Longrider

It’s interesting to watch in detached amusement when the righteous show signs of being rattled. One such is the reaction to the Czech Republic’s presidency of the EU. Something that I await with interest as the Czech president is an outspoken man who cares little if he upsets the EU hierarchy. The Righteous don’t like Václav Klaus one little bit and it is beginning to show as the Guardianista, bastion of the righteous observes today. This from Leo Hickman:

Try to imagine Jeremy Clarkson being put in charge of the nation’s traffic cops for six months and the carnage that would likely ensue.

Would it? Would it indeed? And what evidence does Hickman provide to flesh out this trite little allegory? Oh, that’s right, none at all. Prejudice is all. I would suggest that Clarkson might make a better fist of it than the present incumbents. Still, back to the EU and climate scepticism, because that is the thrust of Hickman’s shrill little diatribe.

“Colourful” and “maverick” are words used to describe Václav Klaus. Others prefer words such as “dangerous” and “misguided”. But while there’s little doubt that Klaus’s style of politics has been popular with many in his home country – he revels in refusing to fly the European flag over his office in Prague – it’s going to be fascinating seeing how his crowd-pleasing contrarianism and undiplomatic outbursts go down with a wider audience now that the international spotlight has been thrust upon him.

My thoughts are that this could be a breath of fresh air. Being contrarian is not a bad thing; it is a good thing, it makes people think about their position – that is, if they are capable of observing from a different perspective, if they have open minds and their heads are not stuck so far up their arses that they observe the world from between their own molars.

The no-doubt nervous Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, has even tried to pre-emptively defuse any looming clangers from Klaus describing the role of the Czech president as largely “ceremonial”.

Ah, see what he did there? Dissent from the righteous party line will be translated as “clangers”. Mustn’t rock the boat, nor dissent from the consensus, must we? And, God forbid, that we should have people daring to publicly challenge the global warming (unelected and unaccountable) fascists of Brussels.

Klaus’s fans view him as a popular hero speaking out for the oppressed common man. Predictably, he has something of a following online, too, and some bloggers and commentators are now rejoicing at his golden chance to unsettle the political status quo.

Not before time. That, surely, is part of the democratic process. Let’s have more status quo unsettling. Ah, but, second rate hacks like Hickman don’t want the status quo unsettled, they are right and that is all right and we must all go along with it and if we don’t, we are dropping clangers. The arrogant self-righteousness fair exudes from every syllable.

Outside the world of Czech and European politics, Klaus is perhaps best known as one of the world’s most outspoken climate change sceptics.

And the righteous really, really hate anyone who publicly ridicules their nice new shiny religion, don’t they?

You’ve got quotes from Michael Crichton and Richard Lindzen, environmentalists billed as “Malthusian pessimists” who are the “biggest threat to freedom, democracy, the market economy and prosperity”, talk of natural climatic cycles and the politicisation of science, utter contempt for Al Gore, and there’s even the familiar call for us all to have faith in the “advances in technology” thrown in for good measure. It’s enough to warm the cockles of rightwing libertarians the world over.

Jesus, what an arsehole. The reason we have utter contempt for Al Gore is because he is a great big fat liar – that and a great big fat hypocrite. The rest is the usual righteous twaddle – and always the “right wing” label is added for good measure. The righteous love to use the term right wing as if it applies to anyone who expresses libertarian views or who rubbishes their, well, rubbish… Rightwing these days is equivalent to extremism (even the TPA according to Al Beeb). So, Hickson confirms to the reader that he is, indeed, a member of the righteous and therefore not someone who may be taken seriously as a correspondent.

But I don’t join those who fear Klaus’s spell in the hot seat. In contrast, I’m looking forward to his pronouncements, especially if they deal with climate change. Another popular refrain from the sceptics is that the world’s political class has “bought this climate change puppy hook, line and sinker”. It will be interesting to see how the sceptics react now that they have a staunch champion in high office, albeit on a short-term tenancy. Bright light is rarely flattering.

I, too, will be watching with interest. That bright light is shining on the EU elite in Brussels and their reaction to Klaus. Hickman is right in that the light is not flattering – it’s just that he is looking in the wrong place. The man is an idiot.