No plans at the moment

+With my tolerance of hot weather capped at around 25 degrees C, I don’t think I’ll be travelling to New Orleans anytime soon. This coming week the city is predicted to have a period of temperatures between 40 to 46 degrees C. A weeks-long heatwave has developed in the southern US states, which is no doubt a combination of climate change and this year’s El Nino. Things have cooled here in the UK, where temperatures rose to around 30 degrees C, but we still have reports of hotter than average sea temperatures surrounding the UK of around five degrees higher than normal. So—interesting that the UK Climate Change Committee has reported that UK progress on tackling climate change is ‘worryingly slow.’ To which the government has responded with its worn old statement that tackling climate change is a top priority (as in tackling crime, crumbling schools, a stricken NHS, mental health, sewage, etc., etc. are all ’top' priorities). Now environment minister (Lord) Zac Goldsmith has resigned, seemingly endorsing the Climate Change Committee’s conclusion. Nothing to do with being named and shamed the day before as a diehard fan of Boris Johnson of course. If government backwardness on climate action was the real reason for Goldsmith’s resignation, why on earth did he resign in the first place—surely the place to put things right is within government?  If his departure was anything to do with climate change, then its significance has been entirely blown away by media focus on yet more Partygate fall-out. Silly man.

+Electoral Calculus, which aggregates polling on voting intentions now has Labour on 475 seats and just 100 for the Tories. I don’t believe this is a likely outcome, but it is testimony nevertheless to the outstanding leadership of, of, err, errrr . . .

+Following my blog on the state pension triple lock the other day, rapid responses have come from the major parties (who knew I wielded such influence?).  The i reported Wednesday that  ‘Secretary of State Mel Stride, who is responsible for overseeing pension reviews, said on Wednesday that the Conservative party would maintain the policy into the next election.’ This caught the No.10 press office off-guard, who declined to back up Stride’s confidence. Meanwhile, the article continued: ‘Sources said Labour has no plans to change the way pensions and benefits are calculated at the moment, meaning both would continue to rise with inflation under a Labour government.’ Trust me, I’m a ‘source.’ For ‘the moment.’

+Here's a crime tackling policy suggestion the Tories could take up in their manifesto. It would appeal to their base. (Item spotted in Pickering's excellent Beck Isle Museum)