Discussion > Pub meet with Donna Laframboise in London 28 Jan
Agreed Richard. As I said before, I'll bring a sheet of sticky labels. And a pen.
Robin Guenier
Not long back from a good evening. Nice to see so many present (25+) and to meet some new folks as well as catch up with others.
My overriding impression is one of great confidence that the arguments are being won. Two or three years ago our discussions were about if and how we could turn back the tide of alarmism. But little by little the emphasis has changed, and the chat now is about when and in what form, not if.
My personal view is that there will never be an outright obvious 'victory', but that climate change and all its manifestations will just gradually fade away from the public consciousness back to the obscurity it came from. And budgets and grants and all that will equally just slowly be trimmed. University departments will start losing posts, journals will shut down or merge and interest will dwindle away.
I guess that this may take over ten years to complete, but the process is already beginning. AR5 was a damp squib, Gaia hasn't read the alarmist script pollies are backing away all round the world. And once the 'scientists' face ridicule - as per the hapless Mawson eco-tourists, there really is no way back.
Latimer Alder
25 plus...that's pretty decent.
shub
What the world needs to know is:
Which Big Oil company picked up the tab?
Political Junkie
Great to see so many people there! A lovely evening and I thought the Gloucester pub was good.
I'm sure your q was tongue-in-cheek, Political Junkie, but the pub didn't charge anything to reserve the space (we had the whole upper floor), and everyone paid for their own food and drink.
Ruth Dixon
Jan 29, 2014 at 12:24 AM Political Junkie
Well, I made a modest contribution via Donna's tip jar at http://nofrakkingconsensus.com/.
Big Oil
Thanks Ruth for arranging such an effective gathering. It was lovely to meet Donna - in the end!
Richard Drake
Great to meet many of the BH readers again. I ended up cornering poor Warren Pearce for far too long early on as we had something to eat and ended up missing the opportunity to speak to a few who left early, but plenty of enjoyable banter with those who I did manage to speak to - plus of course the opportunity to chat with our guest of honour, Donna.
Many thanks for organising Ruth!
Spence_UK
Just to add my thanks to Ruth - it was a fascinating evening and an opportunity to have some great conversations with a number of people, including, of course, Donna and also Knut Bakke who translated The Delinquent Teenager into Norwegian. It was an excellent chance to make some new acquaintances and catch up with a few existing ones as well - very encouraging.
Alex Cull
And was the Bishop there to bless you all?
Messenger
His Grace the Bishop was there but more in the role of Expert Reviewer than Lead Author. ;-)
Bob MacLean
While I realise that What Happens in the Pub, Stays in the Pub, can anyone give an overview for envious non-participants on the other side of the world?
johanna
Hi johanna - I thought it was much like participating here, really, with many overlapping conversations - mainly but not all about climate!
It was good to see or meet for the first time so many familiar (user) names, and also excellent to meet some who rarely or never comment on the blogs.
As several of us had attended the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee session, and others had followed it on parliament TV or via Twitter, there was of course much discussion of that meeting.
Demographically we pretty much confirmed the stereotype of middle-aged white male, but there were exceptions to each of those descriptions! Donna and I were the only women there - sigh... And there were a few people aged under 30 - but not many. It was great to see Warren Pearce who was (I think) the only (how shall I put it?) 'non-sceptic'. He has a professional interest in us - like Jane Goodall among the Tanzanian chimpanzees.
We were in a quiet area of the pub that had sofas and chairs around low tables, and some restaurant-style tables - so there was quite a lot of circulating between small groups. The pub food was of the burger or sausage-and-mash type.
Altogether a very relaxed and enjoyable event (for me, at least!). Thanks for all the kind comments but I hardly did anything to organize it. The pub staff were very efficient and friendly in arranging the booking and on the night.
Ruth Dixon
Thanks, Ruth.
If Dr Who-style travel was an an option, there would have been at least one more woman there!
johanna
Ruth D; sorry I could not be there.
Great analogy to "Gorillas in the Mist" - my chuckle for the day. What made you think of it...was there a lot of mutual grooming, chest-beating, thrashing the undergrowth and so forth?
What will Warren Pearce come up with? "Sceptics in the Pub" does not quite have the same ring.
mikeh
Martin A
Thanks mikeh – I wouldn’t try to take the analogy too far! I know very little about Warren’s research. But I definitely respect an approach which involves having a drink and a chat with sceptics more than I rate the “poke the ants’ nest with a stick” approach of some so-called experts.
Ruth Dixon
The transcript of the oral evidence session is now published.
Paul Matthews
Of course labelling is voluntary but given the chance I will put one on and be grateful for anyone who does the same, because even though deafness hasn't hit badly yet I am not good remembering names. This will help.