A reply at last.

Just under a month ago I read a letter in the comments to an article in the financial times. The letter was addressed to our prime minister.

It’s produced  on my site HERE. It's about climate change and energy supplies.

Anyway I thought the author wouldn’t mind if I used it. After a bit of adjustment I sent it to my MP. The reply received today is reproduced (Badly) below. My apologies for the poor quality, but I had to scan it and then snip the content.

 

It seems he is somewhere on the same planet as me.

A letter to the Doctor

My Son received a letter from his consultant Oncologist to take to his Quack GP. It contained one superlative sentence produced below.

 "Chris knows more about his condition than you do. Stop being a muppet and do what he says."

Straight and to the point I think.

A most excellent letter.

Earlier I was reading an article in the Financial Times (As you do), when I came across this comment in the comments. It’s a letter to our esteemed (spits) Prime Minister exhorting him to get real where our energy policy is concerned.

I’m going to reproduce it in full here. I hope the author won’t take offence. It really hits all the right notes.

Yertizz | May 9 5:04pm | Permalink

In line with Nick Butler's excellent piece there follows the text of my letter to David Cameron:

29th April 2013

Dear Prime Minister,

Re: Energy Policy

It was with amazement and increasing trepidation that I read the front page article of the Mail on Sunday yesterday about plans to introduce ‘smart appliances’ designed to shut down at times of peak demand and to force users to pay astronomical energy prices for the privilege. I had to pinch myself and check the calendar several times to ensure the date was not 1st April!

What I was reading was an indication of a government in complete panic over energy policies which informed opinion tells us are destined to cripple the entire country in the next 2-5 years and all of which are driven by the Committee on Climate Change. The CCC is promoted as ‘independent’ yet it is funded by public money and stuffed with MP’s, only one of which as far as I can tell is a climate change sceptic and whose Chairman has his snout in the renewables trough. How that qualifies as independent is beyond parody. Additionally it seems to me that the CCC slavishly follows the gospel of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) without any consideration that the opposing views have any validity. In the past few years it has become self-evident the IPCC has its roots in flawed science. This was demonstrated by the failure of the Copenhagen conference 2 years ago to come anywhere near unanimity in approach and was further confirmed with the result of the Mexico meeting a few months ago.

In more recent times Professor James Lovelock, himself a founder member of the Green lobby, has recanted saying that no single contributory factor can be found to be responsible for climate change. Almost daily more independent peer-reviewed scientific evidence is emerging which supports the view that increasing levels of carbon dioxide do not materially add to global warming. In this context it is a complete mystery why increased atmospheric CO2, for which mankind is held responsible, is promulgated as the sole driver of climate change!

The only logical conclusion is that those who promote these fantasies stand to benefit from their beliefs and actions. For all the pain and anguish that will descend upon the people and businesses in this country there will be little or no advantages and in a global sense will have no effect whatsoever on emissions. Rather it will be nothing more than cynical political posturing on a Biblical scale.

Recently Drax power station began a £multi-billion conversion programme to burn biofuel (wood!) which will be imported from America at huge cost: and for what? Simply to satisfy the requirements of the ill-founded Climate Change Act which itself is driven by purely political EU directives. Yet Germany opened 2 new coal-fired stations last year, 6 more are due to open this year and a further 6 by 2020! Furthermore, in light of the events in Fukushima, Japan is to build more coal-fired plants as quickly as possible in the coming years. Then there is China currently opening a new coal-fired plant every four days and let’s not forget Russia and Brazil.

Meanwhile your government’s policies will ensure more of our coal-fired stations are closed in the coming years with absolutely no chance of renewables filling the void. Instead we will suffer power cuts and increasing energy bills; yet Employment and Pensions Minister Ian Duncan Smith chooses this time to suggest that pensioners, like me, give up our Winter Fuel Allowance! If ever there was a time for joined-up thinking now is it.

The only way I can see of getting out of this mess is to cancel the coal-fired closures until new gas and nuclear stations come on stream and ditch the odious Carbon Floor Price completely to show the EU how it’s done and, if Nick Clegg objects, show him the door.

It would be easy for you to simply dismiss these views as the hysterical ramblings of a climate change denier. Let me advise you of my stance on this: in almost 20 years’ involvement in the debate I have NEVER denied climate change but accept it as a normal and cyclical natural phenomenon supported by independent peer-reviewed scientific evidence. Neither am I ignorant of many of the factors which illuminate the debate. Before retirement over 5 years ago I spent nearly 50 years in the gas industry. I saw the emergence of natural gas and the impact it had, not only on what was a dying industry but upon the fortunes of the country at large. At the time of its discovery estimates told that there were some 20 years’ reserves. Here we are 50 years on and we still have not exhausted those reserves; which brings me to shale gas.

There, surely, lies the future for the energy industry in this country? Back in the 60’s the environmentalists of the day were issuing dire warnings of the consequences of drilling for natural gas. Some were even convinced that removal of the gas from its pockets beneath the sea bed would lead to it collapsing and draining the North Sea! Today’s warnings of the dangers of fracking leading to earthquakes and contamination of the aquifers must be regarded as the same fatuous nonsense.

If nothing is done to arrest the march of the Green Ideologues the future of our country is in mortal danger. I feel sure there are millions of voters, like me, who want their children and grandchildren to live in a country built upon common sense and honesty, not greed and obfuscation and that can keep them in plentiful, secure and continuous supplies of energy.

As you contemplate your reply (please don’t insult my intelligence by getting a researcher, intern or civil servant to respond parroting the party line) please be advised I will not accept any attempt to take the moral high ground as is so beloved of politicians. Do you wish your legacy to be as the Prime Minister who allowed his country to perish for the sake of political expediency or as a worthy equal of Margaret Thatcher? I have voted Conservative at every General Election since 1964 but unless there is some serious re-arrangement of energy policy I will have to change the habit of a lifetime at the next one.

Good innit

My MP is working for me.

Is he fuck.

Some weeks ago I sent him an Email letter.

Dear John Stanley,

As one of your constituents I would like to express my opposition to the proposal to put tobacco products in plain (standardised) packaging.

This was not included in any election manifesto in 2010 and was rejected by the previous government in 2008 on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to support such a policy.

Nothing has happened since then that could possibly justify a change of policy under the current government. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Police officers, retired and serving, have expressed concern that plain packaging will encourage organised crime. Their views are shared by many small retailers, wholesalers, packaging companies and design agencies who may be forced to cut jobs if plain packaging is introduced.

Public opinion too is firmly against the proposal. The public consultation on plain packaging attracted over 700,000 responses, HALF A MILLION of them OPPOSED to plain packaging.

Given this overwhelming result I hope that you too will declare your opposition to this measure.

I would be grateful too if you would ask the relevant ministers to consider in the final review:

(a) the likely impact on counterfeiting and the corresponding increase in organised crime;
(b) the potential loss of tax revenue; and
(c) the full impact on business, including local shops and packaging companies.

Finally, I fully understand that government has a role to play improving public health and protecting the most vulnerable in society, especially children. There is however no credible evidence that packaging encourages children to start smoking and to argue otherwise is to fly in the face of common sense.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. I look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

The Filthy Engineer

Bearing in mind it was an E mail, I would at least have expected an acknowledgement. No. Bugger all. I know is his office received it as I received a “read receipt”.

However this is an MP who doesn’t seem to want to engage with the medium of the internet. When he eventually replies it will be a vacuous answer on House of commons headed note paper(I have a collection). Luckily the old dinosaur is resigning his seat at the next election.

Maybe I should stand for election in the seat?

By the way. If you want to send your MP a letter protesting about plain packs then click on the Icon at the top right. Even if you’re a non smoker I suggest that you do it anyway. You’ll be next if you like to drink, eat, or just generally like to enjoy yourself.

They’ve seen that the Tobacco control template has worked to denormalise  20% of society. Now they’ll start on the rest of you.

*A party political broadcast on behalf of the Filthy Engineer party*.

Only in America

Now I wasn’t going to post anything tonight. However I was sent this. It’s an article that’s a few years old, but in my mind, shows that if responsible people (I’m trained on hand guns, SA80, GPMG, 20mm cannon, and Mk48 mini gun. Oh and partial training of the Phalanx CIWS) were allowed to carry guns, we could possibly have less street crime.

AN ACTUAL PERSONAL AD

To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me In Downtown  Savannah   night before last.

Date: 2010-05-27, 1 :43 a.m. E.S.T.

I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend, threatening our lives. You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message.

First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment; I didn't expect you to actually crap in your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason. My girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber Model 1911 ...45 ACP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening. Obviously you agree that it is a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head ... isn't it?!

I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come from with that brown sludge in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse walking bare-footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again.

After I called your mother or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as those of four other people in the gas station, -- on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 150 gallons and was extremely grateful!

I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!]

I then threw your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked at the curb ... after I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver's side of the car.

Later, I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell phone. Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone for a little over a day now, so what 's going on with that? Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target.

The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number etc.).

In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you, but I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider, the career path you've chosen to pursue in life. Remember, next time you might not be so lucky. Have a good day!

Thoughtfully yours,

Alex

If muggers didn’t know whether someone was armed or not, and the law was changed to actually support the defendant, we would have two outcomes. Less muggings and more cemeteries.

Just a thought.

Don’t forget Guns are just nice assembled metal structures. It’s people who kill people.

I have written.

Just sent this to my MP.

Dear John Stanley,
I have never written to you before on the negative effects of the spiteful smoking ban that you supported and just blindly accepted every word from the pharmaceutically and Government backed groups like ASH and their ilk, who's one aim is to either socially engineer the population or reap huge rewards from the drug company's as the sales of nicotine replacement therapy rocket as a result of smoking bans and propaganda.

This time however I am writing to let you know that many people feel that a great injustice has been done to one pub landlord due to the ban. He has just been unfairly imprisoned for 6 months where he will pass his time with murderers, rapists and real criminals.
I am writing with reference to the jailing of Nick Hogan whose comment '‘Ninety per cent of people who come into my pub want to smoke, even the non-smokers think there should be a choice. These laws are ridiculous.’ says it all.

This is a farce. This man was fighting to uphold the dignity of a minority group, as stated in the United Nations Human Right Act.

This NuLabour smoking ban is doing the job that it was designed to do i.e. dividing the population smoker v anti-smoker. A divided population is an easier one to manage. !!

The influential political bloggers are flooding the internet with this travesty of justice and are not only demanding the release of this man, but are calling for this disgraceful U.K. smoking ban that is the harshest in Europe to be amended. At least 95% of people commenting think the jailing of this man is the beginning of mass rebellion. It is only as totalitarian as the Irish ban whereas the rest of Europe have decided to treat 25% of their population who are smokers as human rather than the scum of the earth. Nowhere is Europe is the ban designed to make people stand out in the street in freezing conditions to enjoy a legal product. This affects the elderly more than others. Whereas smoking was 'hidden' behind pub doors it is now widely prevalent on our streets in plain sight of every young person and therefore the uptake of younger people taking up smoking will rise as has been the case in every country that enacted a ban before the U.K.

Top bloggers views:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/edwes ... smoke-ban/
http://bastardoldholborn.blogspot.com/2 ... pdate.html
http://frank-davis.livejournal.com/55354.html
http://freedom-2-choose.blogspot.com/20 ... +Choose%29
http://dickpuddlecote.blogspot.com/2010 ... dlecote%29
http://velvetgloveironfist.blogspot.com ... onths.html
http://www.annaraccoon.com/politics/pub ... oking-ban/
http://irdial.com/blogdial/?p=2477
http://www.britishblogs.co.uk/theme/nic ... riginally/
http://takingliberties.squarespace.com/ ... ntalk.html

http://niklowe.blogspot.com/2010/03/nick-hogan.html

Mr Cameron would be gleaning more votes if he decided to actually listen to people. This ban is not just adversely affective 12 million smokers in this country, but millions of sympathetic non-smokers who do not believe the myth of so called 'second hand smoke' and are aware that this is social engineering on a large scale. They all worry what group is next to be made into tomorrows pariah.

Yours Sincerely

The Filthy Engineer

Lifelong Conservative but like many others about to vote UKIP. (Said that to make him panic).

Why not do the same. It's easy. Just go to They Work for you.