GWPF Newsletter: Lords Report Calls On UK Government To Prioritise Energy Security Over Climate Rush

House Of Lords Committee Calls For Radical Reform Of UK Energy Policy

In this newsletter:

1) Lords Reports Calls On UK Government To Prioritise Energy Security Over Climate Rush
RE News, 24 February 2017
 
2) House Of Lords Committee Calls For Radical Reform Of UK Energy Policy
House of Lords, 24 February 2017

Lord Richard Balfe: View from the House of Lords - Understanding Comrade Corbyn

I have known Jeremy Corbyn since the middle 1970’s when he was engaged in his first great project which ended with downfall of the Labour Government in 1979. Jeremy went into the House of Commons in 1983 representing Islington North. 

I have memories of Islington North, I lived there briefly in the 1960’s and was never able to join the Labour Party it was a complete closed shop. What happened over the years though was that the closed shop became increasingly rotten and when the Labour Party eventually intervened a flood of new members went into the constituency and they were determined to choose someone who was not from the old basically Roman Catholic right wing of the Labour Party.

Matt Ridley: The scandal behind the ban on neonicotinoids

To those who have engaged with environmental activists in recent years, the concept of fake news is old hat. From Greenpeace’s hundred-fold exaggeration of the oil in the Brent Spar oil platform in 1995 to Friends of the Earth’s slap-down by Britain’s Advertising Standards Agency over fracking untruths in 2017, we have grown used to being told “alternative facts” that later turn out to be wrong by those with green axes to grind. 

The latest episode of environmental activists playing fast and loose with the facts, however, may be their undoing.

GWPF Newsletter: Green Lunacy: £450 Million Lost Over Failed 'Green' Power That Is Worse Than Coal

Household Solar Storage Increases CO2 Emissions, Study Concludes

In this newsletter:

1) Green Lunacy: £450 Million Lost Over Failed Green Power That Is Worse Than Coal
The Times, 23 February 2017
 
2) Green Lunacy II: Household Solar Storage Increases Co2 Emissions, Study Concludes
Energy & Technology, 31 January 2017

NZCPR Newsletter: Election Year Politics

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we look at the changing nature of politics and the election, our NZCPR Guest Commentator, Anthony Willy, shares what he thinks may be in store during 2017, and our poll asks whether you think race relations will have a significant impact on this year’s election result?

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Matt Ridley from the UK: The sinister assault on free speech

"In a free state, tongues too should be free,” wrote Erasmus 501 years ago. In truth, although Britain was often more tolerant than many countries, people have never been entirely free to speak their minds here. Blasphemy and sedition got you into trouble for centuries. 

There was uproar when Ken Clarke invited Oswald Mosley to address the Cambridge Union in 1961. The law has always rightly forbidden incitement to violence.

GWPF Newsletter - G20: Merkel Sets A Climate Ambush For Trump

Scott Pruitt Signals Dramatic Shift in EPA Priorities

In this newsletter:

1) G20: Merkel Sets A Climate Ambush For Trump
National Review Online, 22 February 2017
 
2) Scott Pruitt Signals Dramatic Shift in EPA Priorities
The Wall Street Journal, 22 February 2017

Kevin Donnelly: We should not tolerate the intolerable

Proven by the latest bizarre ­example, where Muslim students do not have to shake hands with females, it’s clear that education’s politically correct embrace of ­diversity and difference — the new code for multiculturalism — reigns supreme.

As reported in yesterday’s The Australian, school officials at Sydney’s Hurstville Boys Campus, based on a literal interpretation of a hadith, told Muslim students that it was permissible to refuse to greet females in the customary way.

GWPF Newsletter: BeeGate

How Green Campaigners Subverted Science

In this newsletter:

1) BeeGate: How Green Campaigners Subverted Science
The Risk-Monger, 18 February 2017

2) U.S. Congress Launches Probe Into Climate Data That Duped World Leaders Over Global Warming
Mail on Sunday, 19 February 2017

Brian Gaynor: Trump’s tax cuts will have worldwide impact

One of Donald Trump’s main election promises was to slash taxes, including the corporate tax rate. 

His election manifesto – under the bold heading “Tax reform will make America great again” – declared that he would reduce the corporate rate from 35 per cent to 15 per cent because companies were deserting America because of its high taxes.

GWPF Newsletter: Polar Bear Numbers Still On The Rise, Despite Global Warming

Bates, Burgers & The Scientific Integrity Of NOAA

In this newsletter:

1) Polar Bear Numbers Still On The Rise, Despite Global Warming
The Daily Caller, 16 February 2017
 
2) It’s Official: Polar Bear Numbers Continue To Rise
Polar Bear Science, 15 February 2017

Matt Ridley: A century of Marxism-Leninism

Human beings can be remarkably dense. The practice of bloodletting, as a medical treatment, persisted despite centuries of abundant evidence that it did more harm than good. 

The practice of communism, or political bloodletting as it should perhaps be known, whose centenary in the Bolshevik revolution is reached this year, likewise needs no more tests. It does more harm than good every time. Nationalised, planned, one-party rule benefits nobody, let alone the poor.

Lindsay Mitchell: Falling out over whanau first

Maori Party MP Marama Fox is threatening to pull support from the government over legislation that removes cultural priority when placing a Maori child in care. But her choice of words would lead you to believe she supported the change:

"Just because we want to provide a safe and loving home doesn't make it mutually exclusive to a Maori home," Fox said.

What she actually wants is the status quo - whanau first.

GWPF Newsletter: Europe’s Green Madness: Dieselgate Was A Political Disaster

Britain’s Energy Policy In Disarray As Toshiba Faces Bankruptcy

In this newsletter:

1) Europe’s Green Madness: Dieselgate Was A Political Disaster
The Wall Street Journal, 15 February 2017
 
2) Britain’s Energy Policy Thrown Into Disarray As Toshiba Faces Bankruptcy
Daily Mail, 15 February 2017

NZCPR Newsletter: Taxing Commercial Charities

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we look at whether commercial charities should pay their ‘fair share’ of tax, our NZCPR Guest Commentator, Lord Richard Balfe of Dulwich, shares his thoughts on charity reform in the UK, and our poll asks whether for-profit commercial charities should pay tax on income that is not directly used for charitable purposes.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

GWPF Newsletter: Met Office vs NOAA

The Battle For Truth And Credibility Over Global Warming Pause

In this newsletter:

1) ‘Slowdown’ In Ocean Heating Gives Climate Sceptics A Warm Glow
The Sunday Times, 12 February 2017
 
2) David Whitehouse: Karl et al. (2015) And The Return Of The ‘Pause‘
GWPF Observatory, 6 February 2017

Frank Newman: Recovering the cost of tenant damage

In April last year the Court of Appeal ruled (in Holler and Rouse v Osaki) that a tenant did not have to pay for damage where the cause was not done intentionally. The facts of that case go something like this.

Mr Holler and Ms Rouse rented a house rented to Mr Osaki and his family. The house was insured with AMI. It seems Mrs Osaki was a bit of an absent minded cook as she left a pot of oil on full heat, which caused a fire and over $216k worth of damage.

Guy Benson: Poll of US High Schoolers on free speech, 'offensive' or 'bullying' comments

One of the reasons that Mary Katharine Ham and I wrote End of Discussion in 2015 was our rising concern that Americans -- younger ones in particular -- are gradually adopting an increasingly hostile posture toward free speech and the open debate. 

One of the Left's most cynical ploys in stifling political discussions is to brand ideas they oppose as hateful and offensive, and therefore morally unworthy of further consideration. They seek to "win" debates, we wrote, by short-circuiting the process and preventing those debates from happening in the first place. 

Matt Ridley: Thumb on the scale of temperature trends?

Back in December, some American scientists began copying government climate data onto independent servers in what press reports described as an attempt to safeguard it from political interference by the Trump administration. There is to be a March for Science in April whose organisers say: “It is time for people who support scientific research and evidence-based policies to take a public stand and be counted.”

Well, today they have a chance to do just that, but against their own colleagues who stand accused of doing what they claim the Trump team has done. 

Karl du Fresne: A puzzling departure from normal practice

Is there any more intractable issue in international affairs than that of Israel and Palestine? Offhand, I can’t think of any. It’s tricky for a whole lot of reasons. One is that the competing claims of the two sides, Israel and the Palestinians, both have weight.

The Jews, having suffered centuries in exile, mostly in countries where they experienced relentless discrimination and persecution, have a right to a homeland where they can feel safe and secure. But the Palestinians feel aggrieved because to provide that Jewish homeland, they were displaced from land that they regarded as theirs.

GWPF Newsletter: ‘Dead On Arrival’ - Carbon Tax Push From Former GOP Officials Faces Strong Opposition

Why Old-Guard Republicans’ Carbon Tax Plan Has No Chance

In this newsletter:

1) ‘Dead On Arrival’: Carbon Tax Push From Former GOP Officials Faces Strong Opposition
Associated Press, 9 February 2017
 
2) Why Old-Guard Republicans’ Carbon Tax Plan Has No Chance
The Daily Caller, 9 February 2017

GWPF Newsletter: Rolling Blackouts In South Australia As Wind Farms Fail Again

Coldest Winter In Decade Causes Energy Shortages Across Southeast Europe

In this newsletter:

1) Rolling Blackouts In South Australia As Wind Farms Fail Again
Herald Sun, 8 February 2017
 
2) Oh Dear: Aussie Energy Regulator Says Wind Farm Changes Mean South Australian Blackout Won’t Be Repeated
RE New Economy, 6 February 2017

NZCPR: Out of Control Regulations

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

In this week's NZCPR newsletter we look at government over-regulation and what is driving it, our Guest Commentator is artisan cheese producer Biddy Fraser-Davies who explains how the Ministry of Primary Industries is regulating her business “into extinction”, and our website poll asks whether you believe government regulation is out of control. We would also like to encourage readers with horror stories about regulation, to share them with us via the poll comments – and please feel free to ask others to do the same.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To take part in the poll click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Frank Newman: Crystal ball gazing

In its first review statement of the year the Reserve Bank has left the official cash rate (OCR) unchanged at 1.75%. The commentary from bank governor Graeme Wheeler suggested it could remain at these levels for quite a while - years rather than months. He said inflation would be the major consideration when reviewing the OCR in the future but he does not expect inflation to track outside of the one to three percent band and is forecasting it will not reach two percent until some time in 2019.

That's good news generally but does not mean mortgage rates will remain unchanged. Banks finance a significant part of their lending from overseas and interest rate changes in those markets will flow through to mortgage rates here. Global interest rates are on the rise, and our mortgage rates have already increased about 0.5% from their lows.

Karl du Fresne: Donald Trump and the decline of objective journalism

One consequence of the Trump presidency is that it has accelerated the decline of detached, objective journalism.

Most people outside America, me included, despise Donald Trump. This has apparently made it permissible for the media to abandon all pretence of neutrality and to treat him as fair game for contempt, disgust and ridicule.

GWPF Newsletter: U.S. Congress To Investigate NOAA Scandal As More Whistleblowers Come Forward

Federal Scientist Cooked Climate Change Books Ahead Of Obama Presentation, Whistleblower Charges

In this newsletter:

1) U.S. Congress To Investigate NOAA Scandal As More Whistleblowers Come Forward
The Daily Caller, 6 February 2017
 
2) Federal Scientist Cooked Climate Change Books Ahead Of Obama Presentation, Whistleblower Charges
Fox News, 7 February 2017

Nicholas Kerr: Trump and our divided country

Let me preface my comments. First, I didn’t support Trump, but I’m an optimist, and like Obama, Clinton and others said following the election, I think he deserves a chance.

Second, I don’t call myself conservative. In fact I try to avoid the use of labels. As I explained in my blog post “Less labels, more meeting of minds,” I don’t think they help debates or conversations. Labeling a person or policy as left-wing or right-wing, conservative or liberal, Republican or Democrat, introduces biases and barriers and does nothing to advance a discussion.

Guy Benson from the US: DeVos Confirmation Blow to Teachers Unions

Despite furious lockstep opposition from Senate Democrats and two Republicans who are among the few in their party who receive campaign contributions from teachers' unions, Betsy DeVos was confirmed to be the next Secretary of Education. Critics' objections to her nomination questioned her qualifications and suggested that she was hostile to public education, while others cited her family's wealth, and sought to assassinate her character.  

Instances of hypocrisy and eye-widening double standards were commonplace.  In spite of this pitched partisan battle - which required Vice President Pence to break a 50-50 Senate deadlock; the first time in our nation's history this step was needed to conclude a cabinet confirmation fight - DeVos was gracious in (narrow) victory.

Matt Ridley from the UK: British environmental policy after Brexit

Andrea Leadsom, the agriculture and environment secretary, is to set out her plans for the British countryside in two green papers: one on the environment this week and one on farming later. She should be ambitious and positive: the future, post-Brexit, could be bright and green.

What is the countryside for? For most of human history, its job was to provide food, fuel, fibre and building material. Today, we get most of those things from factories supplied by comparatively tiny quarries or wells. Only food still needs a vast acreage, but even that is a lot less vast than it was. The area of land required to produce a given quantity of food is now just a third of what it was in 1960, thanks to technology.

GWPF Newsletter: NOAA Scientists Manipulated Temperature Data To Make Global Warming Seem Worse

World Leaders Duped Over Manipulated Global Warming Data

In this newsletter:

1) World Leaders Duped Over Manipulated Global Warming Data
Mail on Sunday, 5 February 2017
 
2) John Bates: Climate Scientists Versus Climate Data
Climate Etc. 5 February 2017

GWPF Newsletter: Japan To Build 45 New Coal Power Plants

Australian Government To Fund Construction Of New Coal Power Plants

In this newsletter:

1) Japan To Build 45 New Coal Power Plants; Green Energy Too Expensive
The Daily Caller, 1 February 2017

2) Australian Government To Fund Construction Of New Coal Power Plants
The Australian, 1 February 2017

Dear NZCPR Reader,   

This week we look at Waitangi Day and the progress that is being made by sovereignty activists, our NZCPR Guest Commentator is Prime Minister Bill English with a speech he gave as Leader of the Opposition in 2002, warning how uncontested assertions about the Treaty of Waitangi were driving public policy, and, since our national day was called New Zealand Day, when it was first established by Prime Minister Norman Kirk in 1973, our poll asks whether you believe it’s time that our national day again became New Zealand Day.

*To read the newsletter click HERE.
*To register for the NZCPR Weekly mailing list, click HERE.  

Barend Vlaardingerbroek: Are we better off with or without NATO?

Donald Trump caused quite a stir when he intimated during his election campaign that he would not necessarily honour the US’s commitment to the NATO alliance should a member be attacked. In an interview with The Times and Bild newspapers just a few days before his taking office, he referred to NATO as “an obsolete organisation”.
Trump’s indifferent attitude towards NATO raises interesting questions: what is its role in the post-Soviet world, and do we still need the alliance – or would we possibly be better off without it? 

GWPF Newsletter: Trump To ‘Honour Pledge To Withdraw From Paris Agreement’, Ebell Says

GWPF & FPA Press Briefing with Myron Ebell

In this newsletter:

1) Trump To ‘Honour Pledge To Withdraw From Paris Agreement’, Ebell Says
Argus Media News, 30 January 2017
 
2) GWPF & FPA Press Briefing with Myron Ebell
GWPF TV, 30 January 2017

Lord Richard Balfe: View from the House of Lords - understanding Donald Trump

UK newspapers today are full of pictures of Theresa May and Donald Trump in Washington after what is seen as a pretty successful First visit by a foreign leader. But maybe we need to look beyond the gloss to see what Trump means for Britain and Europe.

In 1972 the Israeli psychologist, Amos Tversky, speaking to a group of historians in New York pointed out that “all too often, we find ourselves unable to predict what will happen; yet after the fact we explain what did happen with a great deal of confidence.”