Apparently Tony Blair has just about caught up with the rest of humanity and declared that we "must act" to tackle climate change. Reading the news article, I was vaguely encouraged that politicians are slowly beginning to take this idea on board. However, I was also deeply depressed by certain other aspects of the article. We need to look no further than the first sentence, in fact:
The world will suffer irreversible economic damage without immediate action to combat climate change, the Prime Minister has said.
Notice the use of the word 'economic'. No mention of the destruction of the natural environment, or the loss of plant, animal and human life. No, if there's no money involved, it doesn't register on the political radar. This depresses me so much that it's truly beyond my power to put into words. After all, it's this political obsession with money, economic growth and so on, that has brought us to this crisis in the first place. I don't see us getting out of it by maintaining the same obsession. And the thing is, money is the biggest fiction, the least important thing in the world. I found this idea expressed admirably in a comment on the blog of David Miliband, Secretay of State for Environment. Someone signing himself as Mike Bennet writes as follows:
Hi David. I realise this is part of the upcoming announcement about new nuclear power stations to which I am totally opposed. I just wanted to make clear that there are two value systems going on here. Business and the Government work pretty much by money – if the case works financially then it's fine.
But the real world is far more complex than that – it doesn't recognise money at all in fact. And out here we citizens and our descendants are the ones who will bear the full effects of these decisions. And those effects are not financially measurable and are not included in your decisions really.
So I believe the starting point can't possibly really be public safety as you say – preparing for new nuclear power stations is not a path to go down if you truly value public safety.
David, you're in a good position to start to bring some honesty into politics – this would be a good place to start.
Incidentally, if anyone can help me out on this information, I'd been obliged. I saw Jeremy Paxman talking to some kind of government spokesman about the environment on Newsnight a week or two ago. I don't think it was David Miliband, strangely, though it's possible I just didn't recognise him. Anyway, the interview was fascinating, hilarious, depressing and scary. Basically, Paxman asked the spokesman, in view of Gordon Brown's statement that climate change is the biggest problem facing the planet, what exactly the government are doing to tackle that problem. The spokesman was completely unable to come up with anything that they were actually doing. He was really crumbling on camera. "So, climate change is the biggest problem facing the world. Can we therefore have a commitment from the government for some kind of action?" "Well, it's too early to talk about commitment." Blah blah blah. It also transpired that the respective figures for government spending on the environment and on the Iraq war were 100 million pounds (over one or four years, I can't remember) and five billion pounds. The most important problem in the world – 100 million pounds. Slaughtering a load of foreigners for reasons no longer intelligible to anyone – five billion pounds.
So, that's why I hate politicians.
“The world will suffer irreversible economic damage…”I had to do a mental double-take when I heard this on the radio; and apparently, the best solution the government can come up with to solve this urgent crisis is… increased taxation.
It is, as they say, beyond satire.
Blair’s comment reminds me of a remark some time ago by Jasper Carrott, who was having some fun at the expense of the ‘Protect & Survive’ pamphlet informing the public what to do in case of a nuclear war. The most serious immediate consequence of such an event, apparently, was ‘the collapse of the banking system’…Of course, it’s worth noting that Blair only sat up and took notice of global warming when the problem was reported by an economist. Like Bush, mere scientists don’t impress him, although I expect he’d pay attention if an astronomer told him that we were about to collide with a comet or asteroid. Interesting to speculate how he’d react – empty his bank account, I expect!
I’m disappointed in the voters, too. It’s not that I don’t understand those who think there’s no realistic alternative to Labour at the moment, but, for instance, Blair’s recent speech at – hang on, where was it? – it was basically the ‘I’m going soon, but I’d like to glorify my career so far’ speech. It was counted ‘a triumph’ by the media, and there were, apparently, many people asking “Why have we been so keen to get rid of him?” How about lying about our reasons for going into a war that has cost tens of thousands of civilian lives, having an abysmal record in environmental matters, forcing through an ID card scheme that everyone – but Blair – agrees will be expensive, counterproductive and damaging to our civil liberties… the list goes on. When people are so utterly shallow that a ‘good speech’ changes their mind about everything, I despair of them.
Anonymous writes:
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=20351307
Not Believing
© 2007
Tony Diana
I don’t give a damn About your politics
You play the same old game… And I think it stinks
I don’t give a damn… What you’re running for
Cuz I’m just not believin’
Anymore
You’ve got the answers… And you give them with a smile
You tell us that your plan… Is really quite worthwhile
You say what we want to hear… What we’re looking for
But I’m just not believin’
Anymore
If
I could go back in time…I’d find a leader
With the balls to do what’s right
Tell me Harry Truman…If you could be the one
Would you change this pathetic mess?
Our Congress has become
You give yourself a pay raise …In the middle of the night
When you drink and drive…It all turns out all right
You tell us that our border…Is not an open door?
But I’m just not believin’ anymore
The bridge is falling down…and you say vote for me
While the soldiers coming back… can’t get the care they need
You say you’re the leader…That we’ve been waiting for
But I’m just not believin’ … Tired of your deceiving
I’m just not believing
Anymore
Tony Diana
http://www.tonydiana.com
http://www.myspace.com/tonydiana
Supporting our Troops through Music!