In terms of party management, the Prime Minister seems to have pulled it off – at least for the time being and as far as Tory MPs are concerned.
An emphatic 66 per cent are opposed to LDNs – and a socking great 83 per cent to the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2030.
Contrast the leisurely approach towards this allegedly extinction-level threat with the Government’s response to the pandemic.
On some issues, he got it wrong. On other issues, he got it right but is misrepresented by some of his cheerleaders. And on other issues, he was right in the context of the time but circumstances have changed.
He was the most formidable Chancellor of the Twentieth Century and a titan of the modern Conservative Party – voting for Sunak and endorsing his approach in last summer’s Tory leadership election.,
A majority agree that global warming is a reality. But there is scepticism about “net zero” targets and alarmist declarations about an “emergency”.
It would be desirable to see an informed and open-minded ongoing debate about global warming, rather than being dictated to.
Too many on the Right see it as their job to pretend that action on climate change must be watered down or opposed.
The British are deluged with sanctimonious propaganda about the need to save the planet, and China goes on burning coal.
Without China and India onboard, the ability to tackle climate change will become a losing battle.
A recent report launching a new coalition explains why we need new technologies that will deliver these at scale.
The second piece in a mini-series on ConHome this week on Net Zero and climate change.
The first piece in a mini-series on ConHome this week on Net Zero and climate change.
There is a clear majority in favour of policies to cut the UK’s carbon emissions, but apparently limited appetite for radicalism.
The moral of this story is that these models provide interesting context – a little like horoscopes. But when it comes to decision-making, give me an economic historian in preference to a model any day.