"Green" policies are destroying this country

You couldn’t walk on any of Portmarnock beach this morning, the tide was so high. And it’s not even spring yet 🙄

Realpolitik takes over, US president Trump just in the door, the EU is already backtracking on it's green deal. Well not officially, von der Leyen will continue to dish out word salad, the bureaucrats will replace rules with new rules. And that is going to make a difference . . . .

EU’s new economic vision is speaking to Green Deal critics

A leaked draft of the European Commission’s competitiveness compass — an economic doctrine to guide the EU executive’s work for the coming five years — points toward widespread deregulation targeting the European Green Deal in particular. source
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Last weekend, a German-led EPP leaders’ meeting produced a document calling on the Commission to delay the financial and corporate sustainability rules as well as the EU’s new carbon border tax for at least two years. 
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Then, on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, an EPP politician, appeared to blame the EU’s new climate legislation — much of which has yet to come into effect — for the bloc’s high energy prices. 

Meanwhile in France. . .

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella senses an opening for a right-wing coalition to tear down the European Green Deal.

Bardella, chairman of the European Parliament's far-right Patriots for Europe grouping and president of Marine Le Pen's National Rally, said Monday morning that he would ask Manfred Weber, leader of the center-right European People's Party, to "join forces" and halt the European Union's efforts to curb climate change. source

And the UK . . Bank Of England Urges Labour: Cut ‘Burdensome’ Net Zero Mandates To Grow Economy

Sam Woods, the head of the Bank’s Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA), said the thicket of climate requirements imposed by Westminster was impeding efforts to boost growth.

In a letter to the Chancellor and Sir Keir Starmer, Mr. Woods said the requirement for the Bank to “have regard” for dozens of different “climate and the environment” issues made it harder to encourage risk-taking in the City and take a more light-touch approach to regulation.

Mr. Woods raised the issue in response to a call from Ms. Reeves for ideas on how to improve Britain’s flatlining growth rate. source

In Ireland, some of us dealing with major electricity supply disruption are at least thankful we have fireplaces to keep warm. I expect many peoples with old heat pumps that require electricity are going to review how resilient their systems are in future. This episode is no fun in light of the cold temperatures and miserable weather that followed the storm. Thankfully after years of experience in the sticks, had 2 weeks without electricity a few decades ago, I have a diesel generator to keep elderly family members from freezing.

Next week, tax funded eNGOs are pursing their agenda through lawfare with the PLC friends of the Irish environment next Tuesday. The Community Law & Mediation's Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) had an online webinar, with usual suspects such as Oisin Coughlan and Kevin Anderson. If you follow the link, click on more there is a show transcript option you can see what they were on about.

The only people who use GDP as a measure of success are politicians and Keynesian economists (i.e. almost all of them). It is politicians who push "green deal" spending to boost GDP. Most politicians line of sight is the next election a handy gig protected from voters (e.g. United Nations, EU Commission, lobby groups or company boards). Politicians who are protected from voters can spew work salad such as beyond growth (euphemism for economic decline/industrialization), hydrogen economy or green jobs. They commission consultants to support the outcome they've already decided. When Irish government departments want cover, the ESRI are on hand.

There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader. Thing is, politicians can see what is coming down the line, specifically their ejection from office at the hands of angry voters, who don't like expensive and intermittent energy supply. The voters don't like cost of living increases, expensive and scarce accommodation, they don't like heavy taxation, they don't like de-industrialization. Since the UK left, Germany is the gorilla in the room when it comes to the EU. It is their obsession with green policies that determines EU policies. There are federal elections in February, we shall see how the voters deal with the unwinding of Angela Merkels legacy.

You don't need AI, If your job can be done today with a python script, you should find something else to do or learn to code. AI is not the game changer it is made out to be. Once the hype has died down AI will continue it's hallucinations (i.e. outputting random garbage), there are a few niche applications where AI useful such as image processing, human interaction and expertise will continue to be required. For instance AI may be able to flag common cancer cells, you still need a skilled person to discover edge cases.

News broke last year: News media applying for €1.8m state grants were asked to consider focusing more on climate change and rise of populism

There have been multiple grants see the following link https://www.gov.ie/en/service/2011a-oll down to global-ireland-media-challenge-fund/

Scroll down to the section "Awards made under the fund"

RTE - €360,000

Virgin Media Television - €200,000

The Journal - €90,000

The Journal - €103k p/a   (2024-25)

Virgin Media - €200k p/a  (2024-25)

Reach Media - € 100,000

The Business Post - € 100,000

Bauer Media - € 55,000

The Examiner - € 100,000

There has also been this: BAI announces funding of €5m under Sound & Vision Scheme. Money for Irish production companies, it funded this cringe worthy effort: Tomorrow Tonight - Mark Little on RTÉ's trip to Ireland in 2050

The European Parliament is also a funding source for some Irish media organizations such as thejournal

Another funding source for Irish media is the European Digital Media Observatory, funds local fact checkers to build strawmen and tear them down.

There is a growing realization that the economic penalty imposed by the pursuit of unreliable energy generation, in combination with crippling access to existing primary energy sources is much too high a price. Aside from our own domestic energy policies, we have to bear the additional problem that any energy crisis in the United Kingdom impacts us directly. The crisis in the making has been delivered by both Conservative and Labour politicians over several decades. It calls into question the wisdom behind our reliance on them for gas, oil fuels and electricity (extension leads) supply especially in light of energy nationalism in the Nordic countries. On January 8th this year the UK did not have much margin left, observers reckoned they were closer to blackout conditions all it would take was one plant to trip during peak demand. The new US administration is not pulling their punches about net zero either.

Paul Marshall (GB news, Unherd and the Spectator) gave a great speech attacking both UK and Germany pursuit of net zero.

"investigative journalist with pronouns" made up his own investigation, then undid it, Lisa Göldner of Greenpeace is not the most credible source. As always with these articles, go to the end to find the story and what a surprise, Wind Energy Ireland pushing for accelerated planning approval.

Industry lobby group, Wind Energy Ireland, said that quick but robust decisions are needed on these projects if Ireland is going to hit its 2030 climate targets.

“We cannot afford to have projects spending years in the planning system while families are struggling with their bills and we are spending millions importing fossil fuels,” Justin Moran, Director of External Affairs with Wind Energy Ireland, told The Journal Investigates.

He missed the real story, the offshore wind industry is in financial trouble.