'You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows'

I’m reading about this Manx Radio report on the latest Climate Change Coalition (CCC) foray and humming the tune of Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ to myself. You know the one with the line; ‘you don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows’:

https://www.manxradio.com/…/momentum-is-building-says-envi…/

Obviously the Dylan analogy is a little awry (check Weathermen’ on Wiki)’.

Anyway having a weatherman give a talk is quite apposite not because he will talk about weather but because our weathermen are based at Ronaldsway. If there is one stark symbol of wasteful emissions its aircraft and the industries they spawn. Will folk change the luxury of air travel to exotic places and return to the Keith and Candice Marie type eco-holiday in Dorset a la Mike Leith’s classic drama ‘Nuts in May’ or will the lure of Antarctica or Ayers Rock outweigh the attraction of the Ayres.

Meanwhile the reaction of the Manx government to the burgeoning movement is politely cautious. They seem to think the climate changers have the power to do to climate what Bill Dale has done to litter. I’m reminded of that Thomas Jefferson quote about having ‘a wolf by the ears’ you don't like it but you can ‘neither hold him, nor safely let him go’.

Once climate changers were marginalised; ‘tree huggers’ in their ‘knitted cardie’s’, eating muesli now they are potentially as anarchical as those 1960s ‘weathermen’. I expect the Chamber of Commerce to go all ‘climatey’ anytime soon - although in actual fact it is the greed of capitalism that is driving the global catastrophe that beckons (it’s ok it’s just ‘The Finsbury Communist’ in me coming out!)

Meanwhile in Ireland the climate changers are being a little innovative. Green News ie report that ‘Climate Case Ireland’ currently has the government in the High Court averring amongst other things that the Irish government's failure to set and achieve suitable emission level reduction is a violation of human rights specifically ‘the right to life’:

https://greennews.ie/inability-halt-emissions-breach-const…/

That's a really sharp move and shows the value of a country with a written constitution. This case should play out all the way to the Irish Supreme Court and if successful must have enormous legal implications for any signatory of the European Convention. I’ll watch this one with interest!

Images: 1) Climate Changers 2) The Four Courts Dublin 3) The weathermen symbol

Bernard Moffatt

Celtic League