Lies, Ad Homs, Silly Faces & Wild Ranting–Dale Vince
By Paul Homewood
Last month Dale Vince was interviewed on Talk TV , alongside Ben Pile.
Vince made several highly contentious claims, not to mention some outright lies:
Vince began with his laid back, hippy style, but when presented with some inconvenient facts reacted with childish facial expressions, a series of ad homs, and finally resorted to continually talking over Ben Pile, a tactic we have often seen from XR nutters.
He begins by claiming that pursuing Net Zero won’t cost a penny, will boost the economy, lower energy bills and make us all better off. The interviewer, Ian Collins, points out the the OBR have put a cost of £350 billion on Net Zero (itself an absurdly low figure – the Public Accounts Committee reckon between £25bn and £50bn a year), but Vince simply ignores this and continues his rant.
His next claim is that the UK subsidises the fossil fuel industry to the tune of £10 billion a year. This is quite simply an outright lie. North Sea oil and gas has brought in tens of billions in tax revenue, over and above normal Corporation Tax. The OBR’s latest projections say that North Sea revenues will top £43 billion over the next five years alone.
It is a weakness of TV interviewers that they so often fail to challenge liars like Dale Vince on specific issues such as this. Instead Collins just lets him continue his rant on another topic, which turned out to be EVs.
Ben Pile had made the entirely sensible point that the ban on ICE cars would effectively take peoples’ cars away from them, either because of the unaffordability of EVs or the impracticability of charging where there is no off street access. Vince pompously called this stupid, explaining that drivees could still buy second hand cars. Maybe, but for how long?
This is where Collins should have stepped in and asked Vince how people were expected to find an extra £10k for an EV, not to mention £15K for a heat pump.
But then Dale Vince totally lost the plot, making several nonsensical claims:
- The world would hit 3C of warming within 5 years (according to the IPCC, he claimed)
- We are in danger of runaway climate change, the climate is getting out of control
- 4 million have died because of climate change in the last 30 years.
Ben Pile calmly points out that deaths from extreme weather have fallen by 98% in the last 100 years, and there was no evidence that climate change had affected food production or disease. Vince has no answer to any of this, so simply pulls a few pathetic faces, and then tries to shout over him again.
Vince continues to claim that renewables are cheaper than fossil fuels, but nobody is stopping him building wind and solar farms – indeed he says his company is already constructing the latter. But sadly Collins fails to question what happens when the wind is not blowing and the sun shining.
But Vince did make the interesting claim that rooftop solar could supply 13% of Britain’s electricity, which would equate to 37 GW. In midsummer, this amount of solar capacity would totally overload the grid along with all of the wind power planned, leading to excess electricity, a price crash and huge constraint payments. Meanwhile in winter all of that solar capacity will be next to useless.
It is of course fundamental technical issues concerning the intermittency of wind and solar power which are crucial, for both the cost and security of our energy system. Hopefully whoever interviews him next will insist that he answers these and other factual questions, and not allow him just to rant.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
I read Mr. Vince’s comments and statements in the article referenced. Vince is either an inveterate liar or a paid Eco shill. His comments about the end of humanity scheduled for five years from now are laughably hyperbolic. Just when we rid ourselves of one, petulant, teenage scold we are greeted by another. Will it ever end? The empty, meaningless predictions form Gerta and Vince seem to be immune to logic, facts, and historical records. These people are very sad, and increasingly annoying.
“Vince is either an inveterate liar or a paid Eco shill”
I think the answer is much more simple. He is just deranged.
No, he is paid, by taxpayer’s money.
Point taken, my mistake.
I’m not sure there is a difference between the two. They can’t all be so stupid as to believe the rubbish that’s being trotted out!
Don’t underrate our opposition. Dale didn’t get where he is today – or as wealthy – by being a fool. He knows how to play the system and capitalises on it when other fools (AKA MPs) fail to see what he is about.
I figure he likes to promote the image of an unhinged Eco-activist because it suits his purpose: to make millions. And in that, he has been successful. Never underestimate these people: their goals are to enrich themselves (Gore? Greta? Deben? Mann? Hallam (even?)); do you think they care for the World while they ‘suffer’ the travails of yet another holiday in the South of France (wherever)?
Dale Vince is a crook.
‘the OBR have put a cost of £350 billion on Net Zero’
Ha ha ha ha! You WON’T HAVE £350 billion. Net Zero kills your economy. You won’t even be able to afford a military!
Talk tv and GB News have the opportunity to be different and properly challenge imbeciles like Dale Vince with solid scientific evidence that the world’s climate is in rude health and we do not have to go down the road that he proposes. But these channels are constantly under threat from all those interested parties who are making a very nice living out of exorbitant subsidies at the behest of politicians who are in thrall- and petrified of – pressure groups such as Client Earth. All this would stop if the Net Zero policy and the Climate Change were axed. That is what the Heritage Party would do given the chance.
Vince doesn’t care about arguing against ‘solid scientific evidence’. While we’re arguing with him he’s counting his money and laughing. He.does.not.care.
Long after all this is over and ECOTRICITY is a bad memory he’ll still be living the high life.
We don’t need to persuade him; we need to persuade his customers.
I am amazed that these eco-fascists claim that sea level rise will in future be massive which, of course, will render all those wind-turbines around our coast inoperable and, effectively, defunct. Then in addition, they claim as Vince did, that weather ie winds and storms will get worse to the point where people die, but they forget that in very strong winds, turbine blades have to be ‘feathered’ otherwise the turbines burn out, so that is yet another siuation where the eco-fascists are contradicting themselves.
It just takes a storm like 1703
While I agree with your sentiments–climate is a grift–you said it yourself; there a great many, well connected to the narrative, people out there laughing all the way to the bank. Nothing will change. The rich will get richer on the backs of the populace, a story as old as money.
A delusion as old as money. That’s not how wealth is created.
I have read The Wealth of Nations and had a few Econ classes at uni, but Smith wrote long before the rise of the CCP, who are using their apparatchiks pushing climate grift to destroy the West from within. I read once, in An Old Book, “The love of money is the root of all evil” and stand by my comment. Thank you for your reply, Wm G
It’s not about national wealth: it’s about personal wealth. These people are not in it to make the country wealthier – but themselves.
Add Dale Vince to the posters on the climate scam hall of shame along with many, including those here:
Maurice Strong, George Soros, James Hansen, Michel Mann, Katharine Hayhoe, John Kerry, …
Another eco-nut is George Monbiot, who was on Countryfile this evening. He is getting more and more insane (probably getting senile). To save the planet he now says it is morally wrong to raise livestock. Tell that to the millions of farmers around the world and the billions of people who rely on meat and dairy as part of a balanced diet.
If you want to know what your country will be like in the green future, look to the Netherlands where they have shut down the farms and are telling people to eat bugs. The Netherlands are a test run, just like the plannedemic. Get ready for your bug-protein diet, it’s coming soon.
Monbiot is typical ofctte nutters that now dominate environmental discussions. Most start relatively sensible but then inexorably progress to absurd extremes. They are no different from medieval religious extremists, who start with a bit of prayer and piety and end up scouring themselves and burning people alive. It seems to be a trait of human nature.
Quite right, Phillip. I saw that clip of Monbiot saying that and couldn’t believe (yes, I could, BBC, innit?) that there was no push-back for what he said. But then again, he was being interviewed by one of his acolytes, the unspeakable ‘Dung’ Heap!
@Billydick: “…look to the Netherlands where they have shut down the farms and are telling people to eat bugs…” and now look at teh way the government has fallen when the BBB (farmers) managed to take a a majority in the Senate. Of course, the BBC claimed the Rutte had fallen because he couldn’t get some obscure Bill through parliament.
If you push the farmers they will push back – and they’re stronger.
“billions of people who rely on meat and dairy”
BWTM:
Two billion people get their energy from burning dried dung.
You would not only take their food, you’d take their way of cooking it.
I’m waiting for the announcement of him meeting Narendra Modi to tell him India must slaughter its 305 million bovines to save the planet.
Brazil has 219 million, China, 105 million, US 89 million.
The UK? 9.6 million, 1.3% of the combined total of India, China, Brazil and US.
Atmospheric methane is around 19oo parts per billion, or 0.00019% of the total atmosphere.
The question i have for Vince is to explain his motivations. I suspect altruistic concerns for his fellow man is not one of them. Direct financial benefit is far more likely. He reminds of the old window salesman (you remember the tv show) but now it’s rooftop solar. Cor blimey gov can hardly prevent myself wanting to strangle the Fokker due to the harm he is causing.
I think he genuinely believes it. The trouble with many pewho make a bit of money is that they then convince themselves they did so because they are geniuses and they then decide to push their often ignorant and extreme views on everybody. And because they are successful in one area, the media decides they are experts in everything – see film and TV people pontificating about climate change, the economy and immigration.
Another e-scooter death, in Kent where the Commissioner recently called for action.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12280027/Teenage-boy-e-scooter-dies-crash-colliding-BMW.html
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1787591/electric-scooters-illegal-riders-fines-seized-crushed
I hope the batteries are removed before the crushing
Vince is just a common spiv and trust him at your peril.
Yes, why do TV interviewers never ask the right questions? I would like to know, how many of our MPs are totally clueless about Net Zero and how many have a conflict of interest with investments in renewables? I suggest that our Paul Homewood, with his knowledge, would wipe the floor with the lot of them.
People like this are specialists who have spent years polishing their arguments and strategies.
Hosts/presenters are generalists and cannot possibly be armed with all the facts to instantly refute.
The way to deal with it would be to have a follow up program where his arguments are systematically assessed.
I think you give the professional liars far too much credit, and do not decry the host/interviewer for just swallowing the agreed to narrative, whole, as set out by the show and station owners overtly trying to demonstrate they are all-in with the climate grift. None of this a due to a lack of knowledge or prep; it is the agreed to, official, narrative–period–and you will comply or be off the airwaves.
Why do TV or radio interviewers never ask the right question? This is a vital question, and causes me to write at least once a week to the BBC Today programme when I cannot stand it any more! Yesterday Saturday the (retiring thank God..!) Lord Diben and the usual un-verified nonsense was just accepted by the BBC Interviewer who obviously viewed him with affection …. On 4th July there was a representative of wearepossible a climate group, who was trying to allay the worries about ULEZ zones and the necessity for them. My reply to the BBC then was.
“I have just listened to the interview with a representative of the Climate organisation wearepossible, regarding the expansion of the ULEZ zones throughout outer London.
As usual when interviewing Climate activists, despite several opportunities presented to the interviewer, no questions were asked to verify some of the statements made.
1 When the interviewer asked about the cost of complying, and how this will affect working people, the interviewee stated that “A ULEZ compliant vehicle was found for a cost of £600.” This is a most extraordinary statement but was just accepted and not questioned at all. Why not?
2 It was stated that “4000 people die from air pollution”. This is an amazing figure but no verification was asked for.
No request for air pollution data or proof of the figures. Why not?
3 It was stated that we must combat the “Climate Change emergency” implying that the ULEZ zones would help, but there was no question asking how this works or asking for any data to support this statement. Why not?
I will keep pointing out the failures of the Today programme to properly investigate these major issues, that will affect the entire population, partly because I believe in accountability and accuracy, and partly because everyone I speak to is completely disillusioned with the BBC and their biased approach to politically correct issues.
It breaks my heart that at the age of 78, I am witnessing the decline of the integrity of the BBC.
Most amusing watching the BBC covering the latest abuse scandal as though they are not the organisation responsible. The bulk of their coverage seems to be to remind viewers about privacy and libel!
I’m a retired BBC engineer (same age) and the rot set in in the 1970s when a journalist was appointed DG.
I had a very astute boss at that time and I quote 2 of his pieces of wisdom :-
“The trouble with the BBC, it’s been taken over by journalists”
“Know bugger all about anything – become a (BBC) journalist!”
Plus ca change and all that.
Actually you can get a ULEZ compliant for car for £600 or maybe less. BUT the choice will be very limited and won’t be £600 for long if demand shoots up. How do I know? My 2002 1.2 16v Renault Clio is compliant and I only paid my sister £400 for it about 5 years ago. Likely there are other similar cars around. Interestingly there may be older bigger cars around that can be made compliant by getting a Certificate of Compliance to show they meet the current emissions even they were not there when they were made. A 90s Porsche achieved this. Submitted the CofC to the DVLA gets your V5C updated to show compliance.
Gerry. Re: Compliant cars. Spot on. I reckon Del-Boy will be making a fortune from old, compliant bangers. But the cynic in me thinks that Khan’s mates are buying up all the stock as we speak.
You must remember, the BBC made a decision many years ago that they would not allow any mention of alternative views about global warming/climate change!! the rest of the MSM appear to have followed suit!
It’s good to see Vince get a proper grilling. By the way it fascinates me that representatives of fossil fuel interests on the media are always introduced by their company affiliation but green supporters such as Lord Deben (John Gummer as was) are introduced by non-financial connection such membership of this or that Climate Change committee whereas Deben for example is Chairman of Sancroft International, a lucrative sustainability consultancy. He has his snout in the trough a# much as any oil executive. Just saying.
one thing gets me about Vince’s appearnces – when is somebody going to check his balance sheets and pose the question live:
“Mr Vince – would your business such as it is – exist if public subsidies and eco levies stopped?”
Not the BBC’s fault. Deben is being interviewed as bossman (or is it ex-bossman) of the Climate Change Committee so that intro is the correct one.
But there’s nothing to stop the interviewer asking “But isn’t it true you are ….. of …. company that makes a lot of money out of ….?”
That’s where the real BBC bias shows itself in the Climate Affair. In most other, less contentious, fields the interviewer would be challenging the interviewee. That the BBC refuses to do so is demonstration of its bias. Even assuming everything the experts say about climate is correct they should still be challenged to back up their argument.
I’m the supporter of a “mid table” league 1 football team and when we were doing “not very well” or “not too badly” it was always a great joy to see snake oil salesman Vince’s FGR losing!!!!!
I see they are the first club to appoint a female manager. In a few months time they will probably be the first club to sack a female manager.
I checked out the Ecotricity website a couple of days ago. They have 200,000 customers and offer ‘green’ electricity and ‘green’ gas. Their own windfarms generate enough electricity for 56,000 homes, they have a ‘green gasmill’ that can power 4,000 homes and a ‘Sunmill’ which can power 250 (usual caveats of not when the wind blows / sun doesn’t shine etc). This is 20% of their customers demands*
They buy the rest from other ‘green’ suppliers or FROM THE WHOLESALE MARKET!
If I were paying them over the odds for my ‘green energy’ I would like them to guarantee that no electron that came out of my electricity socket was generated using fossil fuel and no cubic foot of gas that went to my gas boiler came from FF either.
But as we all know, the whole ruinable energy scam is simply to fleece the sheeple.
*Numbers from their website.
Ian Colons isn’t exactly the best interviewer Talk Tv/Radio has, he rarely challenges anyone on anything. Julia Hartley-Brewer always challenges Vince when he is on her show but he reacts in much the same way. name calling, shouting, childish laughter and so on. If anyone is a ‘climate denier’, it is Dale Vince as he always ignores any scientific data that he doesn’t agree with, no matter the source, how empirical or observable it is. You could admire him for teh success of his business, even though it is effectively built on taxpayer subsidies, but you couldn’t admire him for anything else.
further to all this …..
for anyone wanting a good laugh…. GMB this morning (yes….i know….i was flicking)…
to discuss the JSO protester throwing orange confetti at Osborne, in the rational corner, Konstantin Kisin who is always good….. in the nutters corner, the mad hysterical woman from Insulate britain.
It is good that programmes like this that the sheep watch keep having that woman on. Even the sheep must realise that net zero and its associated sects must be dodgy theory if this is the best argument
Anyway, its on catch up ITV and at 7.15 (so fast forward to 1.15)
I’m quite disappointed with this interview. Pile wasn’t quite prepared for challenging Vince’s facts. As Paul pointed out, for instance, that the £10bn Vince stated as being “tax breaks and subsidies” is not wholly true. Vince cleverly lumped Tax breaks and subsidies together knowing that the subsidy word would be latched on to by the eco-loons as fact but, as we know the fossil fuel industry receives no subsidies but they do get tax breaks like any other industry including renewables. The tax breaks they talk of are just legitimate expense allowances incurred in running the business. Every business gets them.
Other assertions about weather worsening could have been easily rebuffed by Pile but he was obviously not up to speed on the data.
Paul or Tony Heller would have slaughtered him I reckon and most of us could have done as well.
Nickel, yet another dirty secret of supposedly going green.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-66131451
How’s about a bit of sloganeering…”Vince as thick as Mince”
A few years ago Dale Vince was prattling on Talk Sport about Forest Green Rovers new kit being made from natural fibres. Comedian/presenter Bob Mills pointed out that what Vince was describing was Rayon. Quote from Vince “what’s Rayon?” Thick as sh1t!
Rayon is made from natural fibres like bamboo
Bamboo has nothing to do with Rayon, which is a synthetic polymer invented by the Germans in the 1030’s. It most famous application was in the production of Nazi Swastika flags for the 3rd Reich.
No Rayon was invented in 1848 and commercialized later in 19th C
“In 1890 another French chemist, Louis-Henri Despeissis, patented a process for making fibres from cuprammonium rayon. This material was based on the Swiss chemist Matthias Eduard Schweizer’s discovery in 1857 that cellulose could be dissolved in a solution of copper salts and ammonia and, after extrusion, be regenerated in a coagulating bath.
Later the Americans gave it the name Rayon.
https://www.britannica.com/technology/rayon-textile-fibre
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rayon
I think you must have seen something about VGF a German factory that made more developments in the 1930s
but it was working in partnership with the British Courtaulds
Modal Rayon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vereinigte_Glanzstoff-Fabrike
Viscose is the most common Rayon
“The raw material for viscose is primarily wood pulp (sometimes bamboo pulp)”
The first Wiki page I quoted
To billydick007 you seem to be getting confused regarding Rayon.
https://www.sustainyourstyle.org/en/rayon-viscose-modal#:~:text=Rayon%20is%20a%20fiber%20from,of%20chemicals%2C%20energy%20and%20water.
Look it up, if you doubt the veracity of my claim. Seriously, I do not just make stuff up to post. Edumacate youself.
Greens: they learnt everything they know from Goebels. Tell a lie often enough and loud enough and enough people will eventually believe it so you can gain power.
Interestingly they added “…..until the population finally realise the economic and social implications ….” That is now happening in my view.
Dale Vince has gone from living in an old army vehicle parked on a layby that I used to pass on my way to work, to living in a posh old pile on the edge of National Trust land overlooking everyone. That change in fortunes has come from his belief in climate change and renewables role in combatting the alleged threat. When people doubt what he has to say on the matter, my thought is
‘well he would say that, wouldn’t he?’
Or to sum up – he has got rich on taxpayers cash.
Last year he tried to sell Ecotricity with a view to moving into politics. He abandoned the attempt in November, presumably because he wasn’t getting the fancy price he thought he was going to. He seems to have moved into politics anyway. Supposedly he started out as a petty drug dealer. Green unicorns are a dream that requires drugs to believe in, so he has gone upscale.
It is astonishing that the media give platforms to propaganda lies from the likes of Vince.
Just read in the D.express today that Packham has a program on BBC2 July 17 @ 9pm called “earth”,where he will make a plea to save the planet from climate change destruction…..oh yes please,bring it on !!!!.
The eco-loon blob are totally reliant on……. lies, damn lies and statistics, very dodgy statistics:
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2023/07/it_is_pure_statistical_garbage_when_we_are_told_what_the_average_global_temperature_is_and_that_it_is_a_heat_record.html
Would it be an idea, when discussing the so-called intermittancy of solar, to explicitly spell out, ad nauseum, that the reason it is next to useless in the 4-5 months of winter, in the heavily populated Northern Hemisphere, is because of the darkness ie, not that the sun isn’t shining. Most neutrals who have not heard or seen any climate sceptical output will not be bothered to work out that solar is even more ‘intermittant’ than wind because of this seemingly obvious aspect of such intermittacy.