EnviroSpin Watch

Spare a thought for the poor old environmental correspondent.....

I think we should feel just a smidgen sorry for Geoffrey Lean of the lachrymose Indy and Paul Brown and John Vidal of The Gloomiad. Despite all their unremitting hype on the dire perils of 'Media World Global Warming', the British public remain (thank goodness) resolutely unfazed¹, possessing far too much common sense to fall for the tear-stained angst of the environmental correspondent's 'World of Daily Disasters'.

In a new Populus Poll (February 4-to-6), issued in today's The Times (February 8, p. 9), 'global warming' doesn't even feature in the list of key political issues. Here is the ranking (showing the % interest among the populace, with the change from May 2004 provided in brackets):

National Health Service 49% (-15);
Crime 45% (+11);
Education 41% (-8);
Pensions and Social Security 32% (+4);
Immigration and Asylum 28% (-9);
Level of Taxes 23% (+5);
International Terrorism 19% (-7);
International Poverty 17% (na)
Europe 10% (+2);
Transport 9% (-2);
Iraq 9% (na);
Interest Rates 6% (na).

You will notice that, while Mr. Blair's drive on international poverty, especially in Africa, has registered with voters, his rants on 'global warming' have not. Crime, by contrast, is becoming a most serious issue.

I'm thus delighted to be able to report that 'global warming' angst remains the preserve of a rather tiny circle of our most liberal elite who live within 2 miles of Green College and George Monbiot's house in Oxford; in the laptops of a few Eeyore-like and rather gloomy environmental correspondents; on the ever-frenetic 'Horizon'; in waffly degree courses called Environmental Studies or Development Studies; and, of course, in and around the computers of the Hadley Centre.

Meanwhile, the rest of us are getting on with our lives, if increasingly concerned about crime, pensions, and world poverty.

[¹ Hat tip to Louis Hissink over at Henry Thornton.com - 'Oh Dear, A spilling misstake' - for spotting our tragic spelling error, which we have gratefully, and most humbly, corrected! We like to improve our posts, phase by faze.....]

Philip, always grateful for the pragmatic good sense of British folk. Moonbats might feature regularly on breathless tele, but who notices?