Medicine Giving Way To Groupthink Is Indeed A Tragedy, George…

...funny how I never heard a peep out of you when all the psychiatrists decided that if you felt like a memnber of the opposite sex. you were right, and this was a mistake to be corrected. Or when all those doctors who'd previously said masks were ineffective for covid suddenly about-faced and swore blind they were our only hope.

...the story spread so widely by the media – that ME/CFS patients were irrationally refusing treatment and abusing those who offered it – stuck, in the NHS and beyond. Medicine gave way to groupthink.

Here are some things that should not need stating. Scientists and those who champion them should never close ranks against empirical challenge and criticism. They should not deny requests for data, should not shore up disproven claims, should not circle the wagons against legitimate public challenge. Above all, those who suffer the most should be listened to the most.

I also seem to recall you're rather keen on climatologists closing ranks against empirical challenge and critiscism. 

The Government ‘Helping’ Businesses Again…

You can see them on the specials boards of new restaurants and on chalkboards propped outside bars and pubs. Foodie TikTokers are eating them by the dozen. Healthy, available for £1 and even good for the environment, oysters are experiencing a boom in popularity.

Great, right? Yes, indeed. But always remember Ronnie's nine most terrifying words in the English language... 

But the UK industry is being hampered by a row over the farming of different species, with producers saying they are struggling to expand to meet demand. Brexit has also affected the UK shellfish industry by restricting imports and exports. David Jarrad, chief executive of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain, said: “Government policy is trying to drive [the industry] into the ground … this coming year, it’s unlikely that farms will be able to restock.”

And why? 

...he warned that today’s oyster renaissance may be short-lived if policy doesn’t change, with the government’s priorities focused on rehabilitating native reefs while farmers are tied up in red tape.

Regulations can restrict farm expansion unless farmers use triploid Pacific oysters, which are sterile and unable to reproduce, if they pose a risk to protected marine sites. They also prohibit new oyster farms north of 52 degrees latitude – around Ipswich – to prevent Pacifics spreading in the wild where they don’t already live.

We are, apparently, attempting to prevent a delicious food source from proliferating around our waters. We truly don't deserve to survive.  

However, when Pacific oysters were introduced to UK waters in the 1960s, it was under the mistaken belief that they couldn’t reproduce due to cool temperatures. Warming waters caused by climate change have resulted in oyster larvae escaping farms through waterways and colonising coastal habitats. This has particularly been a problem in Devon and Cornwall, where 150,000 oysters were culled to control feral oyster reefs obstructing mud flats, creating problems for fish and bird species.

Yes, the government, the one that bleats constantly about the need for the public to have cheap, nutritious non-junk food available, wasted 150,000 perfectly edible oysters to protect non-edible fish, birds and shellfish.

The Same Way All Other Big Charities Do, George…

How does it happen? How does an organisation end up doing the opposite of what it was established to do? This month marks the 200th anniversary of the foundation of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: the world’s oldest animal welfare organisation. I wonder what there is to celebrate.

Me too, albeit I suspect for vastly different reasons... 

If you mistreat your dog or cat or horse or rabbit, you can expect an investigation by the RSPCA. If the case is serious enough, it could lead to prosecution.

But run over an escaped calf with your police car and claim it was 'for the protection of the public' and you'll probably get away with it. 

If you abuse animals on an industrial scale, you might face not investigation and prosecution, but active support and a public relations campaign to help you sell your products.

Oh, he's going for the farming angle, isn't he? 

This is the conclusion of the deepest and most wide-ranging report yet conducted into something called RSPCA Assured. When you see meat or fish or eggs in the supermarket, you might find the RSPCA’s stamp of approval on the packaging, telling you that the animals they came from benefited from “high welfare” farming. It might seem odd that an organisation devoted to animals is promoting their exploitation and killing. It seems odder still when you discover that this “high welfare” farming includes massive factory farms, indistinguishable from the norm, in which animals live short, distressing lives before being trucked away to be stunned and slaughtered.

And that's without considering the halal angle, noticably missing from your screed, George... 

The new report, by the organisation Animal Rising...

Ah. Those nutcases. 

Expert assessors concluded that in many cases the farms not only failed to meet the RSPCA criteria, but didn’t even achieve the legal standard for animal welfare. Altogether, they alleged 280 legal breaches.

Then perhaps this is one we can leave to the ASA, George?  

It gets worse. Until the new report was published at the weekend, at which point it deleted them, the RSPCA’s website carried recipes for meat and fish, showing how you could cook cuts of the animals that receive its stamp of approval. Of 159 recipes on its site, only four were plant-based. Stand back and marvel at the perversity. It’s as if a children’s welfare charity had published a directory showing where you can hire child labour.

We're not going to go vegan anymore than we are going to eat the bugs, George. Give it a rest! 

When I asked the RSPCA about the new report, it told me it is looking into the allegations. It claimed that: “If we stepped back from RSPCA Assured, we risk leaving millions of farmed animals with even less protection.” I believe that’s the opposite of the truth.

Well, as a famous fictional lawyer once said, 'It doesn't matter what I believe, what matters is what I can prove!'  

Can't Spell, Can't Count...

...that's the 'Mail' for you!

Staff at his restaurant were filmed preparing the fish in a video on social media. But a wildlife campaigner said Stein should be ashamed of himself for cashing in on 'these rare incredible fish'.

A campaigner? Then why the plural in the headline? 

Dominic Dyer, a wildlife campaigner, wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: 'Why are fishermen being licensed to catch these incredible fish? Also, what is Rick Stein thinking, promoting the catch of this rare 150kg specimen to feed to tourists in his hugely expensive Padstow restaurant?

'There is no such thing as sustainable management of these rare incredible fish and Rick Stein should be ashamed of himself cashing in on killing them.'

*sighs* No such thing, eh? 

Fishermen were banned from catching bluefin tuna – the most expensive fish in the world – after overfishing of herring and mackerel depleted its food supply and it vanished off Cornwall in the 1950s. But it has now returned, due to rising sea temperatures, and the ban was relaxed in 2021.

Seems there is indeed such a thing! So global warming ain't all bad, is it?

A spokesman for Stein's restaurants said the fish was caught by 'one of ten boats with a licence to catch some of the small quota allowed by the Marine Management Organisation – a quota that's been carefully decided upon following detailed tracking and research of tuna in our waters'.

And the fishermen caught it because it's their job. Just as it's Stein's restaurant staff's job to feed tourists. 

What have you got against employment, Dyer? Was it your 13 years as a civil servant at MAFF that put you off?

“But It’s What You Asked For!”

NatWest has been accused of 'intrusion' after starting a new function that combs customers' accounts to track their carbon footprint.

A 'Carbon Footprint Tracker' on the bank's mobile app uses transaction data of its customers to make suggestions on how to reduce their carbon footprint based on their shopping habits.

More fool anyone who selected the setting to turn this aspect on, then! 

According to The Telegraph, the bank told customers to consider fixing their clothing instead of buying new items, and start drinking plant-based alternatives to dairy milk. The bank also urged customers to share car journeys, wash clothes in cold water and turn off tumble dryers.

Yes, as I suspected, the usual pointless stuff designed to make you feel virtuous while actually doing nothing at all when set against actual climate reality. Still, if it's what people want, right..? 

One customer, Faith Scott, said she thought the bank's carbon footprint calculator was an 'intrusion'. 'We don't need all this preaching to us. I don't take flights hither and thither. I grow my own vegetables and make my own food,' she said.

So, Faith, did NatWest hijack your phone and force this setting on you? Reader, what do you think? 

A NatWest spokesperson said: 'Customers tell us they want to take action to live more sustainably, and to save money at the same time on things like energy bills, but they don't aways know where to begin. The Carbon Footprint Tracker is an opt-in feature in our app that helps customers to see the carbon impact of their spending, at an aggregated level, and provides tips and suggestions to reduce this and to help them to save money too. If a customer opts-in, they can then opt-out at any point in settings in the Insights section of the app'.

Always RTFM, Faith... 

One Less Of Your Kind Is A Good Thing

This is the grandstanding 'climate scientist' who will be sacked for refusing to fly home:

Many people have asked why it is so important for me to travel as low-carbon as possible.

And far, far more have said 'Who?' 

I have three reasons. First, I want to be consistent with my moral commitment to avoid flying. Aviation is the biggest contributor to climate change of all forms of transport, a major factor in the rise in temperatures and the extreme weather events that we are witnessing more and more frequently all around the world.

Apart from that big ball of burning hydrogen in the sky, you mean? 

Second, I promised all the 1,800 participants in my research in Bougainville that I would return low-carbon. I want to keep my promise. White men (of whom I am one, as I am frequently reminded here) are often referred to as giaman – liars, fraudsters in Tok Pisin – probably with good reason given the country’s turbulent colonial past. I do not want to be seen as giaman.

I wonder what the native's word for 'sucker!' is? 

Finally, and most importantly, I hope my case might put a little crack into the wall of “selfishness, greed, and apathy”, which, in the words of climate lawyer Gus Speth, is the main hindrance to stopping runaway climate change. Many people will think that it is madness to give up their dream job to avoid taking one flight. But in the current era of climate breakdown, it is, in my opinion, insane to continue with “business as usual”, when science tells us that we are either dangerously close to or past the point of collapse for major ecosystems.

Yes, but the people who tell us that most often - the politicians and luvvies - aren't following your example, are they? They clearly don't believe what you claim. And with good reason. 

At the time of writing, I am waiting to embark on the cargo ship on the first leg of my low-carbon journey to Europe. When I arrive in Europe in about 45 days, I will be jobless. If, on my way, I manage to persuade people that our planet is seriously endangered and that radical, extraordinary action is needed, losing my job will have been a price worth paying.

Our planet has lasted millenia, and will continue to do so. We'll adapt. Like we always have done. Those who can't? Well, they'll wind up like you. 

I'm Fine With This...

...so long as it only applies to pregnant eco-lunatics.

Women in childbirth are being offered an injection of water instead of the traditional 'gas and air' – in a bid to make the NHS more environmentally friendly.

It's a brave nurse or midwife who's going to suggest that nonsense to a woman in labour! 

...the NHS has warned that using Entonox in Scotland is 'equivalent to 18,000 transatlantic flights'.

Scotland? Yes. You expect such insanity there. But you shouldn't expect it to stray this side of the border. surely? 

The Scottish Government previously wrote to all health boards with a plan suggesting women should be discouraged from using Entonox for the good of the planet.

And yet... 

Last week, watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) backed the use of sterile water in England.

*sighs* 

However, during a consultation on the treatment, the Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association wrote: 'What possible biological plausible explanation is there for benefit with intracutaneous or subcutaneous injections of water in volumes of 0.1 to 0.4mls?

'Because it is cheap and unlikely to cause harm is an inadequate justification for a recommendation, especially as NICE does not recommend other similar non-pharmacological therapies such as acupuncture and hypnosis.'

I fear you're fighting a losing battle. I don't think biology is uppermost in the NHS anymore... 

No, The Tories Aren't Behind Every Bad Thing That Happens...

Rob Cowen on the Sycamore Gap issue:

Trees can mean an awful lot to us. They are deep-rooted, for want of a better phrase, in our culture and mythology. And the outpouring of grief and anger over the destruction of that single sycamore has been widespread, from environmentalists and nature charities to politicians and celebrities.

Yes, indeed. It was a monumentally awful thing to do. And with the culprit still at large and the motive unknown. 

There is a bitter irony to the fact that on the same day the tree was cut down, the National Trust unveiled its own grim news: a report on the state of nature in Britain.

Not half as bitter as the report that when someone went and planted a new sapling, they promptly dug it up, eh. Rob? 

We live in what purports to be a progressive, civilised and “nature-loving” nation that is one of the wealthiest on the planet and yet we have a government that has just proudly and systematically backtracked on its commitments to meet climate imperatives and torn up its environmental policies and promises.

What does that have to do with someone's lone act of vandalism? Until they are caught, we'll never know if this was politically motivated, will we? 

How can we expect people to form the kind of connections with this living world that might stop a tree-cutter’s saw or force a change in habits if they cannot be in it? How can we ask people to protect something they have no sense of belonging in, or to?

But you see, for Rob, of course it must be a political act caused by 'the Tories'. Because for Rob, everything is... 

Except There's No Such Rush...

The rush to electric cars will blow a £9billion black hole in the public purse by 2030, ministers were warned yesterday.

What rush? Private buyers aren't convinced! 

Experts said fuel duty receipts would fall by around this much because of the Government's 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. Electric cars are also currently exempt from road tax, which is projected to cost the public finances hundreds of millions of pounds more.

Did anyone really believe the government would give that up? Really? 

It will pile pressure on ministers to come clean about whether they will introduce new road taxes to plug the hole and about the true cost of going electric.

Why? We know whatever they say will be a lie... 

Peers were also told that the 2030 cliff-edge could be counter-productive in terms of reducing carbon emissions because drivers may buy fossil fuel cars ahead of the deadline and hold onto them.

Incentives matter! They drive behaviour. How many times do we need to learn this lesson? 

The More I Hear From Her, The More I Like Her...

Kemi Badenoch has suggested electric vehicle mandates could hamper investment in Britain and lead to job losses, in a sign that another of the government’s green pledges is in doubt.

Don't just suggest it, though, Kemi. State it. Because it's true. 

The zero-emissions vehicle mandate is part of a series of rules to phase out petrol and diesel engine cars in an attempt to reach the government’s legal target of making the UK a net zero carbon emitter by 2050. The UK ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is due in 2030.

However, there are widespread concerns over whether Britain has adequate infrastructure and capacity for the growth of electric vehicles.

And who says that? Some petrolhead determined not to give up his polluting vehi...

Oh. 

Last weekend, the prime minister ordered a review of low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs). It is unknown whether the plan is to seek the removal of all LTNs, even those that have been in place for long periods, or only those installed since 2020 when Boris Johnson’s government provided £200m for more to be created.

It doesn't really matter what his plan is. We all know what it is. Not enough.

And if he doesn't realise that soon, he'll find someone else doing his job instead...  

“I feel like I’m already a prisoner of my conscience.”

Good, then let's make it reality too:

Rock said he has spent two months in prison over similar protests, and felt “traumatised” by it, adding that he was worried he would “have a complete mental breakdown” if he were jailed again.

You're already unhinged. Hopefully this will tip you over the edge.

The defendants also mentioned the impact the campaign had had on their friend Xavier Gonzalez-Trimmer, who killed himself after spending time in prison over an Insulate Britain protest. Pritchard said: “He was a brave, gentle and caring human being who could see the future we were facing and was desperate to do something about it, and now he’s dead.”

Feel free to join him. 

This Should Not Be A Surprise, Should It?

The ban on buying new petrol cars after 2030 will not be enough to meet green targets because polluting vehicles bought today are 'very likely' to still be in use, the RAC Foundation has said.

Well, of course they will! And why? Because we're making better cars: 

Vehicles have become less prone to corrosion and serious mechanical failure, while the cost-of-living crisis has made buying a car less affordable, even preowned.

What does the RAC suggest? Scrapping the ridiculous green targets, perhaps? 

That would be sensible, wouldn't it? That would be what your members surely want, wouldn't it?

The RAC Foundation has urged the government to encourage new car buyers to go electric, or at least choose a vehicle with low emissions.

Oh. 'More of the same'. So much for representing your members interests...

Electric cars can cost less to run and most experts agree that they are better for the planet.

 And where do they find these 'experts'..? 

And They're Right To Be...

The Guardian can reveal that the government’s upcoming land use strategy will not include a reduction in area used for animal agriculture in England.

Thus annoying all the right people. So, it seems the Tories can do something right after all! 

Climate groups have long been urging the government to take steps to reduce meat consumption, and are now accusing ministers of “worsening the cost of living crisis and continuing to lead us towards climate and ecological catastrophe”.

We aren't going to eat the bugs. Or your 'plant based' crap, either. Tough luck. 

Speaking at the Oxford farming conference, the agriculture minister, Mark Spencer, defended the government’s decision to have a hands-off approach when it came to telling landowners what to do.

...

He said meat produced in the UK was more sustainable than that from other countries, and said that, for example, beef from the UK would be better for the environment than imported beef from Mexico.

You frequently see eco-nutters pointing at carrots flown in from other countries on their hectoring Twitter feeds as 'utter nonsense!', so isn't it strange they don't take the same view about meat?  

She Forgot To Add 'Unless You Come In On A Dinghy'...

Coffey, secretary of state for environment food and rural affairs since Rishi Sunak took office in September said: “It is not the role of government to provide free food.”

Well, that should stop the flow of illegal immigration! Suella can put her feet up and have a mince pie... 

In her first grilling by MPs on the environment, food and rural affairs committee since taking up the post, she also said she was “very disappointed by the water companies” and acknowledged concern over sewage flows into waterways. She said water company bosses were being summoned to account for their actions next week, and that they would be subject to more monitoring and would have to submit “real-time data”. She stopped short of promising to crack down on sewage flows into rivers and beaches.

Well, of course! I mean, we wouldn't want to upset people who aren't doing their job, would we? It might make the Cabinet nervous... 

Coffey did, however, give comfort to those hoping for an expansion of renewable energy across the UK countryside. She moved away from the position adopted by Sunak in his leadership campaign, when he rejected solar farms on UK agricultural land, and said a government review of land use to be published in the first half of next year would take a “balanced” view.

She told the committee that land graded 3b for agricultural use – judged to be moderate quality, capable of producing cereals and grass – could be used for solar farms.

We need more food production, not less. Why do these 'conservatives' think there's votes in humouring the eco-loons?

Amateurs...

Eco-zealots are said to be planning to 'swarm and block' roundabouts in a fresh wave of action targeting road users, expected to take place during rush hour tomorrow.

You think you're causing chaos for motorists? 

You're tiddlers. Watch what a Great White does to motorists...

I Suppose This Was Inevitable...

...not content with lab-grown 'meat', now we can look forward to lab-grown fur:

Luxury fashion house Fendi, part of LVMH, wants a sustainable alternative to fur. Researchers from Imperial and Central Saint Martins are on the case. Finding an integrative alternative to fur in the fashion industry means replicating the luxury qualities of the original material. If it feels fake, then it is a failure. Professor Tom Ellis in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial thinks he has part of the answer: use genes from fur-producing animals such as fox and mink to grow substitute hair fibres in the laboratory.

I'm all for the appliance of science, but this is as crazy an idea as the idea of lab-grown 'meat'; we have a natural, sustainable source of both, and we are throwing that overboard to satisfy the squeamish. 

Is it me, or..? 

Together with LVMH and Fendi, Professor Collet will look into the market-fit of a new kind of fur such as this, what designers would make of it, and how the public might react. The expectation is that it will be more luxurious than fake furs made from plastics, with better environmental credentials. This will be explored with a thorough life-cycle analysis of the new product.

We already have a process to grow meat and fur - they are called 'farmed animals'. This is a waste of science. 

Be Careful What You Wish For, Henry...

Worried children at a primary school in the most polluted area of a community have appealed to parents and carers to help them cut damaging fumes by walking and biking and not keeping vehicles running.

Out of the blue? They all just decided this off their own bat? 

Head boy Henry King said: “Year six students at Bedale Primary School have been getting increasingly worried. This issue is going to get bigger if we don’t act now. We can’t do it alone, we need your help.

“Our concern over this problem was created during a scientific lesson with Dr Matt Sawyer about the human body. He told us about the effect air pollution has on our bodies and we were really shocked. Health problems like asthma, heart and lung problems.”

Ah! Of course not. Yet more indoctrination.  

“We want none of this to happen to our students. We were shown a map colour coded to the worst areas of air pollution in Bedale. Firby Road and Benkhill Drive were a deep red; our school was surrounded by pollution. This is not good for our students' health. Here is how you can help.

“When you are in your car, don’t have it running, all of the exhaust fumes go into one place. Also, by not using your car, money on fuel and possibly someone's life could be saved. Walking, scooting and biking places is healthier for you and the environment. We can save the environment, one step at a time.”

OK, Henry. No more being driven to after school activities in Mummy's Volvo. No more crisps and yoghurt in the larder and fridge when you get back, either, Mummy's not allowed to go to the shops to replenish supplies.  

Oh, your Playstation isn't working? Well, on your bike with you to the repair shop!

You're a bit chilly up in your bedroom? Sorry, can't turn up the heating. That's polluting. 

What's that, your favourite rugby shirt is dirty and the other players are making fun of you? Oh, well, that eco-setting on the washing machine doesn't really work so well, I guess. Never mind. It's for the good of the planet, isn't it?

No Government Ever Institutes 'Joined Up Policies'...

...and this one is no exception:

The committee's chairman, Darren Jones, said replacing gas boilers, the major source of pollution from homes, was "a huge task and we are not making near enough progress". The report urges the government to do more to explain to the public the changes they will be facing, including the potential costs and benefits.

Maybe the public has seen the potential costs and decided they don't outweigh the benefits? If that's the case, then nothing the government will do will work... 

Mr Jones said the government should also replace the failed Green Homes Grant – the scheme providing financial support for people to insulate their homes.

“Ministers can’t simply leave this to the market – the government should tackle the cost of heating our homes in the round and bring forward joined-up policies that address these issues together,” he said.

When a government wonk claims that something 'can't be left to the market', hold on tight to your wallet; it means they are pushing something they know people don't want and won't accept. 

“For most people, your boiler is probably the most environmentally damaging thing that you own,” said Nesta's Andrew Sissons.

And people won't care, so long as the alternative is worse.  

There's Nothing New Under The Sun...

Parents have long chastised children with the threat of withholding dessert unless the dinner plate is licked clean.

Now, however, it seems they will have to go one further and eat the crockery too before they can tuck into pudding - as a British company have launched a range of edible spoons, cups, plates and bowls. The tableware is made from wheat bran, similar to breakfast bran flakes, and is designed to hold hot or cold food.

It is, of course, the brainshild of an 'eco-company': 

The plates are likely to cost more than the average picnic lunch, however, with a pack of ten large bran plates costing £7.99.

Stroodles has been making eco-straws made from pasta since 2019 and is now expanding its range to cover the full dining experience.

Sounds familiar, and I can't think wh...

Ah!  

We're going backwards. So why is this considered 'progressive'?