Comments on: Fiona Fox and the Babe Magnet

By: Louise

Louise — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 14:34:05 +0000

Where’s the science?

By: John M

John M — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 22:12:04 +0000

Perhaps you’re being “ironic”, but the record says he was “absent”. I took “absent” to mean, well, he wasn’t there. Even the explanatory info on the site you link says “absent” doesn’t necessarily mean “abstain”.

And even the votes he was absent for, 3 of 5 were rejected. One of the ones he was absent for that passed was for a “third reading”, he had voted for a “second reading”.

Big deal. I suspect in his case, “absent” meant he was doing…um…other things.

By: PhilC

PhilC — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 07:07:25 +0000

On several occasions he abstained from votes, and I’d suggest that “Voted moderately against laws to stop climate change” implies that his voting record was more sceptical than the majority of MPs, or at least MPs of the governing Labour party.
Would you suggest that his abstention implies that he is part of the consensus?

If Steve McIntyre is suggesting that David King would have any admiration for Jim Devine because of his record on climate or the environment, I think he’s wrong, to put it mildly. I expect David King is pleased with Devine’s replacement, who “never rebels against their party in this parliament”.

I searched for references to the words “climate” and “environment” in your Daily Mail article, and could find none. Off topic, I think.

By: John M

John M — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 01:49:42 +0000

So you think he’s a climate skeptic? From your link with his voting record, it looks like his three votes “against climate change” were with the majority.

Does that mean a majority of parliament are skeptics?

Wow, things are looking up!

Anyway, here’s some irony.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1171844/Network-Rail-spends-millions-pay-staff-sex-race-abuse-cases.html

By: PhilC

PhilC — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:50:27 +0000

As in – Climate Sceptic MP tricks Journalist?

By: John M

John M — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:40:05 +0000

Phil,

I know you think highly of your sense of “irony”, but maybe you ought to work on your sense of “humor”.

By: PhilC

PhilC — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 00:24:36 +0000

Has Jim Devine ever claimed to be “environmentally friendly”?

According to the respectable website “theyworkforyou.com”
Voting record (from PublicWhip)on key issues since 2001:

“Voted moderately against laws to stop climate change”.

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/jim_devine/livingston

Unless you can suggest how the people at “theyworkforyou.com” might have misapplied their statistics I’d say another conspiracy theory has hit the buffers.

By: Britannic no-see-um

Britannic no-see-um — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 15:39:01 +0000

Fiona Fox has her own blog. The current post is on Climategate and the media reporting. Her view.

http://fionafox.blogspot.com/

By: physicsfinanceandflash

physicsfinanceandflash — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 17:43:50 +0000

Yes. To inform my comment above, it was, as Lucy reminds me, Prof. Kelly whose personal notes seemed more candid than the actual report.

It was the comment on “inappropriate statistical methods” in the Oxburgh report which made me think that Hand (the report’s stats guru) was unhappy with the statistics although to be frank, even this comment was caveated and qualified away.

I get the sense that Hand was highly critical but agreed to the qualifications under pressure from Oxburgh. All speculation but that is what happens when an inquiry is so opaque and rushed.

It is a shame that no big-hitters from the stats world want to get involved in this area. But after we have seen the trumped up charges against Wegman I can see why.

By: timetochooseagain

timetochooseagain — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:46:57 +0000

In answer to your question, if something doesn’t make sense, I don’t support it.

“It’s a discovery, though, to find a heavy, fast and loose, fast food loving, womanising, practical joking, special pleading, babe magnet, legally accused Member of Parliament.”

Hehe, now that is funny!