return from Europe.
Well done SimonT and thanks again to Tracy for providing the venue.
F/B tells me it was your birthday yesterday , I know that and I wishes you all the best , but i’m to send you a belated Happy Birthday Wishes for yesterday , isn’t once enough ? …
Thank you, Bill. At my age, it is hard to take birthdays terribly seriously but it’s good to be going around the sun at least one more time.
I’ll echo Bill, Jack. Hope you had a good one and have a great year ahead.
Happy birthday, Jack! I’ll dedicate tonight’s home-brewed debauch to you!
Happy Birthday for yesterday, Mr Insider, may you have many many more and thank you for allowing me to participate on your wonderful Blog over many years (I remember Victoria and Co). Thanks also to Bill Grieve for drawing it to our attention.
Happy birthday🥃
Congrats Jack! When you’re my age, just having a birthday is the real present. But, I did get a Bintang t-shirt and a shiny new hip. *laugh*
Happy birthday, Jack!
Thanks, Boadicea and others but that was so yesterday.
Dad joke!
OTOH #ASCO17 feed from Annual Meeting Amer Soc Clin Oncology is upbeat and uplifting. Those tens of thousands of researchers all in the one place. BCG gets a mention, too.
If only more of the A$ went into the many streams of cancer research here, instead of into coal, casinos & Caymans.
Give Alan Finkel a call.
If you are thinking of watching new season of House of Cards, Jack, don’t. It’s thoroughly depressing. Got halfway through 1st episode, not going back.
My youngest daughter is a fan and keeps telling me I must watch it. I haven’t seen a minute of it. I did enjoy the original UK series, however.
I’ve got seasons one and two sitting on the shelf and have yet to watch it purely because Ian Richardson was so good in the original. Have still got Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empir to finish, then there’s that pile of books…..
That’s the problem, isn’t it. So may good thngs, so little time. Right now I’m watching Fargo and Better Call Saul. Out them together and it’s 22 hours of tv. Good tv but a lot of time all the same.
I’m really enjoying this series of Fargo, Jack.
It’s tops. New one tomorrow night. McGregor is superb.
Goodness, Mr Insider, the astute Senator Jacqui Lambie is human after all as we read and I quote: “SENATOR Jacqui Lambie took staff shopping for “sex toys” at adult stores, complained about needing “a root” and stumbled over words of more than two syllables when giving speeches, according to disgruntled workers. ”
http://tinyurl.com/yc7z2wl3
Would appear to be another shocking Terrorist attack just happened in London, Mr Insider.
http://tinyurl.com/y7dpdcxp
I think that this will be the way of life for the foreseeable future, HB. Evil bastards
Indeed evil and very cowardly Boadicea.
Australia has already had the pleasure of a visit from VPOTUS Pence, Mr Insider. Now 2 more of the Trump Administration arriving tomorrow. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary General James Mattis are travelling to Australia for the first time to engage in security talks. Possibly November we may also get a visit from POTUS Trump who no doubt will get a Rock Star welcome. Both Turnbull and Shorten speak glowingly of him and Turnbull now even uses the phrase borrowed from Trump “Lets Make Australia Great Again”. Lets home the Greens don’t make fools of themselves as when POTUS Bush addressed our Parliament! Shabby
http://tinyurl.com/y8whg42g
Jack, I’ve got “magic money tree” on endless loop, laughing meself silly.
Riding to hounds in the Hunter today, old boy? Better give ol’ Wilcrow a swerve, it’s running a bit lame, I hear. The knacker beckons.