The Economist's sad hack job about German energy policy | 134 comments (134 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: The Economist's sad hack job (4.00 / 6)

In the case of hogwash talked about renewables, I don't think people at large had these "prejudices" to start with. They are the result of lobbying and PR campaigns spreading carefully-crafted poison. Of course, being carefully crafted by communications professionals, they feed into pre-existing frames. But a lot of the precise points made in this article were not in people's minds a decade ago. Examples: subsidies, intermittence, ugliness.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jul 31st, 2012 at 08:30:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Economist's sad hack job (4.00 / 5)

i believe you're correct with regard to continental Yurp, but for sure the arguments of subsidies, intermittence, ugliness were very present in the orchestrated Country Guardian campaign in England going back nearly two decades. Some of the memes seem to have taken hold here on the continent now, though they were present in the past elsewhere (like France) to some degree as well.

Did the article leave out the bird straw dog?

The anti-wind propaganda campaign is orchestrated now precisely because in several key markets, wind has achieved "critical mass" ;-) as an industry, as an employer, and as an export model. And as a reliable generator of electricity.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Jul 31st, 2012 at 09:35:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The Economist's sad hack job (4.00 / 4)

OK, the UK countryside protectors go back further. But in France I find the spread of anti-wind ideas is fairly recent. I'm now at the point where, when I see somebody I can reliably expect to be all for reducing GHG emissions (whether they are pro- or anti-nuke), I can be pretty sure that if I say "wind" they will turn out to be against, even virulently against.

Yes, you're right, the progress of renewables is the reason for increased intensity in the anti campaign. But the memes didn't pop up totally spontaneously...

I didn't see any mention of one-horned goats in the article. Nor of straw dogs, nor links to organized crime. We should write to the Economist to set the record straight.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jul 31st, 2012 at 11:42:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The Economist's sad hack job about German energy policy | 134 comments (134 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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