Hot Air from the North East Ass

...and more solar power from the unelected who think the sun shines from their own ass.

Newcastle Journal
3rd June 2006
by Ross Smith

Let's gas about weather

IT has long been a national obsession for the British to talk about the weather.
And in the North-East it seems there is usually a lot of weather to talk about. Now an expert is being hired to do exactly that, in an effort to stop the region contributing to climate change.

The North-East Assembly is advertising for a climate-change co-ordinator, who would be paid up to £35,000 a year to monitor what is happening to the region's weather. The co-ordinator will also be working with councils and businesses to persuade them to implement environmentally-friendly measures.
He or she will also talk to developers to make sure they pay attention togreen issues.

Assembly chief executive Jo Boaden said: "Things are getting worse. We are getting to the stage where we really do need to look after our environment. "We know if we do not do something soon, it may be too late. We need to reduce greenhouse gases and take positive steps to help the environment. We hope this new position is a positive step and a sign of us leading the way in changing our attitude to a number of environmental issues."

The assembly is charged by government with looking after the long-term development of the North-East.

South Tyneside Friends of the Earth spokesman Bryan Atkinson said: "If the regional assembly is starting to take climate change seriously, then I welcome it. "We are the last generation who can do something about climate change. I hope at last this may be a step towards doing something positive."

But anti-assembly campaigner Neil Herron said the appointment was a waste of money. He said: "The North-East assembly is an unelected, unwanted, pointless, toothless, drain on tax payers' money."Now it seems it wants to pay someone £35,000 a year to measure the amount of hot air it generates."How on earth is having a weather watcher going to bring much-needed jobs and investment to the North-East? If he decides it is going to be sunny, will that encourage people to set up companies manufacturing sunglasses? I doubt it."