It’s 2am on Thursday. Wildfires are burning in Greece, Italy, Tunisia, Portugal, Croatia and Algeria. British tourist climate refugees are, ironically, being rescued by friendly locals in small boats. Stop the boats! No! Not those boats! The other ones! The ones with brown people in them!
But the main environmental news in the past few weeks has not been about the Giveaway Package Holiday Dante’s Inferno Supa-Deals. Instead, we learn that British political parties are rethinking their commitment to green policies. And all because Labour somehow lost Uxbridge, by a narrow margin, to a Conservative party so corrupt that it is considering setting up an amnesty bucket at the entrance to parliament, where those on the right of the house can vomit out their consciences before taking their seats.
Apparently, it was the ultra low-emission zone (Ulez) expansion proposals wot lost it for Labour. But the Ulez was initially proposed by a proud Boris Johnson in 2015. This didn’t stop the lying opportunist from criticising Labour London mayor Sadiq Khan, in his £1m Daily Mail columnist capacity, for expanding a scheme the disgraced former prime minister himself had previously described as “an essential measure”. But those expecting consistency from Johnson on anything may as well expect a glob of Hippo High Performance Expanding Glue ™ ® to maintain a considered moral position on adhesives.
Considering his party’s defeat, a spooked Keir Starmer said: “We are doing something very wrong if policies put forward by the Labour party end up on each and every Tory leaflet. We’ve got to face up to that and learn the lessons.” No. He isn’t. And he doesn’t have to face up to anything except the fact that the Tories will lie about him whatever he does. There’s no reasoning with a party so desperate and disgusting it has made Lee Anderson deputy chairman, a decision akin to putting a bear in charge of a golf club.
And anyway, within days, the now spiritually bankrupt Rishi Sunak conflated the Labour party with criminal gangs in another desperate “stop the boats” missive. See, Keir? You cannot appease a ravenous tapeworm by just snivelling at it. You have, according to my late grandad, “to get the doctor from Worcester to come out and tempt it out of your throat with a bit of rotten meat and then, when it jumps out, stamp on its fucking head”.
Starmer, a man given to rolling up his sleeves to show he means business, was shocked by Uxbridge. Things are so serious it is understood a Labour party focus group is suggesting that now, whenever he appears in public, Starmer rolls up his trousers as well as his sleeves, to show he means business twice as much as he meant business before. And if that still doesn’t convince the Uxbridge electorate, Sir Keir must strip to his pants, and roll them up tightly around his genitals, so he looks like Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs.
Meanwhile, the Tories took the opportunity to prepare the ground for ditching their 2050 net zero commitment, obviously. Remember when David Cameron, the blancmange-faced bringer of Brexit, went from hugging a husky in the Arctic while “investigating climate change” in 2006 to wanting to “Get rid of all that green crap” in 2013? It’s that, again. If only Dave had been so flexible in regard to his nation-destroying EU referendum, the shepherd hut-coveting Peasemore fistula.
Sunak now says ordinary people must not bear the cost of compulsory green initiatives, and that the path to net zero must be “proportional and pragmatic”. But the problem with climate change is it is neither. Some scientists are now saying the Gulf Stream could collapse within two years. I’m already booking live dates for 2025! Will the fenlands go under? Ah, well. I’ve always been looking for an excuse not to play Ipswich.
What Sunak needs to understand – and what he probably does understand but is pretending not to in order to get angry and confused people to vote Tory – is that anything spent on green initiatives now will cost less than having to terraform Mars and fly all his billionaire hedge fund manager mates there in captured alien spacecraft while the rest of humanity dies in 10 years’ time, so he may as well swipe the card he doesn’t really know how to use on the green initiative card reader.
In the meantime, we continue to convict the future heroes of Just Stop Oil with draconian laws Sunak himself admitted were inspired by suggestions put forward by “non-partisan educational charity” Policy Exchange, a thinktank belonging to the “Tufton Street” gang of organisations, a grouping awash with cash from American funders of climate change denial such as the John Templeton Foundation, the National Philanthropic Trust and the Sarah Scaife Foundation.
It’s easy for rightwing talk radio hosts to sneer at the well-meaning middle-class youths of Just Stop Oil, all named after herbs and Farrow & Ball paints, crying on camera as they consider what is in store for us. But Sunak actually used oil-funded strategies to silence them, and if you knew what these kids know, you would be crying too. I just saw a photo of Europe from space, looking like a burning Breville toaster with inappropriate pikelets catching fire inside it, as all the smoke alarms go off, and I wet myself a bit.
And that’s what you should be doing, weeping and pissing and shitting yourself, not getting out of your car to slap around a nice little girl in sustainable trousers, slow-walking in the high street on a Monday morning, because, let’s face it, your wife won’t have sex with you due to the fact that you’re obviously an arsehole.
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Deepbass, Guardian.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Syhr, breakbeat.co.uk
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Alex Quarmby, Edfringe.com
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
Rowing Rob, Guardian.co.uk
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
James Dellingpole, Daily Telegraph
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Lents, redandwhitekop.com
Mearecate, Youtube
Mearecate, Youtube
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
Horatio Melvin, Twitter
FBC, finalgear.com
FBC, finalgear.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Gabrielle, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Someoneyoudon'tknow, Chortle.com
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Cabluigi, Guardian.co.uk
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Bobby Bhoy, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
Pirate Crocodile, Twitter
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
General Lurko 36, Guardian.co.uk
Borathigh5, Youtube
Borathigh5, Youtube
Z-factor, Twitter.
Z-factor, Twitter.
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Frankie Boyle, Comedian
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Johnny Kitkat, dontstartmeoff.com
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Karen Laidlaw, Edfringe. com.
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Anonymous, The Northfield Patriot
Shit Crit, Twitter
Shit Crit, Twitter
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Telegraph
Funday’schild, youtube.
Funday’schild, youtube.
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Cyberbloke, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Peter Fears, Twitter
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Aaron, comedy.co.uk
Keilloh, Twitter
Keilloh, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Dick Socrates, Twitter
Peter Ould, Youtube
Peter Ould, Youtube
Al Murray, Comedian
Al Murray, Comedian
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Robert Gavin, Twitter
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Cojones2, Guardian.co.uk
Bosco239, youtube
Bosco239, youtube
Len Firewood, Twitter
Len Firewood, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Liam Travitt, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Fowkes81, Twitter
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Pudabaya, beexcellenttoeachother.com
Tokyofist, Youtube
Tokyofist, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Rudeness, Youtube
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Pnethor, pne-online.com
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Whoiscuriousgeorge, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Emilyistrendy, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Anamatronix, Youtube
Wharto15, Twitter
Wharto15, Twitter
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Spanner, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Anon, BBC Complaints Log
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Aiden Hearn, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Pudabaya, Twitter
Idrie, Youtube
Idrie, Youtube
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Lenny Darksphere, Twitter
Etienne, Chortle.com
Etienne, Chortle.com
Stuart, Chortle
Stuart, Chortle
Leach Juice, Twitter
Leach Juice, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Rubyshoes, Twitter
Danazawa, Youtube
Danazawa, Youtube
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
Tweeter Kyriakou, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
World Without End, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Visualiser1, Twitter
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Guest, Dontstartmeoff.com
Kozzy06, Youtube
Kozzy06, Youtube
Slothy Matt, Twitter
Slothy Matt, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
DVDhth's grandparents, Twitter
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Anonymous, don'tstartmeoff.com
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Meanstreetelite, Peoplesrepublicofcork
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Clampdown59, Twitter.
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sidsings000, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Sam Rooney, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Hiewy, Youtube
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Yukio Mishima, dontstartmeoff.com
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Dahoum, Guardian.co.uk
Tin Frog, Twitter
Tin Frog, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Esme Folley, Actress, cellist, Twitter
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Lee Mack, Mack The Life, 2012
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Carcrazychica, Youtube
Brighton Argus
Brighton Argus
Jackmumf, Twitter
Jackmumf, Twitter
Anon, westhamonline.com
Anon, westhamonline.com
Richard Herring, Comedian
Richard Herring, Comedian
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Foxfoxton, Youtube
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Nicetime, Guardian.co.uk
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Henry Howard Fun, Twitter
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Mini-x2, readytogo.net
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Joskins, Leeds Music Forum
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Gmanthedemon, bbc.co.uk
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Microcuts 22, Twitter
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Brendon, Vauxhallownersnetwork.co.uk
Chez, Chortle.com
Chez, Chortle.com
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Tres Ryan, Twitter
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Carla, St Albans, Dailymail.co.uk
Guest1001, Youtube
Guest1001, Youtube
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Genghis McKahn, Guardian.co.uk
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Zombie Hamster, Twitter
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Iain, eatenbymissionaries
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Mrdavisn01, Twitter
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Shane, Beverley, Dailymail.co.uk
Peter Ould, Twitter
Peter Ould, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lucinda Locketts, Twitter
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Lancethrustworthy, Youtube
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Contrapuntal, Twitter
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Dave Wilson, Chortle.com
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Maninabananasuit, Guardian.co.uk
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Sweeping Curves, Twitter
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
Anon, dontstartmeoff.com
John Robins, Comedian
John Robins, Comedian
GRTak, finalgear.com
GRTak, finalgear.com
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Stokeylitfest, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Tweeterkiryakou, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
Fairy Pingu, Twitter
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
NevW47479, UKTV.co.uk
Joycey, readytogo.net
Joycey, readytogo.net
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
12dgdgdgdgdgdg, Youtube
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Gwaites, Digitalspy
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
Coxy, Dontstartmeoff.com
A D Ward, Twitter
A D Ward, Twitter
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
Birmingham Sunday Mercury
98rosjon, Twitter
98rosjon, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Ishamayura Byrd, Twitter
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Alwyn, Digiguide.tv
Mpf1947, Youtube
Mpf1947, Youtube
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Neolab, Guardian.co.uk
Jamespearse, Twitter
Jamespearse, Twitter
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Neva2busy, dontstartmeoff.com
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Joe, Independent.co.uk
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Secretdeveloper, Youtube
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Dominic Cavendish, Daily Telegraph
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Patrick Kavanagh, Guardian.co.uk
Meninblack, Twitter
Meninblack, Twitter
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read
BBC iPlayer edition of discussion of Stewart Lee on A Good Read