Deep Cover

As more video evidence of uncontrolled policing at the G20 protests comes to light, and undercover infiltration of campaigning groups is used to deny citizens the right to assembly, we are advised not to expect much at Copenhagen

It;s not just the infringement of campaigners rights - UK information gathering, from illegal internet intercepts to compulsive DNA collection, continue to arouse fears.

David Attenborough joins Optimum Population Trust

Aggravated Protest

Just a quickie. Details are still a bit sketchy as I post, but it seems a mass protest now constitutes a conspiracy. Well, at least there were no fatalities. Small mercies, I suppose.

Elsewhere some context concerning the Somali piracy news-fest, and some things to back it up.

Some thoughts on robustness and efficiency from Grist, and some on fragility and incompetence, from the FT

Oh, and while I'm here - here's this month's Only Planet cartoon, originally published in the New Internationalist

Apocalypse when?

This was much funnier in my head. Never mind. What d'ya want f' nowt?

Here's the link

The "revolution" gets underway, and we'll all be first up against the wall. The revolution will not be televised.

Following Orders

More than 7 million quids worth of police will be ensuring that protestors don't contaminate the G20 summit with any new ideas, thus making the world safe for inadequate investment, climate chaos, dehydration and myopia, with some open-ended blank cheques thrown in.

So, all in all, a nice little inheritance for the kids. But Nil Deperandum. The revolution starts at home.

A question of taste

Readers from beyond these shores might like to insert the finance minister and business troll of their choice. Suggestions welcome. Thanks once again to Roy Bailey

While the Big Polluters hit the campaign trail and scientists warn that there's only a 50/50 chance of avoiding the shitstorm even under politics' best projections, the UK chancellor opts to pull the rug out from under any chances we might have.

Oh, and the police decide to bust the phantom custard flinger

The new McFly is up and about and doing its thing

Summer of Rage

Whilst the US goes to Washington to protest Dirty Coal, senior UK police officers set up a self fulfilling prophecy by predicting mass outbreaks of middle class wickedness in reaction to recession/depression etc.

Property-Owning Democracy

Climate change activists buy land to thwart Heathrow developers. Good work. These things can catch on.

The Times reports, with innappropriate zeal, that, as increasing levels of worldwide deforestation are being slightly moderated by a small degree of partial regrowth in some areas, we might stave off the end by an additional twenty minutes. Hoorah.

A jury of one peer

First I must apologise for the lack of any discernable humour in today's cartoon. In the early stages I had high hopes for it, but sometimes one's most promising pets dissappoint one. I may have miscast Ms Ebola Congleton as today's lead. Frank would have had more fun. Never mind. The arrow may have missed its target, but the point and the barb remain.

The attorney General - the duly appointed, cabinet-ranking, partisan politician Baroness Scotland - is making plans to withdraw the protection of legal precedent from climate protestors who break the law in their stirling efforts to avert catastrophe. Suggestions that this is motivated by the Government's need to pretend it's all hunky-dory untill after the election are, of course, cynical in the extreme. Nothing to do with Heathrow and Gatwick and Kingsnorth etc etc. No ambitions were engaged in the making of these decisions.

Meanwhile... Ugmug's methane jaccuzi goes into overdrive.

Reckoning

The Police are obliged to fess-up to the gross inaccuracy of their public scare-mongering, and Ministers are obliged to apologise for misrepresenting baton-happy bullying as "proportionate"
The IEA are obliged to fess-up to the gross inaccuracy of their energy forecasts
Bush's chief environment advisor is obliged to fess-up over his country's responsibility in the scuppering of a worthwhile climate deal - but doesn't

From Poznan, via Elisabeth Rosenthal via Andrew Revkin at DotEarth;-

Prodipto Ghosh of the Indian delegation berated wealthy countries for their “refusal” to “experience a minuscule loss of profits” to help poorer nations cope. He continued: “In the face of the unbearable human tragedy that we in developing countries see unfolding every day, we see callousness, strategizing and obfuscation.

No New Coal

I missed this at the time. A lone anonymous protestor single handedly shaves 2% off our emissions by temporarily knocking out a turbine at Kingsnorth. How audacious. Desperate times - desperate measures

There's some good news for indiginous peoples land rights

and some bad news for everybody else

There's no need for language!

First of all - a fond farewell to Oliver Postgate, creator of Noggin the Nog and more




George Monbiot has something to say about talking bollocks and the road ahead.

Things continue to deteriorate to such a point that lawyers may soon be rubbing their hands in anticipation of a nice little earner.
Personally I don't think this is a sensible road to go down, as those worst affected can't exactly afford the price of law.

DECC Press Release

For IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LONDON (8 December): Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1),
Ed Miliband, today announced the scrapping of all proposed nuclear and
coal-fired power stations in the United Kingdom. Britain's energy
security will instead be augmented by a massive array of renewable energy
sourced from his own back-pedalling.

In a retrofit indicative of the government's ongoing commitment to
insulating against power loss from both its houses, Mr Miliband stated
that people- especially the Plane Stupid activists who occupied a taxi-way
at Stansted this morning (2)- had misconstrued what he told the
Environment Agency (3) and the Gaurdian (4) about the necessity of “people
power” to pressure politicians. “That is not what I meant at all. That is
not it, at all” he said. “I've always been considered one of the dynamos
of the Cabinet, and with this new back-pedalling generating scheme, I have
the chance to show just how much I can achieve.”

DECC plans to have Mr Miliband chained to an exercise bike (possibly a
tandem with his brother the Foreign Secretary). The bike will then be
hooked up to the national grid. The Chief Scientific Adviser, John
Boddingtons, has calculated that the energy produced by their collective
back-pedalling should generate approximately 24MW, enough to avoid the
construction of the controversial coal-fired Kingsnorth power station.(5)


HaHaHa

Complex and novel problems require complex and novel solutions from a trans-disciplinary perspective. Prof Stuart B Hill at Celsias has some useful suggestions.
Another bunch of pertinent suggestions HERE

An afterthought - For anyone unfamiliar with the narcissus reference (due to the steady improvements in our education system) this will explain.

Thanks to Niel Bowerman of ClimaticoAnalysis for this most amusing link

Popular Mobilisation?

Congratulations on a job well done.
"Plane Stupid" activists manage a high profile inconvenience and some high security embarrassment. Is this the Popular Mobilisation that Ed Milliband called for as the only way to secure change? It is. But he will, no doubt, wriggle away from it as fast as he can.

The nuclear industry , despite admitting that it has neither the expertise nor the money to make itself safe, has proclaimed itself "sexy".
Hmmm. Don't fancy yours much.

Nothing to fear

The government sneaks through extra measures to allow random apparatchicks to rifle through your sock drawer and pass choice nuggets on at their own discretion. They also backed away from the promised reversal of the laughable ban on protest within earshot of parliament

There is a fair wind and some good shit.

It's an ill wind

This cartoon is a last minute substitution.

Now that we've all been slightly re-energised by the unexpected good sense of the American people, this cartoon may seem inappropriate, but the problems haven't changed one iota, and inertia, capitalism and human nature remain the forces they ever were. But on we go, regardless of how hard the wind blows. (thanks to Marc Hudson again)

The inappropriateness may also be down to the fact that I've been offered a ticket to watch Manchester City vs FC Twente (cheers, Simon) so I'm off out in a bit. This means that today's unfinished topical cartoon will become tomorrow's (still) topical cartoon. It's funny. It contains bodily functions. You'll like it.

Appointing a new, dynamic, sane and competent captain for the Titanic seconds before impact is no cause for relaxation.

Link
Link

Master Plan

Sometimes, when I survey the forces deployed against us it seems a little depressing. But now that the mighty army of the righteous has been swelled by the Women's Institute , ramblers and surfers, the task doesn't seem so daunting. Even the Dark Lord Drax is coming to our aid. Shame there's so many orcs.

On a seperate issue of general western culture. Orcs, zombies, aliens - you can kill, maim and dismember as many of them as the budget will allow without raising any awkward ethical questions. They thus fulfill a role previously filled by people of colour in more brazen, triumphalist times and allow the inculcation of exceptionalist values without raising the alarm.
There is no such thing as orcs.
There are zombies, however - as any trip to the Trafford Centre will amply demonstrate.

Criminal Mastermind

Al Gore announces his incredulity at the lack of NVDA from the young in the face of global corporate inertia. Judging by some of the woefully misguided responses from the Right, you'd think he's advocated ritual kitten-disemboweling on the Whitehouse lawn.

Wouldn't it be grand if some high profile, well respected and experienced mainstream American politician could be found to lead the way into some actual, law-breaking, jail-time civil disobedience? If only there was someone like that somewhere....hmmm

Lawful Excuse

Climate change protest upheld as lawful in court and campaigners aquitted. Well done to all concerned. Good work. Let's hope the precedent sticks, and no one gets silly.