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The New Micro-Fascism

January 31, 2008, 10:27 am

Get ready, because global warming will soon be an excuse for government micro-management of any number of everyday behaviors.  We have already seen California's attempt to have the government take control of your home thermostat.  In England, the target is patio heaters:

Britain's growing café culture and taste for alfresco drinking and
dining may be under threat from MEPs who want to ban the patio heater.

A
vote in Brussels today is expected to call on the European Commission
to abolish the heaters to help to tackle climate change. Such a move
could cost the pub and catering trade dear.

Pubs spent about £85
million on patio heaters after the smoking ban was introduced last
year. Besides forcing smokers into the cold there is concern that a ban
on patio heaters could bring a significant cash loss to pubs, cafés and
restaurants.

By the way, something not mentioned in the article, perhaps because it takes a knowledge of actual science and stuff, is that these heaters tend to burn LPG and propane, which due to their molecular structure produce far less CO2 per BTU than other fossil fuels.

One is left to wonder what pareto-style ranking of CO2 reduction opportunities put patio heaters at the top of the list.  In fact, there is no possible rational analysis that would make this a legislative priority.  It is a great illustration of two points about such technocratic endeavors:

  1. Government cannot correct supposed market irrationalities because governments always act more irrational than private players in the market, no matter who is in charge.
  2. Most legislation supposedly to fight global warming is using global warming as a fig leaf to hide the actual reason for the legislation.  My guess in this case is that the sponsors of this legislation have some other reason for wanting the ban, but dress it up as global warming.  This mirrors the larger issues, there socialists, unrepentant Ehrlich admirers,  and anti-globalization loonies have repackaged themselves as fighting global warming and then, surprise, proposed the same government actions they were pushing for pre-global-warming-hysteria.
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Category: Government

3 Comments

  1. dearieme:

    A few years ago, a patio heater let us sit out on a mild autumn evening in London, eating a delicious dinner and looking at the beautifully-lit Tower Bridge, and the river traffic. Obviously such evenings must be banned.

    January 31, 2008, 12:15 pm

  2. HTRN:

    Coyote, they're "Watermelons" - Green on the outside, Red on the inside.

    February 1, 2008, 1:35 am

  3. uk pub sales:

    The Morning Advertiser reports that a total of some 25 MPs have signed an Early Day motion calling upon pub companies to reduce rents and charge less for their beer. The MPs are said to fear further pub closures.

    February 16, 2008, 9:07 pm