Kennedy is the 'chief executive' of the Committee on Climate Change, the quango with statutory consultative powers headed by John 'Severn Barrage' Gummer, of 'Gummer is a Bummer' fame (© Jasper Carrott). Quite why a consultative committee needs a CEO is beyond normal comprehension, but there we go.
Anyhow, he was widely considered a shoo-in for the vacant position of Permanent Secretary at DECC, what with being a critic of government energy policy from the green zealot perspective etc etc.
'Kennedy was unanimously selected as the best qualified candidate by an eminent panel and endorsed by the head of the civil service and the energy secretary Ed Davey. "In four years at the head of the CCC, Kennedy's intellectual rigour has won the support of both industry and the green lobby. This would have qualified him very strongly to tackle the many challenges facing DECC," said Tim Yeo, the Conservative MP who chairs the committee that scrutinies DECC.'Now of course by "industry", Yeo meant the green industry - so not much of an achievement, really; they all love subsidies. A candidate supported by Yeo (he of the manifold vested interests) is to be viewed askance in any case; but our man Cameron went one better and vetoed the appointment, to much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
And that is the smack of firm government. Well, a little slap anyway. Needless to say, Climate-Change Kennedy has renewed his vocal opposition to government policy: one may google his pronouncements and form one's own view on his 'intellectual rigour'. I wouldn't spend too much of your time looking for it, though.
See, Dave can do the right thing when he puts his mind to it.
ND
4 comments:
The coaltion has done some good things: free schools and the massive expansion of academies are my favourite two. I can think of others. That doesn't negate the sentiments made in the other threads. Why is Cameron starting battles he can't win? Why is he so muddled on so many important issues?
PB latest says Is the incumbent really so secure?
For me striking feature on PB this weekend has that one of the site’s posters who has been an unwavering Cameron-loyalist has become the latest to turn
Do they mean you BQ?
http://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2012/12/16/now-might-be-a-good-moment-to-look-at-the-dave-replacement-betting/
I am not sure whether this is damning by faint praise, or the exception that proves the rule. In either case it is quite insufficient to cause me to change my mind about Cameron and his Tories. We would have been no worse off under Millibean snr and 'whirr dooomed' Darling.
Budgie, it sticks in my craw to say it but I think that we would have been marginally better off with Darling as Chancellor. The coalition is merely rightish sounding mood music with the same old carry on.
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