Heads in the sand

No sooner had I commented on Ofcom's verdict on C4's 'The Great Climate Change Swindle' than I came across this quote from the Guardian, via a post on Assistant:

"David Cameron has failed to convince many of his MPs that man-made global warming is a serious problem, according to a poll that finds widespread sceptisicm across parliament about the issue.

A third of Tory MPs who responded to the survey questioned the existence of climate change and its link to human activity. Two-thirds said tackling climate change should not be a priority for local councils.

A significant number of MPs from other parties also told the survey they had doubts on the issue. Overall, the results suggest that up to a fifth of the MPs who have been debating the UK's climate change bill do not understand, or choose to ignore, the science on which it is based."

Ofcom's verdict that the documentary wasn't controversial because the existence of man-made climate change had been proven and settled prior to the programme being screened looks rather ridiculous when you consider that even those who should be the best informed are sceptical.

Still, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised by politicians' thickheadedness. Only today was it announced that the government's Change4Life campaign to counter obesity will be supported by ... Coca-Cola, Nestle and Mars. On Channel 4 News Jon Snow was temporarily possessed with the spirit of Paxman and Humphries, asking the Chief Executive of the Advertising Association, a flustered Baroness Peta Luscombe, whether Mars Bars make you thin or fat...