The religious mindset embraces the belief that there is more to life than the material world of the senses. There are truths that transcend the here and now. Things that give a non-contingent meaning to human existence. This is obvious with the monotheistic religions, and a little less obvious with Buddhism and polytheistic beliefs. Still, the appeal of this sort of belief in transcendent truths is pretty obvious. That means that not all that many people who reject established religions will move over to some sort of David Hume or Bertrand Russell-type sceptical view that what you see is what you get – we are here because of the fortuitous collisions of trillions of atoms, lots of time and even more luck. As Hume famously said, “the life of a man is of no greater importance to the universe than that of an oyster”.
That means that myriad people who hold secular views in today’s world are going to invest other things with a sort of enervated, but still transcendent, worth and meaning. It will become a sort of religion for them. And ‘climate change’ is the obvious exhibit number one. All sorts of people talk about this issue through a patently religious-type lens. They invest it with a sort of transcendent value. Mere cost-benefit type analyses are too tawdry and aren’t allowed because this is something beyond the material world of trade-offs and economic thinking. It becomes an explanation for everything, and so cannot be falsified (and really is not a scientific claim at all). Nor does it matter if actions taken in furtherance of this quasi-religious goal will accomplish anything at all, or not. As with the religious martyr, if China and India build a new coal-fired power plant every week (and they are) and the Trump administration pulls out of the Paris Net Zero accord (and it will) – meaning anything an Australia or Britain or Canada might do, including going back to the Stone Age tomorrow, will make virtually zero difference to future temperatures – none of that matters. Moral righteousness irrespective of consequences is what counts and what gives a sort of untainted meaning to life. ‘We will be a moral beacon, whether others copy us or not. We act in the service of a transcendent truth, etcetera, etcetera.’
Readers will think I’m over-egging this and exaggerating the type of thinking that drives many of the climate change cultists. But I don’t think I am. Talk to them of former Obama science advisor Steve Koonin’s book Unsettled, which pokes all sorts of holes in the supposed ‘settled science’ around global warming, and Bjorn Lomborg who argues our money could be infinitely better spent in preparing for a degree or two higher temperatures, and they will dismiss this all out of hand. Point out that extreme weather events have been declining, not accelerating (and the data are clear on this) and they will ignore you, and each time there is a fire or hurricane or flood, for them it will be a sign of the Climate Change God’s displeasure with human actions. No pedestrian human actions or failures will divert them from uttering the all-inclusive explanation that ‘it’s climate change what dunnit’.
Take the massive fires in Los Angeles. All the usual suspects have jumped on the ‘climate change is the culprit’ express. You’ll have heard this from Gavin Newsom, myriad Democrat politicos, Hollywood starlets, the preponderance of the legacy media (seemingly unaware, even after the recent U.S. election, that the vast majority of voters don’t give a flying firetruck what they think or are selling), the Teals in Australia, Bob Carr, the list goes on into the horizon. Now, a non-religious outlook that focused on the empirical facts would point to the lack of water management (no water retention, no dam building, and in fact dams removed so that this past year’s record rainfalls all ended up in the ocean) despite voters passing Proposition 1 to spend $7.5 billion to make it happen. It would suggest that the failure to do proper forest management and burn offs (in deference to the environmental lobby) mattered a lot too. As did the fact many water hydrants were empty of water. As did the $18 million cut in LA fire department’s budget last year, to fund DEI crap. As did DEI hiring practices and promotions in the that same fire department. As did all the homelessness that correlates with more arson. Ditto the illegal immigration gangs – start a fire and then loot when the owners have to leave. And did you know that there was no viable insurance industry for this in LA because the socialist Dems were dictating premiums that the insurance industry knew – given everything else Team Newsom was doing – were insanely too low. So many couldn’t get insurance.
Victor Davis Hanson sums it up quite pithily. These fires were “a total systems collapse”. Not spending on water storage. Suffering from an extensive DEI – so, by definition, no concern with merit in hiring and running the fire department – hierarchy. No forest management. ‘Newsom was fiddling’ while LA burned. It was like a ‘DEI Green New Deal hydrogen bomb’. And this despite huge rainfalls 11 months ago. And warnings from the insurance industry that went unheeded and forced many of these companies to leave. Nope, instead LA cut the fire department budget by almost $18 million last year.
But hey, if you’re a Teal or Bob Carr or one of many, many Democrat politicians this all happened because of ‘climate change’. Sure, I realise that not all exponents of this explanation are true believers. Renewables rent-seekers are grifters. And Gavin Newsom is watching his political future burn up before his eyes and needs to blame something other than Democrat policies. But we all know there are plenty of true believers in this cult. Heck, half the Coalition partyroom probably falls into that category (barf, barf). No amount of empirical explanation will dent the desire for these believers to embrace the gods of climate alarmism. And their need to lay moral blame on all who refuse to genuflect at the altar of this new pseudo-religion.
More has been done to protect and advance free speech since Donald Trump won the election than was seen in all the tenures of all the establishment Anglosphere governments over the last two decades – that is just undeniable. Likewise, the Don’s pending administration will do more to fight back against this climate change religious worldview than any established Anglosphere conservative government has or will do. Because when the costs get too high, businesses flee and everyone else is laughing at you for wearing a hair shirt to get to heaven, the spell can be broken. Los Angeles voters are getting what they voted for – good and hard.
James Allan is the Garrick Professor of Law at Queensland University. This article first appeared in Spectator Australia.
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I was surprised Sunak did not know of the QUALY data. I was aware of public reports on that quite early on.
as Chancellor, did he not have a voice. Should he not have asked for that data.
I would bet money on Keith knowing all about QALYs. He knows it’s a subject best avoided!
No don’t count on it, these ppl are incredibly dumb. His answer actually shows he has no clue what it even is.
A top KC who gets paid ££££s will not be “incredibly dumb”. If you look at the cases he has been involved in, it’s clear he will have developed an acute political awareness. You don’t get to be a top KC by just knowing the law.
Speaking the truth can be career limiting or, at the very least, close doors to you. I should know, I’ve found myself there at least three times in my past.
I spoke the inconvenient truth and took the hit. You might say I’m my own worst enemy, but I don’t regret it.
Perhaps that tendency is why I also couldn’t shut up about lockdown and the rest. I think I’m just wired that way.
“Speaking the truth can be career limiting or, at the very least, close doors to you.”
Exactly.
Yes I’m just a millionaire a couple of times over instead of 10 times over had I kept my thoughts private. My mouth has cost fortunes and now my career is basically over, albeit I cannot claim poverty.
Join the club, GDA…
You might be right but you’d be surprised how supposedly intelligent ppl are completely innumerate. On reflection the speed with which he moved on suggests you are right, though his explanation of Qaly was wilfully misinformed.
I know lots of “intelligent” people who are gullible or capable of great intellectual laziness when it suits them. However it seems to me that to get to the top of a profession like law, or politics, requires you to have the skills of a professional liar and to know which side your bread is buttered.
So, two things can both be true at the same time
A KC has a huge advantage in a conventional courtroom – he has read his brief, he knows which questions he wants to ask, he knows which subjects he wants to explore and how to close down the areas he doesn’t. The witness is often nervous, may be scared.and may not have the same level of articulation as the KC. A KC doesn’t get to his or her position without being clever and skilled both inside or outside the courtroom.
But, if you come up against someone who is self-assured or confident, knows their subject and crucially knows how to prevent having words put in their mouth then any of the KC’s shortcomings or his prepared position may be exposed, as I believe they were here. I suspect he is probably fuming about this brief exchange, especially as it happened on the last day, for now, and was widely reported.
Yes, that’s a good point.
As I’ve said before there should really be two or maybe three adversarial teams who can call witnesses and cross examine them – one that is defending the government’s actions, one that is advocating for more restrictions and one for none. That way more people would be exposed to the holes in the whole thing.
Spot on. As I mentioned in the “roundup” commentary earlier today: “And the likely increase in deaths by alternative routes, due to lack of service & extended waiting lists for a range of other diseases. It’s entirely possible to demonstrate that the concept of “lockdown” had a negative effect, just based on QALY using the original definition of the term. No surprise that the barrister steered clear of it.”
A cynic might suggest that the so-called “Inquiry” is actually a self defence process.
Indeed. I think it’s more than self-defence, it’s an integral part of covid theatre, to consolidate the Big Lie that there was a Deadly Pandemic and a Public Health Emergency.
Smoke and mirrors. People will remember only the conclusions drawn at the end.
We’ll remain labeled as conspiracy theorists, whereas we’re simply performing the radical act of remembering specific details.
I think it’s a subject he’s been instructed to avoid.
Keith is clearly an ignoramus. This retard has been hand picked to guarantee the “right” outcome. QALY is a basic concept used in public policy.
A discussion between an ex-Chancellor and a top end barrister. Keith is clever enough to avoid the topic altogether; it’s not on his agenda. I assume you are using the term “ignoramus” in the legal use of the term, so as to deliberately pretend to not know something!
I don’t know if it’s ignorance or malevolence, does it even matter? I’ve spent so much time around lawyers to be aware they are not terribly numerate, even supposedly brilliant ones. They have a niche skill, the law, bugger all else but think yr right about his political acumen
A Cost Benefit Analysis? How does that apply?
Someone please tell me, what benefit at all was there from lockdown?
Well you’ve nailed it. Zero benefits, 400bn costs. -400bn.
Well, there could be a list of those that made a profit out of it, along with that lost revenue etc, including those that lost their reputation on account of their behaviour. However, I’m sceptical of the availability of honest reports on either side.
Indeed. Lockdown is a novel intervention with an obviously huge cost. As such, it’s up to lockdown advocates to provide a compelling case with real world evidence that there was a benefit. I’ve not seen any such compelling evidence.
https://off-guardian.org/2023/12/13/russias-friendliest-bank-will-help-brics-implement-the-climate-agenda/
Climate change in Russia will cost the economy 580 billion roubles pa between now and 2027 apparently.
Why is ‘Climate change’ always bad news? A little global boiling would certainly be much appreciated in the UK over the course of the next few months and would help to reduce fuel bills for everyone. Why such negativity?
He’s a Lawyer for God’s sake, and a KC. Years ago the title QC actually meant the holders thereof had at least a shred of Honour.
He won’t give a shit – as long as he’s paid.
If he’s never heard of a cost benefit analysis/risk assessments then I’m the King of Scotland. It’s the FIRST question any Lawyer asks re possible injury claims. But as most on here know it ain’t about that is it.
And as for the Good Lady, Christ, she’s an utter disgrace to my once honourable profession. A pure Government puppet. They chose her well.
And in the very unlikely event anyone connected with these bastards reads this, complain to the Law Society and try to get me struck off the roll.
No doubt that these two were hiding behind their very expensive sofas when covid insanity kicked off.
It’s really bad what happened and him being put in charge. You could see years before that this was essentially their idea of a counter coup. But the consequences for the people of this country will be distastrous. And whoever comes next will be even worse. Until the population understands that the real evil emanates into these people from elsewhere. It’s sick what they have done to their own population.
Recently, the Germany parliament allowed a professor to speak freely on the ‘health’ controls and he did not hold back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iq2TZPEWjcA&t=610s
SMOKING GUN: German Professor in the German Parliament Explains All!
Vaccine scepticism has become mainstream. It always follows this trajectory – first they ignore you then they laugh at you then you fight them then you win, as Gandhi said. But the real battle lies elsewhere. Lets say 90 percent of people learned that they were stabbinated with a bioweapon – this is only meaningful if they care about it. If they were that easy to control the first time around then believe me they will be suckers for the second round. It is their karma to follow that path. Revelation talks about spiritual death and about of a third of people consigned to it. We will have to learn to acknowledge the dead walking amongst us. We could make something beautiful out of it.
Some on here claiming Hugo Keith is somehow thick. This is a hyper-intelligent, well paid puppet with a moral vacuum the size of Heather Hallett’s arse, being told to throw as much smoke as possible to divert attention from the psychopath puppet masters who are currently paving the way for the WHO pandemic treaty.
A binding agreement to initialise and light the touchpaper for a single global control cartel most probably orchestrated by a tie in deal with the WEF and its “penetrated cabinets”, Gates and the Chinese. With Covid having been the initial grooming exercise.
I can see no other explanation anymore.
I’m a pleb but that’s a great post