James Delingpole

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[[File:James Delingpole.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Delingpole in 2012, perhaps not so groovy]]
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'''James Delingpole''' {{lived|1965}} is a [[right-wing]] [[United Kingdom|British]] novelist, blogger, and in his own words, "an incredibly groovy guy."<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWXJVaC0AUQ</ref> He identifies himself as "[[libertarianism|libertarian]]" which, in his case, seems to translate as [[free market]] and [[anti-science]], as he shows no concern whatsoever for the [[civil liberties]] of groups he doesn't like and is an ardent [[chickenhawk]] who regularly denies the existence of the [[Israeli]] [[government]]'s abuses. He likes to describe himself as "writer", eschewing the more accurate term "blogger". Presumably because too many people associate the term with "ignorant tosser with big opinions and no knowledge", which is an uncannily accurate description in Delingpole's case. He is also isn't terribly groovy, if his general fashion sense is anything to go by.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1158842/How-dare-tasteless-fashion-left-feeling-like-rock-god.html</ref>

Delingpole has appeared on [[Alex Jones]]' programme discussing his preferred topic of [[Global warming|climate change denial]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQYBWUp4dPM Journalist James Delingpole & Alex Jones: Polarbeargate?] video on the official Alex Jones [[YouTube]] channel</ref> suggesting a willingness to accept [[paranoid]] and conspiratorial views of government. Subsequent delusional blogs &mdash; which he presumably views as "[[satire]]" &mdash; only reinforce this suspicion.<ref>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100090498/a-word-from-the-governments-chief-scientific-hysteria-promoter/ Delingpole's Telegraph blog]</ref>

He is perhaps the most famous mainstream British columnist to sympathise with the [[alt-right]], whom he describes as 'noble [[vigilante]]s of conservatism' standing alone against the '[[Alt-right glossary#Cuckservative|cuckservatives]]'. The alt-right's [[antisemitism]] and overt [[racism]] is excused by Delingpole as just 'mischievous internet kids experimenting with [[irony]]'.<ref>[https://amityunderground.com/fox-news-the-spectator-alt-right-discourse-normalised-mainstream-conservative-james-delingpole-tucker-carlson-laura-ingraham-breitbart/ From Fox News to The Spectator, alt-right discourse has been normalised in mainstream conservative media], Ruairi Wood</ref>

==''Telegraph''==
Delingpole has a popular blog on the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]'' and [[Dunning-Kruger effect|labels himself]] as a "[[journalist]] and broadcaster who is right about everything" (possibly a misprint when it should be "right of everything"). He adopts an extremist libertarian approach and tends to focus on [[climate change]] (e.g. describing [[scientists]] as lying and cheating because he wasn't capable of applying [[statistics]] properly,<ref>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100114292/lying-cheating-climate-scientists-caught-lying-cheating-again/ Lying, cheating climate scientists caught lying, cheating again]</ref>) various other [[anti-environmentalism|anti-environmental]] subjects ([[DDT]], for example), anything against the [[European Union]] and anything in favour of an untrammelled [[free market]]. He occasionally adds more personal posts such as his opinion on the closure of public libraries. Although in favour of public libraries in principle, [[PIDOOMA|they are clearly against the principles of the free market]], [[double standard|so they can be closed]].

Since most sensible people do not agree with his views, Delingpole frequently refers to non-sensible people to back him up. Thus, scientists are regarded as unreliable while denier blogs such as [[Watts Up With That]] are praised as the future of advancement.

His writing style is racy, readable, and incendiary. Combined with his list of accepted libertarian [[dogma]] and [[conspiracy theories]], it seems he has looked at the lessons given by [[Glenn Beck]] et al. and learned. Assuming he is serious, he is either madly deluded or has seen the [[money]] to be had from the stupid mines and wants some of it for himself.

==''Spectator''==
Delingpole has a fortnightly column in the ''Spectator'' magazine entitled ''You Know It Makes Sense'', where he writes about current events, [[global warming]], and himself. He also has a television review column in the same magazine, which he uses to write about himself and, if there is one on, documentaries about the [[Second World War]]. At one time, he wrote another column for ''The Spectator'' entitled ''War Life'' where he would interview an old ex-soldier and then write 800 words about himself; however, only a handful of editions were published before this column was dropped.

In February 2011, Delingpole wrote in the ''Spectator'' about his own positive experience with [[homeopathy]], noting the contradiction between the remedy's efficacy in his own case and the admitted seeming illogicality of the 'science' behind it.

==Breitbart.com==
{{main|Breitbart.com}}
After leaving ''[[The Telegraph]]'', Delingpole became executive editor of the UK wing of Breitbart.com.<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/breitbart-london Breitbart London]</ref><ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/17/digital-media-dailytelegraph James Delingpole and Raheem Kassam head Breitbart's new London team]</ref> He got off to a flying start,<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/02/16/Lefty-Lies-UK-Floods 10 Lefty Lies About The Floods Which Have Devastated Britain]</ref> equating "weather" and "science" with "lies" and "left-wing". To his credit, he has clearly made a good start to his job &mdash; the collection of [[crackpot]]s in his team would have made the [[reality]]-averse [[Andrew Breitbart|founder]] of the site proud. His blog posts for the site exclusively consist of declaring climate change and climate science as frauds. As has been stated already, Delingpole has no background in any field remotely related to the subject matter to which he devotes himself. He currently occupies of the role "dapper, witty English gent" left vacated after noted 'moral crusader' [[Milo Yiannopoulos]] inadvertently revealed himself as a [[Pedophilia|pederast]]<ref>http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/milo-yiannopoulos-on-pedophilia-and-this-arbitrary_us_58ab52a5e4b029c1d1f88d77</ref><ref>http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/02/21/milo_yiannopoulos_resigns_from_breitbart.html</ref><ref>https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/20/milo-yiannopoulos-denies-supporting-paedophilia-cpac-online-video</ref> in statements on a second-rate podcast even his co-workers in all their story-spinning glory couldn't defend. To be fair, Yiannopoulos is actually quite dapper.

==BBC ''Horizon''==
''Horizon'' is the flagship science programme of the [[BBC]]. In 2011, they aired a programme, "Science Under Attack". Understandably, they invited Delingpole as a representative of the [[anti-science]] faction. Delingpole, who [[Dunning-Kruger effect|doesn't know]] that he doesn't know anything about science — and presumably saw this as his ticket to becoming general spokesbeing on all things [[Pseudoskepticism|"sceptical"]] — [[Delusions of grandeur|readily accepted]].

On the programme itself, when he was pitched against a real [[Nobel Prize]] winner, Professor Sir Paul Nurse, he came off second best.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wmuhKzYp4s Video snippet] from the ''Horizon'' programme</ref> He said that "it is not my job to sit down and read peer-reviewed papers." However, he admits that he doesn't "have the scientific expertise" to deal with the contents of the peer reviewed literature. Instead, he sees himself as an "interpreter of interpretations" when spreading ignorant [[bullshit]] about subjects that he doesn't understand and can't be bothered to find out about. He has since decided that [[peer review]] is nonsense anyway, saying that instead we now have "peer to peer review".<ref>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100075232/realclimategate-hits-the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-of-peer-review/ RealClimateGate Hits the Final Nail in the Coffin of Peer Review] He included ''[[Scientific American]]'' in his list of "peer-reviewed journals". This is the lulz highlight in the article. The rest of the article is generally also wrong, but in a tediously stupid fashion.</ref>

Amusingly, he then whined on his blog at great length about being "stitched up".

==Conspiracy on global warming==
{{cquote|Hanging is too good for climate scientists.|||James Delingpole, in all seriousness<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2016/dec/15/one-nation-senator-joins-new-world-order-of-climate-change-denial</ref>}}
It is standard fare for climate change deniers to blame consensus on a conspiracy. To his credit, Delingpole has at least looked around enough to see who is behind this conspiracy. In his own words:<ref>{{cite web |last=Delingpole |first=James |date=2010-12-22 |title='Climate Change': there just aren't enough bullets |url=http://delingpoleworld.com/2010/12/22/climate-change-there-just-arent-enough-bullets-1233/<!--replaces dead link http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100069327/climate-change-there-just-arent-enough-bullets/--> |accessdate=2020-07-16}}</ref>

{{quotebox|Heads are going to roll for this, they’ll have to. But however many heads do roll it won’t be enough. Always remember this: the [[Warmist]] faith so fervently held and promulgated by the Met Office is exactly the same faith so passionately, unswervingly followed by [[David Cameron]], Chris Huhne, Greg Barker, the Coalition's energy spokesman in the Lords Lord Marland, and all but five members of the last parliament. And also by the BBC, the Prince of Wales, almost every national newspaper, the European Union, the Royal Society, the [[New York Times]], CNBC, the [[Obama]] administration, the [[Australia]]n and [[New Zealand]] governments, your children's schools, our major universities, our minor universities, the [[Climategate|University of East Anglia]], your local council...[his ellipsis]}}

Pretty impressive list. However, after a bit of head-scratching,<ref>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100184355/why-i-wont-be-shopping-at-m-s-any-more/ Why I won't be shopping at M&S any more…]</ref> he found some more:

{{quotebox|Asda, Marks & Spencer, the Co-Op, Knight Frank, Boots, Aviva, and Sky.}}

Oh, and [[Wikipedia]].<ref>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100020515/climategate-the-corruption-of-wikipedia/ Climategate: The Corruption of Wikipedia]</ref>

Seemingly everybody in the world except Delingpole. This sort of ranting insanity and solipsism is typical of his output.

==''Watermelons''==
Not one for giving up on flogging tired tropes until they're beaten to a pulp, Delingpole decided to write a book called ''[[Watermelon]]s''.<ref>[http://www.heritage.org/events/2011/06/watermelons Watermelons: The Green Movement's True Colors]</ref> "Watermelon" politics is a metaphor, meaning 
green for money and red for Republican. Republicans are wrapped up in money so they don't care.
 green for "green energy", and red for "terrifying [[Red-baiting|commie]] insurgency," i.e., green on the outside, red on the inside. Much of his subsequent blogging activity at the ''Telegraph'' involved thinly-disguised [[Wingnut welfare|adverts]] for his new opus.

See, for example, [https://web.archive.org/web/20111202045436/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100116910/green-charities-way-more-evil-and-dangerous-than-exxon-or-the-koch-brothers/ this] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20111202091249/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100112834/global-warming-is-real/ this] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20111202130414/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100109336/co2-is-good-for-you// this] etc.

==Vaccines==
Like many other prominent figures on the right, Delingpole has eagerly [[crank magnetism|jumped onto the]] [[anti-vaccination movement|anti-vaccine bandwagon]]. He is now an ally and champion of former gastroenterologist and convicted scientific fraud [[Andrew Wakefield]], which shouldn't surprise anyone.<ref>http://www.conservativewoman.co.uk/james-delingpole-and-sally-beck-on-the-real-andrew-wakefield-mmr-scandal</ref>

==Political career==
On 12th September 2012, Delingpole announced<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-19559087 BBC News]</ref> that he would be running for the 2012 {{wpl|Corby_by-election,_2012|Corby by-election}} to become member of parliament for the constituency. He whet voters' appetites by stating that he didn't want the job before announcing his candidacy.<ref>[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100175615/corby-should-i-stand/ Corby - Should I Stand?]</ref> Although mooted for fellow loons [[UKIP]], he decided to stand as an independent candidate on the single-issue of wind farms (he's against them). With a grand total of zero wind turbines in the constituency, it is easy to see why he thought this might excite voters.

As usual with Delingpole, the whole stunt was just a bizarre fantasy with no action. On 31 October, he announced his withdrawal from the election.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9645916/Wind-energy-claims-are-just-a-lot-of-hot-air.html Daily Telegraph] In a [http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100187595/the-bbc-and-jimmy-savile-peas-in-a-pod/ blog post], he appears to suggest that not running for election is a victory. Strange indeed.</ref> The date is significant, since this was the deadline for nominations for the election and - most importantly - the payment of a £500 election deposit. With an opinion poll giving him a whopping 0.1%,<ref>[http://lordashcroftpolls.com/2012/10/labour-take-22-point-lead-in-corby/ Lord Ashcroft Polls]</ref> he may have realised that he would be wasting his money. In addition, concrete evidence that people are not interested in him or his obsessions may have been a painful dose of reality for him to experience.

He could have tried to get on the UKIP party list for the European elections. That way, he would simply have been assigned a job as an MEP based on the UKIP vote share and wouldn't have needed to do anything. Unfortunately for him, even UKIP decided that he was mentally unstable and too crazy for them.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140429184654/http://www.spectator.co.uk/columnists/james-delingpole/8994141/ukip-are-playing-it-safe-so-theyve-rejected-me/ Ukip are playing it safe – so they’ve rejected me]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Yamal controversy]]
*[[Milo Yiannopoulos]]: Another uninformed British twit and former ''Breitbart'' contributor.  Basically applies Delingpole's shtick to [[MRA|Men's Rights]], rather than climate change denial, but with much better fashion sense.

==External links==
*[http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/author/jamesdelingpole/ Delingpole's blog]
*[http://theclimatescum.blogspot.com/2010/06/ode-to-james-delingpole.html Ode to James Delingpole]
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/the_daily_politics/8549674.stm 
Moonbat
 Monbiot vs. Delingpole]
*[http://greenerblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/delingpole-pwned-by-sir-paul-nurse-but.html Delingpole pwned by Sir Paul Nurse, but can the media convey science?]
*[http://www.simonsingh.net/2011/01/james-delingpole-blogs-about-simon-singh/ James Delingpole blogs about Simon Singh]
*[http://sciblogs.co.nz/hot-topic/tag/delingpole/ Delingpole category at Hot Topic]

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delingpole, James}}
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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:War on science]]

Categories: Alt-right, Anti-vaccination movement, Authors, Bloggers, British people, British right wing, Chickenhawks, Denialists, Global warming denialists, Internet kooks, Libertarians, Living people, War on science