21/06/2022
Cross-party climate campaign welcomes Conservative members despite local MP’s snub
South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay has turned down an invitation to meet with a group of his own constituents who claim he is putting the fossil-fuel industry’s interests before theirs.
The Tory MP was invited to the cross-party Craig Mackinlay Watch (CMW) group’s launch in Ramsgate tomorrow evening (Wednesday June 22).
Mr Mackinlay, a vocal climate science skeptic and fracking supporter, said he could not attend because of Parliamentary commitments. He has not suggested alternative dates, but did wish the group a “a joyous and fruitful” meeting.
But despite the MP’s absence tomorrow, the campaign group is keen to welcome any Conservatives who agree that the fight against climate change is not a party political issue.
“It doesn’t matter which party you vote for,” said Phil Shotton, of the CMW group. “Climate change will have the same impact on your life as it will for everyone else.
“It’s in all our interests to confront climate science denial, and we would welcome any opportunity to discuss this with Mr Mackinlay whenever he’s next available to meet us.”
‘Pernicious disinformation’
CMW is being launched in response to Craig Mackinlay’s ‘pernicious disinformation’ on climate science, renewable energy and the need to wean the country off fossil fuels.
He regularly overstates the cost of renewable energy to consumers, and has called on the UK government to abandon its net zero targets – inadequate though they already are – and maximise the use of gas, oil and coal.
Mr Mackinlay chairs the Net Zero Scrutiny Group, a collection of climate sceptic Tory MPs.
The MP has links with climate sceptic US think tanks, many thought to be funded by the fossil fuel industry, and with Nigel Lawson’s much-discredited Global Warming Policy Foundation.
Now rebranded Net Zero Watch, Lawson’s organisation has long repeated debunked theories to dispute settled climate science.
Ignoring the threat
However, while Mr Mackinlay’s statements will please the fossil fuel industry, accepted science suggests that his own constituents will directly face the consequences of rising sea levels within the next ten to 15 years.
Flood models suggests that Thanet could become an island again, with the Wantsum river becoming a sea channel once more.
And, given his South Thanet is a coastal constituency, Mr Mackinlay has stayed remarkably silent on the Environment Agency’s warning that 200,000 homes could be lost to rising seas by 2050, with a third of England’s coastline under threat.
“We are likely to see climate change impacts here in Thanet well within most of our lifetimes,” said Mr Shotton, “but our MP appears to be siding with the very interests that are driving those impacts.
“CMW is a community campaign group drawn from across the political spectrum. We will hold our MP to account for peddling clearly false narratives.
“This goes well beyond politics. We need politicians with courage, vision and honesty from across the political spectrum, and we appeal to Mr Mackinlay to rise to our challenge.
“We can no longer afford to indulge politicians who promote vested interests in defiance of the facts.”
Public meeting
The Craig Mackinlay Watch group’s inaugural public meeting is at Eats ’n’ Beats cafe, at the northern end of Addington Street in Ramsgate, on Wednesday, June 22. It starts at 7pm.
Its purpose is simply to enlist supporters, create a team to manage media campaigns and hold the MP to accoount for his climate disinformation.
Anyone interested in supporting Craig Mackinlay Watch can like our page. They can also follow our blog (craigmackinlaywatch.org.uk) and donate to our campaign via our Crowdfunder appeal (www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/craig-mackinlay-watch).
