James Delingpole's Blog, page 59

Swine flu: can we have our £1 billion back now, please?

Journalist dies, oinking horribly, after failing to take Swine Flu seriously. That was the title I gave one of my first Telegraph blogs – April 27th 2009 – well aware that I was offering up a tremendous hostage to fortune. My how they would all have laughed darkly if I'd caught swine flu and died! But I didn't, did I? And nor strangely did you.

Here are some of the comments that appeared below the blog:

Here's a very angry science expert who signs herself Kaytie:

"James Delingpole is a dolt...

Giles Coren says: 'Climate Change. It's SNOW joke!!!'

It's never a happy business when one has, reluctantly, to report that an esteemed newspaper columnist who also happens to be a friend has made a complete prat of himself in print. But such is my sad duty regarding the following article by the Times's resident restaurant critic, snark and roisterer, Giles Coren – who has mysteriously, belatedly decided to take a firm and apparently very angry position on the thing they call 'Climate Change'. (Hat tip: R Southward)

Right, there is something...

Climategate: We're winning!

But only in a Crecy (1346) way rather than an Agincourt (1415) way – which is to say we've got an awful long way to go before this war's over.

Still, I do think we evil Climate Change Deniers can take heart from this characteristically incisive piece by Brian Micklethwait at the libertarian/classical liberal website Samizdata. (Hat tip: Richard North).

Micklethwait draws parallels between "climate change" and the Cold War.

Meanwhile, the AGW debate has arrived at the same position that the Cold...

Childhood hero

I think I might be about the second-last person on earth finally to have replaced his squat, bulbous, stone-age TV set with one of those new angled, wide-screen, narrow, HD-ready jobs. My worry is it's not big enough.

'No, you can't have a 50-inch. No way are you having a 50-inch. Not in MY house,' said the wife, as the kids and I all begged and begged to no avail.

Of course, I understand where the wife is coming from. There was indeed an era when to have a large TV screen dominating your...

If we're going to rage against cultural atrocities, let's make sure we target the right ones

The highlight of my Christmas holidays was taking the family to see Avatar. It's not often a film comes along which wife, Boy (11), Girl (9) and I are able to adore in equal measure. But James Cameron's $200 million epic ego-fest hit the spot perfectly and for those families out there still wavering, I can't recommend it highly enough.

Whenever I've mentioned this to my right-leaning friends, though, the general reaction has been one of appalled horror. 'But how could you?' they want to know. ...

Climategate investigated by – WTF? – the 'National Domestic Extremism' team

Finally the Norfolk rozzers are on the case of Climategate. Are they investigating fraudulent misuse of grant funds? Misleading manipulation of data by a taxpayer-funded research institute? Conspiracy to encourage the squandering of trillions of dollars on a non-existent problem?

Not according to the researches of the estimable blogger Bishop Hill. This morning he contacted the Norfolk Constabulary to ask them how the case was going: had they yet ascertained whether it was a leak or a hack...

The problem with Dave Cameron (No.203)

Over at my other home the Spectator, four writers have been trying to fathom what David Cameron's big idea is. They have about as much chance as if they'd gone looking for the G Spot.

"You wait till he gets elected. Then you'll see what a proper Conservative he is," say all the Kool-Aid drinkers who seem to infest the comments section of any blog when you try to point out this self-evident truth.

To which I reply: by his deeds shall ye know him. Never mind all those rumours you hear about how s...

The greatest threat of the 21st century: not AGW but Eco-Fascism

As you freeze your butt off in a winter whose severity the politicised weather forecasters of the Met Office utterly failed to predict, and as you wonder how you can afford gas and electricity bills which have been grotesquely inflated by taxes and legislation designed to "combat global warming", spare a thought for a fellow victim of eco-fascism who's even worse off than you. In a week or so this poor man could be dead.

His name is Peter Spencer, he's a farmer in New South Wales, and his...

Finally BBC asks: are we maybe a bit biased on 'climate change'?

At last. The BBC Trust – the BBC's governing body – is to launch a review of its science coverage, especially regarding "climate change". (Hat tip: Yaosxx)

The review comes after repeated criticism of the broadcaster's handling of green issues. It has been accused of acting like a cheerleader for the theory that climate change is a man-made phenomenon.

Critics have claimed that it has not fairly represented the views of sceptics of the widely-held belief that humans are responsible for...

How to keep warm this winter

Hard-up British pensioners have been buying up job lots of cheap, rubbishy, unwanted, out-of-date hardback books to burn as winter fuel.

Here's my top recommendation: