Fun With Asceticism
British opposition Tory leader David Cameron says "We've got to try and make the environment and climate change uplifting and fun and interesting ..."
Fun? Doing less with less is fun? We have always said that energy conservation is asceticism disguised as engineering, but fun? For example:
(Stolen from the Brit Independent) Flights within the UK should be taxed almost out of existence, a leading Tory MP said today. Tim Yeo, who chairs the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, said he wanted to see "virtually no" domestic flights taking off within a decade. Fun? Trains are fun, well not really. Once, not twice.
Meanwhile, Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry Secretary, said that climate change could be the biggest business opportunity of the 21st century with the potential to create 100,000 new jobs in the next decade. "From climate change seen simply as a threat, the environment a cost, to where it is viewed as the greatest business opportunity of our age. Bringing jobs and wealth to Britain," he said.
Fun + jobs! My Darling thinks enviro costs are benefits because somebody gets the money. Voters may disagree. 100,000 make-work jobs, like driving people who should be flying, is not fun.
Clearly British politics has fallen into a frenzy of green one-upmanship. But then these are the funny folks that brought us Through the Looking Glass. Let's watch the new US Congress try to top them, as they no doubt will.
Enjoy the show. It should be fun.
The Washington Pest
Fun? Doing less with less is fun? We have always said that energy conservation is asceticism disguised as engineering, but fun? For example:
(Stolen from the Brit Independent) Flights within the UK should be taxed almost out of existence, a leading Tory MP said today. Tim Yeo, who chairs the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, said he wanted to see "virtually no" domestic flights taking off within a decade. Fun? Trains are fun, well not really. Once, not twice.
Meanwhile, Alistair Darling, the Trade and Industry Secretary, said that climate change could be the biggest business opportunity of the 21st century with the potential to create 100,000 new jobs in the next decade. "From climate change seen simply as a threat, the environment a cost, to where it is viewed as the greatest business opportunity of our age. Bringing jobs and wealth to Britain," he said.
Fun + jobs! My Darling thinks enviro costs are benefits because somebody gets the money. Voters may disagree. 100,000 make-work jobs, like driving people who should be flying, is not fun.
Clearly British politics has fallen into a frenzy of green one-upmanship. But then these are the funny folks that brought us Through the Looking Glass. Let's watch the new US Congress try to top them, as they no doubt will.
Enjoy the show. It should be fun.
The Washington Pest
posted by The Washington Pest at
10:39 AM
1 Comments:
Ahhh! That's it. Those 100,000 jobs won't be driving those who would fly in Britain, but peddling them. Anyone for a bicycle built for two ... with a sidecar? Or maybe a trailer. What a romantic way to get about the quaint countryside...
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