I normally ignore the inside baseball back-and-forth that occupies too many people’s time on the blog-o-sphere, but this is just too hilarious.
Readers may remember last week, His Esteemed Splendiforousness “Lord” Christopher Monckton was formally challenged to a point by point debate by the video blogger Potholer (Peter Hadfield), who had produced a series of videos (see example above) eviscerating one by one His Infallible Excellency’s talking points, and providing the primary source material in doing so.
Faced with real, checkable, online debate, where he would have to name his sources, put it in writing, and provide links for readers to fact check him (hmmm..sort of the way I do it in this video series) His CowardlyLion-ness decided to, well, run.
The host of the discussion, Pseudo-Science enthusiast Anthony Watts, told his faithful last weekend that, after I released a video of a Skype interview with Potholer discussing the situation, he would no longer provide a platform for discussion, since Potholer was “colluding” with that “hateful greenman”.
Cedric Katesby says:Monckton will hopefully find the time to come back to WUWT and be ready to debate his critics.
Looking forward to it.REPLY: While I can’t hear what Hadfield is saying (he sounds like a British mumble to me) they seem totally infatuated with their manhunt, so much for Hadfield’s repeated claims of being “dispassionate and logical”. Thanks for posting this. When he starts colluding with that hateful “greenman”, all semblance of rational debate is destroyed.
This video then cements my decision not to provide any further space to Hadfield here. – Anthony
Although I let Potholer do most of the talking in the video, I will admit to an occasional smirk and raised eyebrow, which must have been too much for Watt’s delicately balanced psyche. For that I apologize.
I’ll say that I’m disappointed because I had laid in a 6 week supply of popcorn for the event.
Why am I not surprised…
What does keep surprising me is how thin skinned Anthony seems to be about perceived slights. Considering how Anthony can dish out from time to time on his blog.
And he even used you as a reason for not continuing a debate between Monckton and Potholer as you are apparently “hateful” and your involvement in any way destroys the semblance of a reasonable debate. I find that really odd considering you are one of the politest people I know in this ‘debate’.
Quite odd as you are not involved in the debate itself…
watts is very thin skinned and hates me because I make fun of him and his ridiculous minions.
If you making fun of Anthony makes him hate you, then he’s a hypocrite for also making fun of us. If you can’t take a bit of poking fun if you make a mistake, then you shouldn’t dish it out yourself.
But that might just be me being a bit to logical.
From what I hear Lord monckton is colluding with the Birthistsnow
Monckton is always looking for some outrageous comment to get publicity. Without it he is likely to be totally ignored. Just look at the stink he caused in Australia by calling a Scientist a Nazi!
The worst punishment for him, would be to be ignored.
The reality is that Monckton is not an idiot, and realized that the debate forum that was being proposed would result in his reputation being demolished. If I were him, I too would look for ANY reason to bow out. Facts are facts, and they are stubborn things. It is easy to preach to fans with a controlled presentation, quite another to have to actually prove your points with references.
You did notice the eruption of The Lord Monckton Foundation?
http://lordmoncktonfoundation.com/home
I’m pretty sure it’s not meant as a joke.
(via Hot Topic)
If Monckton were a ship, it would be the Titanic it has just run into an iceberg [Potholer + science]. The Lord Monckton is now catastrophically holed below the water-line and is sinking fast, let’s hope it soon vanishes without trace.
So Monckton, who I personally heard call UCSD’s Dr. Naomi Oreskes a “monstrous woman” in front of hundreds of people a few days ago, has the nerve to call Climate Crocks hateful?
Monckton owes me a new irony-meter!!
Do you have a clip you can point me to? It would help me with a video I’m working on.
Ha ha, the mere mention of your name sends them running now? You must be doing something right.
Oops — it looks like Watts is the one who actually called Climate Crocks “hateful”.
So it’s Watts who owes me the new irony-meter. (Actually, Monckton owes me a new one as well — my previous irony-meter burned out during his show).
Hateful? Surely a case of the pot calling the kettle black?!
Ok, I admit it: I hate Monckton’s guts. I have two sons. These sons are going to grow up in a CO2-altered world. And their kids? And their kids’ kids? What kind of world will they face?
It’s clear that the denialists are effectively obstructing legislative action that would set us to work attempting to address the threat of climate change. It’s like some basta-d holding closed a door to a burning building when people inside are trying to escape. Just as the anti-scientists employed by Big Tobacco had blood on their hands, so do people like Monckton.
So yes, I hate his effing guts. May he rot in hell.
K