University of East Anglia philosopher wants brainwashed green puppets to rule the world

The ongoing UK Hay Festival of Literature & Arts this year included a debate on philosophy, politics and communication. Based on this brief report, published in the Telegraph, one of the two debaters - professor Mike Hulme - offered some words of wisdom at the debate: 

If climate scientists are partially responsible for beating they have taken over the last two and a half years, how much are they themselves to blame? Two academics from the University of East Anglia - at the heart of the storm since thousands of emails were leaked in November 2009- give very different answers.

Mike Hulme, professor of climate science, believes that scientists ascribed too much certainty to their findings and went beyond the constraints of their discipline to make value judgements and recommendations for action. Rupert Read, reader, in philosophy, says that , on the contrary, they have not been courageous enough and should be bolder about issuing warnings about its consequences. After a vigorous debate, a show of hands showed that the audience overwhelmingly sided with Read.

The fact that UEA reader Read, "who works closely with environmentalist scientists, in eco-philosophy" won the debate is of course no surprise; people attending this kind of festivals and debates are mostly leftist and "progressive" supporters of the climate change orthodoxy. 

However, It may be interesting to look a little bit closer at what kind of an academic the debate "winner" is: 

Rupert Read, who also is "the Eastern Region Green party coordinator" in the UK - does not think much of the current democratic system in the UK (or elsewhere), which in his view is 

"rule by an arbitrary subsection of the people: an elective dictatorship of 

present people over future people."

This "dictatorship" should, according to a Green House think tank report , written by Read, be replaced by a "third Parliamentary House with specific reference to care for future generations, which would comprise": 

• a number of individuals chosen by lot
• trained and supported by relevant experts (see Appendix B, below);
• serving for a specified non-renewable term;

Read´s third Parliamentary House, "The council of Guardians of Future Generations", would of course have extensive - in reality dictatorial - powers:

a) To veto in whole or in part new 

legislation that threatened the 

basic needs and fundamental 

interests of future people.

b) To force a review, on petitioning, if 

appropriate and merited, of any 

existing legislation that threatens the 

basic needs and fundamental 

interests of future people 

one might give the Guardians the right to 

review major administrative 

decisions which substantially 

affected future people

You might of course ask, how these people, arbitrarily chosen by lot, would be able to make all the difficult decisions on behalf of the "future generations".

Reader Read has an (not very surprising) answer also to that: The "Guardians" would be trained, brainwashed and supervised by a number of (enviro-fundamentalist) "experts": 

a year in which 

to ‘train up’ for the role, including an 

intensive programme of civic learning, 

basic law, educational options, some 

time spent encountering ‘out in the 

field’ the so-called ‘ecosystem 

services’ that need preserving if the 

future well-being of humanity is to be 

protected and whose fate is at present 

in the balance, etc..  

The Guardians would be supported 

both in their training and in their day 

to day roles as Guardians by a highlevel and diverse support staff of 

administrators, facilitators and experts

Guardians would have access to the 

cream of the country’s and indeed 

much of the world’s expertise, in every 

sense of the word ‘expertise’. (One 

would expect them to consult NGOs, 

activists,

And Rupert Read´s "Guardians" would not only be installed in London:

We needn’t just imagine national 

Guardians. There is no reason why 

there shouldn’t be Guardians presiding 

over local council decisions too (and 

also internationally, for example at the 

EU, and perhaps the UN.

Good luck, Dr. Read with your project! You will certainly find a handful of enviro-fundamentalist supporters also outside the tenth in Hay, but fortunately the rest of us will  be spared your "Guardians of Future Generations".