Thanks to Perth

Yesterday I had an afternoon in Perth Scotland. I realised it is important to put the country when working with the www. I remember when I started searching for Blairgowrie and thinking to myself, what surf beach?

So it's a big thanks to everyone I spoke to and has helped with the promotion of the Blairgowrie Town Hall Event on the 28th March. The Perthshire Advertiser and The Courier are both going to do a piece. Both are covering stories of environmental interest and there letter pages are constantly full of debate on the environmental challenge and dilemma. The Blairgowrie event will give a chance for their readers who attend where the agenda for the G8 in Perthshire came from, and how we can take the results into the future for the benefit of Perthshire, Scotland and the planet.

Remember it doesn't matter whether climate change is due to man made or natural causes, we still have to do something about it.

Mountain Supplies and Craigdon Mountain Sports have both posters up in their shops. I have bought some of my recent kit, waterproofs, sleeping bag and rucksack from them, plus all the other odds and ends. It is in the mountains of Perthshire where I get the natural perspectives on the environmental situation. Whether it is just seeing where the snow is or checking grazing pressure of deer populations etc.

Thanks to everyone in Perth who has helped.

Flaws in Nobel Prize Winning Work

In my post of 11th March I reviewed The Trap, what happened to our dreams of freedom. (Some national news reviewers commented on why such a long title. Clue? Try searching for that title, but add Bob Marley). Done a bit of it for you.

I have to say I knew very little of Nash's work. I had seen the film Beautiful Mind, late one night (probably while doing something else). What I hadn't realised was Nash's influence on western politics from his Game Theory. I was aware of John Von Neumanns work, and was happy to accept this as valid. What I hadn't realised was Nash had built on and changed some of Von Neumans work.

There are various phrases that hit popular culture and become well known. 'Blue sky' was a phrase I knew from the 70's as a term for free design thinking. This suddenly around 2002 it started being used in political chat shows re Government and associated thinking. The phrase 'tipping point' is one I really detest because it is so close to 'self-organised criticality'. Tipping point is a term I feel people use because it is safe, they will not be asked to explain it. Self organised criticality is a phrase which might prompt the question, what does it mean? The phrase that is going about at the moment is "the elephant in the room". As in something so obvious it is forgotten about or ignored. Is that what it means?

Having seen a brief overview of Nash's work. If what I knew when I was about 22 and I had been in a room and Nash was explaining his to be future Nobel Prize winning theory, I would have leaned over his shoulder and pointed something out. The current phrase being "the elephant in the room". Would that have been considered sick. This was a Nobel prize winning paranoid schizophrenic.

I really don't think so. I think Nash would have wanted someone to enter his world and give him some direction, The flaws in his work could have been pointed out from associated work known at the time.

Let's leave the work of Nash for now. In passing when I do a presentation on 28th March at Blairgowrie Town Hall if it crops up in passing I will show the flaw Nash made in his work, something I think he would have been grateful of at the time. The Conservative Government of Thatcher could have been so hated if they tried to incorporate Nash's work, because no one pointed out to him the fundamental flawed premise in his work.

Blairgowrie Town Hall 28th March. Let us disprove a Nobel Prize winning theory. In so doing create a better future. I am sure John Nash would want us to do this, take the paranoia out of schizophrenia. Or we could just listen to Marley's Exodus.

Trusting My Life and This Planet to Politicians

I don't know whether I was being a bit hard on Blairgowrie Liberal Democrats in my post Just when did you write this? My complaint of their election campaign consisting of 'a' leaflet being probably 5 months out of date. Should I apologise, should I have expected better or more from a political party that wants to be taken seriously. If the Lib Dems think they deserve an apology then have one.



I had read Tartan Hero's Campbell Tests Brown for Coalition Job, basically the "vote Ming get Gordon" ticket, (why is it nearly every time I type Gordon I have to go back and correct Gorgon). Then I had this Lib Dem Focus leaflet. The Lib Dems have set out their climate change policy, to be fair the only ones yet with something I can really assess.



They want to tax heavy polluters then give the money to (via shifting tax burdens) to "hard working and particularly low paid Scots". So who are these heavy polluters, the energy industry, the transport industry etc? We live in a market economy, if you increase these costs, they still get passed on to "hard working......". There is no net gain financially. Even if there was a financial benefit to them what are they going to spend the money on, increased consumerism and foreign holidays? Adding to the problem they tried to resolve.



In my post Carbon Offsetting I did the rough overall calculation for politicians to start basing their environmental policies on. We are damaging the environment, this is a cost, this damage if not repaired and stopped will lead to the demise of us all. These (all) polluters cause damage. What the Lib Dems are not doing is using the tax revenues to repair and improve the environmental situation, they have not recycled the money back to solve the problem of the damage caused. Ergo, they do not have an environmental policy. So why have a "wee pretendy go" that they have.



When I had the discussions with the Government's consultants to run the Millennium Dome as a global environmental management centre these were penetrating and incisive. There again they must have realised I knew my subject, because it was them who wanted to support my proposal. Until that is it may have been undermined, Isn't it iconic. Even 10 Downing Street won't deny the facts. As such I feel I have a right to feel annoyed and frustrated at politicians pretending they have solutions to the environmental challenge. We won't let Roger do it, it is much better for our ego and kudos if we can get the public to believe we know what we are doing. This is putting my life, my families, my friends, every bodies life and the future of this planet in danger for the sake of political posturing.



Sometime I want to get the Stern report and everything a politician presents on the environment, get a red pen mark it and send it back to them with see me on it. There again perhaps that was why the Cabinet Office did want me to proof and comment on their Regulatory Impact Assessment guide. (And produce the outline agenda for the G8 Summit in Perthshire, Climate Change and Africa). Why should I or anyone else with more than 40 years study of how this planet works have any confidence what so ever in someone who wanted to be a lawyer and in the last few months thinks they are an expert in planetary ecology just because it became fashionable to do so. Solicitors and politicians don't fix my central heating boiler or MOT my car so why should I trust them with a planet.



There I was feeling alone in my frustration when I read Doctor Vee's tribute to Chris Lightfoot. "read each manifesto until you encounter something really offensive or stupid, then stop and reject that party." Bye Bye Lib Dems.



I do agree with MacNumpty about negative comments. My view is critique as much as you want, but be prepared to outline the better alternative as well. So Ming, Gordon, Jack, Alex, Annabel, Dave, Nicol, Tony, Uncle Tom Cobbley and all are you going to turn up at Blairgowrie Town Hall at 7.30 Weds 28th March.

Blairgowrie Town Hall 7.30pm Wednesday 28th March Scotland:Ecological Superpower?

SCOTLAND: THE MAKING OF AN ECOLOGICAL SUPERPOWER



Wednesday 28th March 2007
7.30pm Blairgowrie Town Hall



£3.00 inc resources and refreshments



A talk and discussion with Roger Thomas, the Godfather of modern environmental culture. "Climate change is a greater threat than terrorism" is a phrase many people have heard and most environmental organisations use. Though the media attribute it to the Government's Chief Scientist, Sir David King, the original author was Roger Thomas.



The leaders of the G8 met in Perthshire at the Gleneagles Summit to discuss an agenda of climate change and Africa. An agenda prioritised by Roger Thomas 3 years before in a contribution to a UN report commissioned by the UK Government.



These world changing ideas derived from the 2001 proposal to use the Millennium Dome London as a £50 billion per year centre of global environmental management. This is the proposal the Governments own consultants wanted to support for the Dome.




Al Gore, politicians and many other 'celebrity campaigners' appear in the global media talking about climate change and the environmental challenges the planet faces. This is the opportunity to find out the source of some of their work and most importantly discuss the solutions they cannot give.



Changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, the solutions to Foot and Mouth used by the Government, Greenpeace's involvement in the Glastonbury festival, reversal of Government policy on older cars, flood prevention in Perthshire and why did Gordon Brown and David Cameron come up with similar environmental policies at the same time. All connected.



The future is the most important commodity we all share. Without the future you would not be able to read this sentence after the last one. Roger Thomas is the most influential and least known global authority on creating that better safer future for this planet. Join him, take part in a master class and make tomorrow better than today.

Blairgowrie Liberal Democrats: Just When Did You Write This?

If you haven't been watching the TV, listening to the radio, reading blogs or newspapers, you might still know elections are approaching. Mysterious strangers knock on your door trying to introduce themselves, piles of papers and pamphlets appear through you letter box.

While I was reading this weeks Scottish Blogging Roundup, (thanks for another mention), the letter box clunked. Not with a big fist, but another pile of papers. The Scottish Liberal Democrats Focus for Blairgowrie and the Glens. I do read everything every political party sends, so don't think they are wasted. If you have gone to the trouble to write it, I will read it. That's as fair as I can be.

"With the dark nights now settling in the residents of Blairgowrie are having to walk around their town in the dark". Opens the reading. "With the dark nights now settling in.....". It is the 4th March, red squirrels play in the early morning sun just down the road, birds are calling and courting in the hedges and trees. New growth of grass and clover is appearing through the dark soil of footpaths through the fields. Just have to stop the description of Perthshire spring there, but you know where I am going.

So if dark night are settling in, we definitely know you wrote this before the Winter Solstice, as the nights haven't began to shorten. Settling in, that's like they've started and are noticeable but are not fully at home yet. Any guesses. Mid October OK with everyone. That is an election leaflet posted through the door an hour ago, that was written 5 months ago (probably).

Nice to know the Lib Dems have got their finger on the pulse.

MSC Napoli Part 1 (of many)

First, that is some qualification for a ship to get, OU was it. Right joke's over. Second, this story is going to run and run, so put the Part 1 as we mean to go on. This story is going to keep the media going for weeks or even months, there is so much mileage so many questions, it's about for a while.


Let's start in this article by looking at a previous one from 14 January 2006, The Nuclear Deterrent: An Applied Planetary Engineering Analysis, this contained the line "6) Vast maritime clean ups are required of chemical dumps and dangerous ship wrecks containing cargo and materials which should not be in the oceans". This article referred to the document Scotland: The World's First Ecological Superpower, sent to all Members of the Scottish Parliament at the beginning of April 2006.This document was produced on the recommendation of Perth Business Gateway as an update for Scotland in 2006 of the proposal for 2001 for the Millennium Dome.


For the start of understanding the MSC Napoli story that with unfold over the next days, weeks, and months, we can only ask or advise for you to read that document. If you do this will give you the grounding and lead to the unfolding Napoli story.


When I saw the beachcombers taking their findings home on the TV news I wondered how these pictures would be viewed around the world. I didn't have long to wait, US main news, ABC, showed them as their 'and finally' slot last night. "Booty and the Beach", "looters" and "hundreds of scavengers" ran the voice over.


It's only by acting 'on the way others see you' that may be the reason suddenly today the beach has been sealed off by coastguards and police. No worries though the MSC Napoli story has got legs to keep running and running, it hasn't even got going yet. Please return for the full implications of the story which will now unfold in the media.

Applied Planetary Engineering Blairgowrie Perthshire

MP2 applied planetary engineering is based in Blairgowrie, the 2nd largest town in Perthshire Scotland. Perthshire was the location for the G8 Summit in 2005, whose main agenda was climate change and Africa.


As MP2 had some influence on this agenda via a contribution to a United Nations Environment and Development-UK report commissioned by the UK Government. An automatic legacy would to carry out leading edge research into the global challenges for effective implementation.


Blairgowrie is ideally situated in this respect. It is just south of the Cairngorms National Park, a sub arctic/tundra area of outstanding beauty and wilderness. While celebrity campaigners travel the globe reporting on the effects of climate change, needlessly contributing to the problem. In Blairgowrie it is only necessary to look out of the window.

Perthshire Flood Damage: A Case Against the Government?

Synopsis

The UK Government knew about and were given the solutions to the recent flooding in Perthshire on 17th April 2001. On that day there was a discussion with the consultants Jones Lang LaSalle appointed by the UK Government and English Partnerships to find a use for the Millennium Dome. The proposal submitted was to use it as a global environmental management centre, providing the solution to climate change and most importantly global ecological life support system collapse. This was the proposal the consultants wanted to back as a use for the Dome. That proposal contained the threat, to Perthshire and elsewhere, and the solutions. The final decision was to have a venue/casino complex instead. No alternative attempt or strategy was made by the Government to protect Perthshire and other places from environmental damage to the same degree or appropriate magnitude. Is there a case for Perthshire to take action against the Government for civil or criminal neglect or other legal action?

.....................................

On 9th January 2006 I had a meeting with Pete Wishart MP for Perth and North Perthshire at his Perth office. At that meeting Mr Wishart was given an outline of the bid and process to use the Millennium Dome as a global environmental management centre. Though at the time, in 2001, of the competition for the Dome the UNEP IPCC and other sources had put the cost of global damage due to climate change at $200 billion per year, my submission to the consultants that the true cost of total environmental damage was nearer $1000 billion per year. Due to the effective argument in support of that revised figure both the Government consultants in 2001 and Mr Wishart in 2006 accepted it as a valid reasoning. A figure in October 2006 supported by the Stern Report.

As the proposal had been removed from the competition despite it’s short listing, by default, due to the non supply of the competition criteria to allow it to continue in the process, Mr Wishart said he would try and obtain the competition criteria.

Mr Wishart did eventually obtain the criteria, though these came from Jim Fitzpatrick MP Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, not Tessa Jowell DCMS as we had both originally thought.

The criteria of the competition were: a worthwhile and sustainable use for the dome; value for money; deliverability of the deal; and regeneration benefits. As the proposal for the use of the Dome as a global environmental management centre would have beaten the venue/casino on all these grounds, the question must be asked, were these withheld to ensure another, but not the best, proposal won?

What Perthshire and elsewhere are now doing, is paying the cost of the decision not to use the Dome as an environmental management centre. Perthshire is in fact subsidising AEG to run a venue and casino in London. The environmental and social costs of the decision being imposed on Perthshire and everywhere else as environmental damage. A decision that was not made on the true criteria of the competition, which the tax payer paid to have run.

Even without going into detail ask yourself would you rather have, 1) the problem of climate change resolved or 2) a casino/venue in London, what would you choose? The Government chose a casino/venue.

Perthshire should consider whether it has a legal case against the Government for the damage it has suffered as a result of that decision.

As a damage limitation exercise, which was in the interests of Perthshire, when I was invited to make recommendations to DEFRA on sustainable policy. I very specifically and strongly pushed for changes in the Common Agricultural Policy to allow the provision of land to be taken out of production allowing the development of natural flood plains etc. together with other land use changes to reduce the damage of flooding by smoothing out river surges.

When the Cabinet Office asked me to review Regulatory Impact Assessment; Guidelines for Legislation, I took the model for multiple goal analysis of economic, social and environmental factors and made strong recommendation that this be changed to a concept of optimum win win scenarios, specifically using the example of river hydrology and flood prevention.

The implementation of these recommendations will have resulted in some minimisation of the recent flood damage to Perthshire, but not to the extent which could have been achieved had the criteria for the Millennium Dome competition been adhered to.

In submission to a United Nations Environment and Development -UK report commissioned by the UK Government the article Changing Futures gave the original and now globally known risk assessment "climate change is a greater threat than terrorism". Please use this link then, go to the specific document from within that text ‘published’. Most importantly for Perthshire, the original outline for the agenda of the G8 Summit in 2005.

An assessment of the Millennium Dome competition criteria has been sent to Mr Wishart as requested. I have asked him for his advice on launching an inquiry into the running of the competition, which as Perthshire is now paying the costs of that competition it is particularly relevant. At present I am awaiting his reply.

Suggestions

1) Consider is there a legal case against the Government in view that the damage to Perthshire could largely been avoided?

2) What support can Perth and Kinross Council give to setting up a global environmental management centre in Perthshire as laid out in the consultancy document Scotland: The World’s First Ecological Superpower, sent to all MSPs at the start of April 2006. All the solutions to climate change already exist they only need implementing?

3) We are the leading and most influential authority on sustainable planetary evolution and are local. As such would be delighted to provide any consultancy, strategy and other services to Perth and Kinross to overcome the environmental challenges and ensure a safer better future for the area and the planet.