[LINK] The GGWS

[Richard Chirgwin]

What the hell, off-topic but why not!

If I disqualify myself from commenting on the science, there was still 
plenty of meat to chew on. The most important single aspect of the show 
- and the one which made me glad I also made the kids watch it - is that 
it was a very instructive lesson in how to identify fraudulent logic; 
and also the techniques used to try and conceal fraudulent logic.

The first ten minutes of the program was entirely without facts. It was, 
instead, an accumulation of accusation and lines like "for years we have 
been told ... but is it really so" in a portentious voice.

After that, my old "twelve errors of logic" copied from a 1940s edition 
of the Cadillac encyclopedia kicked in...

The biggest fraud the "swindle" camp practises, endemic througout this 
show, is that the existence of one mechanism excludes the operation of 
another mechanism. Hence, because a sunspot effect exists, a CO2 
mechanism cannot exist. Whatever the science may be, the GGWS did not 
offer any evidence that the solar mechanism excludes an atmospheric 
mechanism.

On a wider view, the show repeatedly claimed that any natural mechanisms 
invalidate all man-made mechanisms, which is nonsense.

While complaining about media distorting the science, the show 
nonetheless pretended that headlines are an accurate reflection of a 
scientific debate. Hence the media enthusiasm for cooling in the 1970s 
was taken by the show as an accurate reflection of the scientific debate 
of the time; while of course the current media debate is accused of 
distorting the scientific one.

Some other quick observations.

- Outside the circle of people who spoke on-camera, the claim that 
"many" or "thousands" of scientists were being silenced wasn't supported 
by any numbers.
- All consensus was denounced as corrupt, which is just damn silly.
- Quotation without citation: the show was happy to make claims about 
what people said, without sourcing the quotes.
- Frequently, GGWS blurred the line between "weather" and "climate", 
which is a completely dishonest attempt to confuse the audience.

For me, though, the killer was when the GGWS descended into "greenies 
are peaceniks and commies"...

RC

Jan Whitaker wrote:
> At 08:33 PM 12/07/2007, Rick Welykochy wrote:
>> Off to watch The Great Global Warming Swindle now.
>
> Are we allowed for a little while, Tony? Please?
>
> I'm so glad there was a followup panel on that film. Seeing all those 
> 'scientists' commenting in the 'documentary' (mockumentary?) I was 
> being persuaded to rethink. Shows the power of the medium. Tony Jones 
> was magic! Yes, perhaps as one of the panelists said, he should ask 
> tough questions of the Nicholas Stearns of the world as well, but he 
> exposed the track record of the guy who produced this one and several 
> of the 'experts' who are serial naysayers and under the pay of big oil 
> and big tobacco. The regular viewer in the UK wouldn't have had the 
> benefit of this extra information.
>
> 3 Cheers to Auntie and I take back my pre-judgement that I sent in the 
> letter saying this shouldn't be screened. It is must see ONLY with the 
> benefit of followup to balance the message.
>
> BTW, one of the more perverse but entertaining aspects of the program 
> was the audience participation at the end. Talk about fringe elements! 
> I couldn't decide it they brought a bus from Nimbin or gathered up 
> some of the mentally challenged roaming the streets. It was truly 
> bizarre.
>
> Jan
>
>
> Jan Whitaker
> JLWhitaker Associates, Melbourne Victoria
> jwhit at janwhitaker.com
> business: http://www.janwhitaker.com
> personal: http://www.janwhitaker.com/personal/
> commentary: http://janwhitaker.com/jansblog/
>
> Writing Lesson #54:
> Learn to love revision. Think of it as polishing the silver for 
> guests. - JW, May, 2007
>
> 'Seed planting is often the most important step. Without the seed, 
> there is no plant.' - JW, April 2005
> _ __________________ _
> _______________________________________________
> Link mailing list
> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
> http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
>