Matt Ridley on Insulate Britain:
“My Lords, does my noble friend agree that what appears to have been a cunning plan by the secret society of net-zero sceptics to get Insulate Britain to undermine the appeal of the Green movement was brilliantly executed? Was it not a particular triumph to choose upper middle-class twits to confront ordinary people trying to get to work or school? Was it not a stroke of genius to make sure that some of them had not insulated their own homes? Does she agree that it is surprising that the environment movement has not yet seen through this stunt?”
Matt Ridley identifies one of life’s pressing problems…
‘It’s not saying no that’s the problem: it’s saying yes slowly.’
“In 2015 the World Health Organisation said the greatest threat to human health in the 21st century is climate change. Doesn’t that suggest it was looking the wrong way when this pandemic came along?”
But million-selling author Matt Ridley believes Covid-19 is unlikely to set back long-term human progress: “Every day, on average, 160,000 people are being lifted out of extreme poverty by innovation. It’s a phenomenon that has been going on for 20-30 years. We are defeating malaria – mortality has halved since 2000. In the background of this crisis, things are going in right direction.”
Ridley’s new book ‘How Innovation Works’ hits the shelves next month. In a new interview with the IEA’s Syed Kamall he stresses the fundamental importance of innovation – and the conditions that encourage it: “Innovation flourishes in freedom – the freedom to experiment, the freedom to think differently, the freedom to do differently.
“And we need more innovation, not less. If we’d had more we would be in a better position to cope with this pandemic.”
Watch this fascinating interview on YouTube.
The House of Lords has passed a motion of regret in the House of Commons simply nodding through a £1 trillion statutory instrument on Monday. The passage of the SI took less than 90 minutes without a single vote taking place. It only required minimal scrutiny and no impact assessment had to be prepared…
Peers today voted for a motion of regret that said the Government has “given little detail of how the emissions target will be met” and “made a substantial change in policy without the full and proper scrutiny that such a change deserves.” It beggars belief that this ludicrously costly policy was passed on a whim without any scrutiny whatsoever. This should not be how the world’s fifth largest economy conducts its affairs…
Brexiteers are getting seriously nervous after Parliament voted this week first to block no deal, and then in favour of an Article 50 extension – with Theresa May’s support – with another load of egregious antics from Bercow thrown in. The Benn/Cooper/Letwin coup was seen off by just two votes. While neither of the main votes was legally binding, the fact that an extension was proposed by the Government and carried with a majority of over 200 has alarmed many committed Leavers…
Numerous Brexiteer MPs have been dropping hints over the past few days that they are starting to feel that voting for May’s dire deal may be the lesser of two evils, given the risks of losing Brexit altogether once lengthy delays start being put into law. The price is that May herself agrees to quit…
Resolute Leaver Lucy Allan told the FT: “I have to seriously consider supporting the prime minister’s deal, although in my view it is a worse option than remain”. Conor Burns added: “I’m actively looking for reasons to support the withdrawal agreement. That’s why the attorney-general’s advice was so important, critical to many of us to see whether we could be persuaded to support it.” Burns is one of Boris’s closest allies…
Even Esther McVey dropped a very strong hint today, saying “people are going to have to think a different way next week”. Her diehard Eurosceptic other half Philip Davies already raised eyebrows by voting for the deal at MV2…
Other leading Brexit supporters are also coming round to this view, Fraser Nelson wrote in The Telegraph yesterday that May’s deal is:
“a pale imitation of the Brexit that could have been, the Brexit a different leader might have been able to negotiate. It’s half a Brexit – but it’s better than no Brexit.”
Matt Ridley tweeted out Fraser’s article this morning, adding: “I am fairly sure now, after yesterday’s votes, that this is right.” Even deeply committed Brexiteer economist Professor Patrick Minford wrote yesterday: “Let not the best with little chance be the enemy of the good with a reasonable chance”…
The DUP will be in London all weekend to try to hammer out further reassurances from the Government over the backstop, after Nigel Dodds told the press “we want to leave with a deal” this afternoon. Ultimately they still hold the key, if the DUP come over then many MPs will follow, if they don’t budge then MV3 is going the way of MV1 and 2…
