Bishop Hill An oldie and a goodie
Jan 20, 2015 Greens For reasons not entirely clear to me, Martin Durkin just posted a link to his 2011 blog post about just how posh environmentalists tend to be. If you haven't read it before, you really, really should.
It is not exclusive, expensive delicatessens, but rather the wicked low-cost supermarkets frequented by everyday folk which they find repellent. It is a commonly heard complaint from Greens that things ‘aren’t expensive enough’. The ‘rebels’ down from Eton for the anti-globalisation rallies threw bricks through windows – but not the windows of high-class restaurants. Instead they smashed up and ransacked a working class MacDonalds when they marched down Piccadilly. It is not the luxurious Heals furniture shop that makes them angry, but the proletarian IKEA, with its affordable sofas and lamps.
Reader Comments (58)
It's a shame he doesn't seem to blog anymore, I always found his work excellant.
He must have been reading my comment about enviro-fanatics on the "unintended consequences" thread yesterday!
Whatever, it's another aspect of the same disease, middle-class people with guilt feelings about their wealth and mildly schizoid with it. Which explains why it is the "downmarket" outlets that get hit.
There are a couple of ways of solving the problem: either you give up your comfy lifestyle or pretend you are doing something about the poor or you try pretend the poor don't exist because they are a permanent affront.
And oddly enough, it is a disease of the intellectual left, the very people who are (allegedly) supporters of the party that (allegedly) is for the working classes.
Which is a larf, really; the Labour leadership has had sod all to do with "the working class" since at least the 1950s when the beneficiaries of a grammar school education pulled up the ladder and sent their offspring to private (or better still, public) schools. The name 'Crosland' springs rapidly to mind.
Meanwhile those who actually have to do a proper job because if they don't they get fired or go bust understand the working class, which is why Thatcher was more popular with Essex man than she was with academia or the bien pensants in the media who have always treated ordinary people with a certain disdain (as if they didn't smell quite nice).
Mike, indeed. Not only do the bien-pensant (B-P) actually not like the poor very much, the very people for whom they are laying their lives down, they understand them not at all. Whenever the BNP, or EDF, or even UKIP have an uptick in polls, the B-P think its the poor dear poor getting all upset because they might lose their jobs (even though the B-P can't imagine how one could actually spend the day doing such ghastly things) so even if they had a policy response it would be framed in that context. But if they even bothered to talk to their trade union 'friends' they would discover that the poor are no more or less concerned about 'jobs' than any other part of the population: like any other part of the population they are concerned about 'their' country being turned into something unrecognisable on the whim of sophists, with no thought for the future; and wholly cheesed off by the sophists who can come out with junk like "what do you mean, 'your' country", while asserting the right of Palestinians to '"their" country. Half-wits, humbugs and men on the make are despised by the 'poor' just as much as by anyone else, all the more so when their panaceas evidently don't work and there is no reasonable opposition to whatever ConLabLib intend to foist on everyone.
The name 'Moonbat' sprang unbidden into my head.
I can't imagine why......
Latimer
Neither can I. Poor chap, you're obviously not well. I have always done my best to keep that name as far from my head as possible!
Though I must admit he is a pretty good example of the breed if a little more intelligent than the average.
bill
Sorry, but we parted company at the beginning of the third sentence.
Well, the idea is understandable. Greens are not against poor consumers, they're against producers for poor, the idea being they serve them crap. In a sense "we want you to make higher quality stuff for the same price for them".
Sadly they don't realize these are the very same people buying these products and producing, transporting, and selling them. They don't see these people, they don't want to see them. They always want to see the "greedy capitalist"owning them all - but disregard the fact that he is the one making sure they all have jobs and are effective enough to be able to afford all their own products.
The effectivity is the key here. It's not about money, civilization does not work on money. It works on shared effort and money are just a tool to share it. The less effort it takes to produce things, the more things can people afford.
Just imagine what a tragedy it would be for the Green Luvvies, if all South American rainforests were reinstated. That special blend of exotic coffee beans, superbly ground, by that little man in the village (Highgate, Hampstead, Islington, take your pick) would no longer be available. Their life style might end.
Golf Charlie, nah. What would happen is the very small amount of resulting coffee and chocolate production would become SO exclusive the rest of us plebs won't be able to afford coffee or chocolate at all. The Green Luvvies would like that even better.
This is especially ironic in that it is well known that the "embedded carbon" or total carbon budget for producing the product AND getting it to the consumer, including carbon used in the retail establishments and shipping, is progressively lower the more mass-market you get. Price is nearly always an excellent proxy for how carbon-intensive a product is. If you were to measure the number of carrots per liter of diesel-fuel used in the whole supply-chain from planting to table, you probably get 2 to 3 times more carrots from WalMart than from the organic collective grocery store.
Cripes.
It's almost like, I don't know... like supposed concern for the environment is actually being used as some kind of excuse to kick off in pursuit of a whole other set of agendas, and those cited as the ones being cared for are in fact seen more as collateral en route.
Waitrose calls. Nothing goes better with the Boej Noov than an airflown Citrullus lanatus.
JunkkMale - Waitrose is expensive.
But at least that keeps the riff raff out.
I've has the same argument with 'anti-capitalists' time and time again. They are always anti-markets, anti-business, anti-profit.
I ask them if there is any kind of trade that is acceptable? 'Yes', they reply. 'Small local shops selling a wide variety of food stuffs.'
Great, I say. So you're a firm supporter of markets and profit. A tiny corner shop takes produce from other suppliers and distributors around the world, stuff that has had the evil 'profit' taken out of it by every distributor who has taken a risk on buying it. The shop owner sticks a final mark-up on it to pay his bills and sells it to you. The original producer gets a tiny fraction. It's often shipped around the world (Coffee, anyone? Pineapples? Bananas?). The shop owner marks up some items a lot because they're a big risk and, if he doesn't sell then you aren't going to pay him just to stay in business. If he wants to expand and sell more, hire more staff, he'll borrow the money to do so from someone. That person cannot use that money, so they ask for interest as a price for borrowing it.
EEEEEEEEEVVVVILLLLL! Isn't it?
Smash the system! Burn your local independent coffe shop down!
It might be in response to Chris Bryant's comment on privilege
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11357462/James-Blunt-vs-Chris-Bryant-Round-2-privilege-row-rumbles-on.html
TinyCO2, you are correct, supply restrictions would lead to an exorbitant price increase, in coffee and chocolate. Green Luvvies do not understand evil capitalist concepts, such as supply and demand economics, they've never had to, and see no reason to start now. A shortage of coffee and chocolate, at any price, would be the fault of those evil, oill funded deniers, and they won't hear another word on the matter.
I put this on unthreaded: It really belongs here now that I have read Durkin's post:
The DT have run a story on what they've read in the Green Party manifesto
Absolutely amazing!!!
J'Accuse...all the sellers of home-made candles at craft fairs, Glastonbury & WOMAD festivals etc.
Their ilk imagine that when they have returned us to the three day week and evenings spent reading by candle light, then we'll be really appreciative of the rôle they have played in the Ascent of Man.
I guess I'm just not worthy yet.
Mike Jackson: 'Though I must admit he is a pretty good example of the breed if a little more intelligent than the average"
Beware Mike, "intelligence" does not necessarily arm the owner with common sense, or indeed critical faculties. Keep in mind that Arthur Conan Doyle believed in fairies, and I'll bet he was intelligent. George is of the class of people who assume that their breeding sets them aside, and indeed superior to the hoi polloi, so they're quite confident in sprouting the most awful guff because they assume the less intelligent, less educated plebs will accept what they say.
They do have the most awful contempt for us though which is very irritating because they're usually feeding very well of our tit. (Metaphorically speaking of course)
Says it all really, Harry. Make the poor poorer & their rich friends richer! Only the rich will be able to buy anything other than gruel & bread! Barking & mad spring to mind & rabidly so! I always wondered what happened to the Champagne Socialists, they just turned green from the look of it! No mention that I could see of private education being affected, (not that I am fussed) so that too will keep their friends happy!
Also belongs here:-
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/20/why-its-good-to-laugh-at-climate-change
The guardian, via Adam Corner, have noticed the warmist lack of humour. Every cause since year dot has been illustrated by satire but this time it's the sceptics that get the good laughs (see link to Josh). Should be a clue. They try to counter it by having Markus Brigstock try to be funny for the cause. Yep, it's good to put a jet setting toff on stage to make bad jokes about CO2. His green credentials are as phoney as his left ones which is why he's a firm favourite at the BBC.
For those who can stand it, the show will be streamed online tonight.
http://www.thersa.org/events/our-events/seven-serious-jokes-about-climate-change
Not sure who said this first...
There is some very good climate change humour despite what the Grauniad says.
TinyCO2 Laughing involves unnecessary breathing, and hence production of CO2. Green Luvvies would be appalled at the Grauniad, deliberately encouraging CO2 production.
Personally, I have never bought the Grauniad (let their Private Trust Fund keep subsidising them, so they do not have to face the economic reality of going bust) but some of their Green Luvvies and adoring fans, really make my CO2 production go roaring.
Definition of The Good Life
Having Tom and Barbara,s recycling sustainable ethical smugness but being able to do it with Margo and Jerry,s money
OMG, it's not Brigstocke, it's so poor it burns! Argghhhh!!!
About ten seconds was all I could bear, TinyCO2. I'd rather be watching some archives of the Eurovision Song Contest or gnawing my leg off.
Still, the Guardian article was funnier than they may have realised. The last sentence:
If I was to comment on that at all, I think I'd be typing for a week.
The latest article on Durkin's blog dates from 2012. Pity, because he has a lovely style, full of quotable nuggets like: “...there is more to being ‘green’ than composting tea bags and red squirrels.” I didn't know that. If more people knew they composted red squirrels it would put paid to their election hopes.
I'm a bit puzzled by this one, geoff. I would have thought they would have been more into composting grey squirrels being an invasive species and all.
geronimo
Hang on a minute. Where did I ever suggest or imply that I thought Moonbat had common sense? I just said he was more intelligent than your average "intellectual". Not really much to ask of him.
From Harry Passfield's kindly* provided link.
The greens 4fkctheUK
Read the above quote and then cogitate some more.
Now if you will, hazard a guess.
The Greens: guess which 'ethnic minority' - the greens are cultivating for votes?
*A euphemism, I blenched when I read what these loonies are proposing, though, to see flesh on the bones so to speak - it's worse than we thought - much bloody worse and really.
I've always said the bien pensant hatred of the likes of Tesco, MacDonalds, Starbucks etc al is thinly disguised hatred of the the type of people who patronise such establishments, whether they be poor or rich. Its a way of making oneself 'better' than others because they make such obviously awful consumer choices. What terrible taste darling! Anyone who takes their kids for a Happy Meal can be safely indirectly sneered at, on account of their awful tastes. Far better to shop at farm shops,eat organic, holiday in Rock, and eat out at gastro-pubs. It makes them better than the masses. But you can't say that openly, so you criticise the masses consumer outlets rather than them directly.
No doubt those " posh environmentalists" think wind power is absolutely fantastic!
"Electricity demand hits highest this winter - as wind power slumps to its lowest"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/energy/11358062/Electricity-demand-hits-highest-this-winter-as-wind-power-slumps-to-its-lowest.html
Brigstock and Moonbat need to swap jobs. One is trying extremely hard to be funny and isn't, the other isn't trying to be funny at all but makes everyone fall about laughing.
Did you know Durkin figured in Climatgate2 in an edifying little tale involving Mann, Jones, and Moonbat? I wrote it up at
http://ccgi.newbery1.plus.com/blog/?p=534
Come on. Greens are just confused, ignorant people. So are most on the "left". And so are most on the "right".
We hear their nonsense more often nowadays because they "own the street". But if you've been around long enough, you will remember fundamentally identical crap being shouted from the roofs by the old timer conservatives that once controlled public speech "for our own good".
Well I listened so you didn't have to and the only good bit was Brigstocke's Dr Seus style poem he wrote for the Now show during Copenhagen (or one of those climate jamborees). What was so good about it was that it demonstrated that the people at those meetings couldn't organise a party in a brewery and even Brigstocke knows it.
Steve ta said: "There is some very good climate change humour despite what the Grauniad says."
Errrm, having watched the link I don't think so. The Alarmists take "extreme weather events" ("weather" you note) very seriously indeed.
Budgie. Bad weather events never happened before Global Warming and cheap availability of video cameras.
Any eye witness accounts, or black and white cine film, is just evil propaganda concocted by oil funded deniers. All Grauniad readers, and Green Luvvies know this to be a fact.
Brigstocke is such a dick, I can't watch anything he's in, fortunately that doesn't seem to be very much.
My goodness, that Green Party manifesto is scary. It reads like the fantasies of 1970s hippies about a perfect world. That manifestly didn't work at the time, but they seem to believe that for some reason it will work now.
The stuff about opening the borders and welfare system to all comers, and the abolition of national defence, are especially frightening. I hope that UKIP makes sure that every Briton knows about that particular doozy.
I'm glad that at least one MSM outlet has publicised it - what are the chances that the BBC or others will?
As for the blog post, it is a great piece of writing, It is succinct, clear, and mows down multiple targets. Ben Pile does a lot of the same things, but regrettably he's a bit prolix in comparison with this guy.
The Green Party manifesto could be the longest, recyclable, suicide note in history.
It had previously been recycled from the Communist Party's greatest sucess at some polytechnic, or was it the London School of Failed Economic Theory?
Re: Harry Passfield
What they described in that manifesto, is a place called Mexico.
Charlie, Marxism in its original form lauded material progress and better living standards for the masses. This is more like the "New Left" which emerged in the late 1960s and early 70s, i.e. hippie-ism.
It's unicorns and fairies at the bottom of the garden and money-trees that magically produce wealth, all the way down. Utterly delusional stuff.
Does anyone know if they have produced any costings for their policies?
Sorry but probably on topic.
The BBC are promoting a programme Wolf Hall ?
On Newsnight this evening the resident stick insect our Emily asked the producer along the lines how does this relate to Islam today. As an aside why does it always have to be about Muslims
Mr producer stated he understood coz Islam was a religion which was only 600 years old and founded just before Henry the VlII was on the throne. The stick insect nodded in agreement so eff off Saladin
Johanna. Someone else will have to cost and pay for their proposals.
Unicorn manure is an organic fertiliser, and the fairies at the bottom of their gardens, will be expected to dig it in. Green Party officials will obviously be able to dictate to the masses how to grow their own food, and as payment, will simply take the pick of the crop for themselves, their families, and other hangers-on. This will lead them to the same levels of success as all previous Marxist dictatorial regimes.
Charlie - what usually happens is that the punters find out the cost only when the bill arrives, like people in the US who are now discovering the real cost to them of Obummer's health insurance legislation.
And yes, hippie-ism in no way cancels out the existence of a privileged class. As someone who was up close and personal with Australia's landmark hippie festival (Aquarius, in 1973), I can assure you that there were plenty of sharks and shysters who made out like bandits on the back of the naive idealism of their followers.
Harry Passfield,
The green party manifesto!!
I wasn't sure if I should laugh or throw up. The fact that a member of the MSM even thought to published a synopsis of the document makes my skin crawl.
Where do these people come from, please, please tell me this is a joke? The worst observation was when I went to the link you supplied the sidebar column was showing a you.gov poll that projected the Green Party would win 11 seats and UKIP 0. Unbelievable
I will have nightmares tonight, and my family and I live in Canada. I have observed the degradation of the UK education system from afar for over 40 years, is this is the result?
Oh how have the mighty fallen.
Johanna, nowadays, people find out it has all gone wrong when the bullet arrives.
The UK hippy movement was, mostly, harmless towards other people. The modern Green Movement preaches about the toxicity of mankind, without realising they are the toxin that will lead to strife, disorder, starvation, uprisings etc. But at least the deaths won't be due to nuclear weapons. To be killed by a hurled rock is so much more civilized.
I wasn't sure if I should laugh or throw up. The fact that a member of the MSM even thought to published a synopsis of the document makes my skin crawl.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why does it make your "skin crawl"?
On the contrary, it should be publicised as widely as possible. As Charlie pointed out, it is a long suicide note. There would be very few Britons who would not strongly disagree with at least parts of it.
I don't agree that the UK hippie movement was benign.
The New Left ideology which it personified has pervaded institutions all over the Western world, including the UK. For example, the notion that all cultures and behaviours are equal, and that there is an endless supply of wealth, it's just that the plutocrats are sitting on it and refusing to share.
And, on an aesthetic level, it gave us paisley (shudder) and the idea that lime green and bright orange work together anywhere outside the natural world.
Don't get me wrong - there were some good bits, especially in music. But over all, the hippie movement was a phony culture which pretended that we could all benefit from the results of hard work and technological advancement without contributing a thing. In short, that there was such a thing as a free lunch.
Looking at the Green manifesto, it seems that they have not advanced their thinking since 1972. And I wouldn't trust them with the management of the school tuck shop (if it still exists). It would be hundreds of thousands in debt within a few years.
Johanna,
Why does it make my skin crawl? I was in my late teens at the height of the hippie movement, your description of their values is apt. I abhorred them and their stupidity then and I still do, self serving free-loaders.
The majority of rationale people will laugh at the green manifesto but unfortunately some will believe it is the only vision of the future and be misled.