Monday Open Thread | 116 comments (116 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

This may have been mentioned before, but it bears repeating anyway:

The President of the European Commission is running a cyber-poll on whether to maintain the 10% biofuels target for 2020 or not.

With over 38,000 votes, the NO is running at 87%.

Click on over there and let Barroso know what you think.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 08:40:33 AM EST

Re: Monday Open Thread (4.00 / 4)

Hey, I just made a difference - it is now at 87.1%! Honestly. :-)

by Fran on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 08:45:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

that's no way to run an energy policy. How about a cyberpoll on whether or not to eliminate VAT on car fuel?

Will they pay more attention to this poll than to reasoned contributions to the Commission's own consultation on Biofuels?

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 08:52:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

Of course it's rubbish. But it's an admission there are serious questions being posed about this, and it would be a pity to miss the chance of banging the nail home as massively as possible.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:08:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

I voted "no" but I wonder whether I should have voted "yes" in order to force a 50% reduction in fossil-carbon fuel use by 2020.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:14:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

Why, what was the question?

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:16:54 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

Whether the EU should stick to the 10% biofuels target.

If we admit that only 5% is practically achievable, a 10% target will necessitate a 50% reduction in fossil carbon.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:19:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

Which wasn't explicitly part of the question. And is a pretty scholastic kind of reasoning anyway, imo.

A lot of "plain folks" I spoke to a year or two ago assumed biofuels were going to fill in for oil and they would just go on driving around as before. Now they're aware of the land use problem. It's a step on the road to them seeing they should start choosing when to drive and when to refrain.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:28:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

We had an enthusiastic biofuel discussion here at ET quite some time ago before it became mainstream. Was it not you Afew who did some calculations that pointed out the problems ahead with land use?

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:59:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

And that's my point about the Commission ignoring (our) reasoned input to the consultation and now resorting to a poll.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 10:16:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

At least the poll uses an open question and not the leading, loaded questions we complained about in the Energy Green Paper Consultation.

My point is it's worth answering NO even if the procedure isn't right.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 10:36:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

I was just being facetious. Or scholastic, if you prefer.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 10:54:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Migeru Snark Technology ™

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 11:21:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

OT (none / 1)

Hi, afew! I answered your e-mail.

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 04:00:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

I started out here, and we wrote ET's contribution to the EC's Biofuels Consultation collectively. I updated the numbers recently here.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 10:23:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (4.00 / 3)

Why aren't these people all voting to Stop Blair?

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 08:57:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (none / 1)

Which reminds me, the Council summit is over the next coupld of weeks - we should be thinking of neatly packaging the signatures and sending them to Javier Solana.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 09:00:25 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Monday Open Thread (4.00 / 2)

Since we have fashion week, let me focus in on the superficial: what an awful web design... three Barroso heads in the header, what's up with that?

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Mon Jun 2nd, 2008 at 02:17:25 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Monday Open Thread | 116 comments (116 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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