Gove v Davey on climate change – who do we believe?

[Image: BBC.]

[Image: BBC.]

Just three days after Michael Gove reacted with “concern” over a report that climate change was being discussed in British schools, his coalition partner and Energy Secretary Ed Davey – speaking for the British government – has claimed the European Union must do more to limit the phenomenon.

One of them wants to deny that it exists; the other says it is all-too-real. They are both in the government.

What are we supposed to think?

Perhaps it might be excusable to think that these divisions are likely to happen in a government that is an uneasy alliance between two political organisations that have unique ideologies, but will that really wash?

The whole idea of the Coalition was that they would put their differences behind them and work together – and, let’s be honest, the alliance has never been as uneasy as some would want us to believe. This is why it has been so easy for this blog (and others) to re-name Nick Clegg’s party the Tory Democrats.

No, what we have here is a schizoid situation in which the government is making two different statements at once. Gove is saying climate change doesn’t exist and it is wrong to suggest that it does, while Davey is demanding that we team up with other countries to fight it.

Clearly, there has been a breakdown in communication somewhere.

The applicable word is: Omnishambles.

In such situations it would be normal to look to the leader for guidance… but he’s off on holiday, in a part of the globe that’s warm. Also, we now know he has all the leadership skills of a frightened sheep.

Never mind; for David Cameron, the clock is ticking. In a little over a year, he could be nothing more than a bad memory.

Let us hope that, by then, it won’t be too late for our environment.

Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike

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4 Comments

  1. beastrabban April 13, 2014 at 5:27 pm - Reply

    Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
    This shows the split between the Tories and the Liberal Democrats. The Tories are becoming increasingly like the American Republican Party they so ardently admire: profoundly hostile to global warming because of the limitations the idea places on humanity’s freedom – and in particular industry’s – to trash the planet by doing whatever it wants, regardless of the consequences. The Lib Dems meanwhile seem to be trying to retain some Green credentials. Well, Dave Cameron declared that he wanted this to be ‘the Greenest government ever’, until he finally got in. Now the windmill is very definitely off the roof.

    In other respects, however, there’s very, very little difference between them. Both are Neoliberal parties with a hatred of state control, welfare spending and fear of the organised working class. They should both be unseated at the next election.

  2. cnhay April 13, 2014 at 7:33 pm - Reply

    Sorry but as much as i hate this Torry madman i have to agree with him this subject of climate change is covered in innuendo halve truths and out and out lies, there is a truck fu;; of genuine information on the subject on the internet that has been produced by real scientists and not those who are either being payed for by large corporation and governments who benefit of taxes being imposed by to so called compensate for damage caused by climate change when in fact very little or no evidence is available to prove there case, No this subject is not yet ready for education purposes, but conservation is , its a pity this whole environment ideology has been hijacked by big business and government departments who are using this for there own financial gains.. Lets get back to reality and spend more on real solutions and not waste tax payers money on short term whit elephants. .

  3. […] Just three days after Michael Gove reacted with “concern” over a report that climate change was being discussed in British …Continue reading →  […]

  4. Pendantic Geek April 14, 2014 at 8:30 am - Reply

    Neither of these people is qualified to make a catagorical confirmation or denial of climate change.
    Politicians should be required to state “According to my highly biased and ill informed belief…” before trying to make any kind of statement regarding scientific evidence.

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