Monday 17 August 2020

Greta: Now Surplus to Greenie Requirements

The entire Greta childrens-crusade thing is a fascinating story: one day the whole thing will perhaps be truthfully told.  (Or not.  There appears to be some evidence - some would call it conspiracy theory - that she is 100% a carefully-contrived PR exercise, right from her first solo sit-in.  In this account her mother basically handed her over to shadowy "green" forces to do with as they pleased:  there's a word for that ... and a lengthy prison sentence.)

Anyhow, as you know, I reckon "she" contributed just a little to the great Story of 2019, the Year When Zero Carbon Went Mainstream.  It wasn't her doing; nor was it XR's: but they are all definitely part of the overall canvas (along with the panic-stricken Theresa May and whomever it was told her to rush that Net Zero Carbon 2050 Act through, who may yet get a lot of "credit" when the history books are written).

But now?  Greta's contribution to recent climate debate has been characteristically petulant, if not paid as much heed as last year; and it's interesting.

She is now drawing attention to the rather obvious fact that, notwithstanding 2050-style legislation around the whole western world, climate change is not being treated as an *Emergency* (as all those silly motions passed in debating chambers around the world would have it) - and we know this because we've just seen how people respond to a real emergency, Covid-19 being the case in point.  She was hoping that everyone by now would have voted for the complete lockdown and trashing of the world economy - for Climate reasons.   Much stamping of little foot and blinking-back of tears: but there it is.  She's nailed it.  We know it.  And nobody's really listening anymore.

So what is happening?  Back to my "2019" thesis.  The 2050 legislation across the western world is exactly the icing on the cake that confirms to the whole world's industrialists and bankers (and con artists, political parties, kleptocrats, organised criminals etc) what they'd already decided 12 months ago - that this is the only game in town, now given a sturdy touch on the accelerator by all the multi-trillion Keynsian "Green Deal / Covid recovery" schemes now being drawn up.  Helpfully, these include lots of basic infrastructure renewal for "adaptation" / "mitigation" / "resilience" - so even the big, traditional steel-n-concrete boys are invited to the party, much to their amazement & delight.

Coupled with this "mainstream capitalism" development - not quite what many greens had in mind, hahah! - the Left is developing a response of its own, which also isn't exactly what the greens hoped for.  To take the UK left as an example: as noted here before, the Labour Party's apparently rather comprehensive version of the Green New Deal is quite strong on the *Just Transition*, which in classic workerist fashion turns out to mean that (a) everything must be implemented by a unionised workforce, and (b) anyone currently in a dirty job must either be granted a shiny new clean job / apprenticeship / etc, OR left doing that job for as long as it takes to come up with a transition plan.  Lefties in other countries  take similar stances: and hard lefties take a very tough & uncompromising line on priorities.
Green New Deal advocates and the wider Left should factor into their plans the need for a just transition to a post-extractivist society ... This must be an absolute red line, even if it threatens decarbonisation targets [their emphasis]
Like I said, not quite the red-green alliance thing.  Indeed, XR itself is deeply out of favour on the hard left (all those middle-class white XR types being racists, dontchaknow?); and lefties now tend to identify + despise what many a rightist has long railed against - Ecofascism.  Doesn't have the correct marxist interpretation of exploitation, see?

And Greta?  Well, if you believe the conspiracy theory, she is fronting for a cabal of NGOs who plan to use the Climate impetus to institute a World Government thing that - wait for it - will take it upon itself to issue extraction licences on All The World's Natural Resources, for licence / royalty fees that they will (a) lay claim to for their nasty world-government plans; and (b) take a % on, for themselves (of course! - Gulbenkian on a scale hard to imagine; they are nothing if not ambitious). 

They may, of course, get trampled in the rush - because every industrialist, bank, con artist, political party, kleptocrat, organised criminal etc on the planet has similar designs ...

ND

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

"They may, of course, get trampled in the rush - because every industrialist, bank, con artist, political party, kleptocrat, organised criminal etc on the planet has similar designs ..."

They are already on to it. Google 'The Great Reset' WEF.
M.

Anonymous said...

The climate emergency didn't create the moral panic that was needed so they've gone all in on covid panic, hoping to use this to push through societal change they desire. They'll go back to climate when it suits the agenda.


There's this from the "Tony Blair Institute for Global Change" (They could have come up with a less evil dystopian name)

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/16/report-calls-digital-coronavirus-passports-help-open-economy/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr#comment


Digital 'coronavirus-status passports' could be used to scrap blanket lockdown measures and free up vast swathes of the economy, a new report, backed by former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, has urged.

Under the proposals, people would be tested as often as every two weeks for coronavirus and keep their results in a app on their phone.

Passport holders would be able to scan an individual QR code to get into restaurants and sports venues, meaning businesses would be able to reduce social distancing requirements.

Those who test negative would also avoid the need for quarantining when crossing borders.

The report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change advocates for the implementation of 'digital' passports as part of wider calls for mass testing.

In a foreword to the report, Mr Hunt writes: "We know there is a delicate balance to be struck between health and economic concerns.

"We also know that the two are inextricably linked: an economy in freefall causes immense physical and mental harm and the uncertainty of lockdowns will lead to deep and lasting economic damage.

“Having the confidence to return to work and for consumers to interact with businesses is now a must, but it can only be achieved by learning to live alongside the virus. Short of a safe vaccine, mass testing is the only way to realise this.”

The paper, which is also backed by former Prime Minister Tony Blair and ex-leader of the Conservative Party William Hague, argues for “Covid-19 status passports” to help open up the economy further.

The report’s author, strategic adviser at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, Ryan Wain said: “It’s almost a passport back to normality. It would allow restaurants to open closer to full capacity, it could help get crowds back in sports stadiums.

“It’s really important for the economy to eventually remove and reduce social distancing and I see the passport as a way of doing that. It would also allow people to travel more freely and enable mass quarantine to be scaled down.”

Mr Wain said the suggestion was different to an “immunity passport”, which was previously touted as a potential route out of the coronavirus pandemic.
In May, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock had hinted that immunity certificates could be issued to those who had already recovered from coronavirus


In May, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock hinted that immunity certificates could be issued to those who had already recovered from coronavirus in order to enable them to return to a more normal way of life.

However, Mr Wain noted that “evidence is still in flux about how long immunity lasts”, with some studies suggesting it can last for as little as three months.

The paper also argues the Government should look to the football Premier League’s success with mass testing which works by “removing the threat posed by non-symptomatic spreaders".

The Premier League tests every player and staff member across all 20 clubs twice every week in order to find asymptomatic cases.





I'm sure the next idea will be the digital passport linked to your green credentials - only those woke enough allowed to travel abroad

E-K said...

I thought BLM pretty much stole Thunberg's thunderberg.

E-K said...

"only those woke enough allowed to travel abroad"

This I never got, because the most woke people in my circles are the ones who do the most travelling. Four holidays a year.

"We went on a green trip to the Azores."

"Oh. Did you swim there ?"

James Higham said...

Off topic I’m afraid. Just to say that our dear colleague and friend Radders has departed to do some investigating the other side of the River Styx. More as it comes to hand.

http://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.com/2020/08/sad-news-death-of-raedwald.html

Don Cox said...

Upsetting news. He was a good man, and will be missed.

Don Cox

E-K said...

RIP

A very sound opinion.

Nick Drew said...

That is dreadful news. Will post tomorrow.

Bill Quango said...

What a terrible shame. A good friend of ours.

DJK said...

Sad news. I'd noticed that Raedwald hadn't posted anything for three weeks, which is unlike him. I had hoped he was taking a holiday, rather than anything wrong.

Anonymous said...

Very sad. I will miss the knowledge and insight.
R.I.P Raedwald.

Elby the Beserk said...

Oh that's awful. We wondered where Raedwald had gone, as he was such a regular poster. RIP Raedwald and thanks.

dearieme said...

I always assumed that Minnie the Minx would put fear into the hearts of pregnant women everywhere. "What if mine turned out to be like her?"