Christopher Monckton

{{bronze}}
[[File:Monckton-washington-09.jpg|thumb|right|168px|A smug creature with enormous sums of [[money]].]]{{globalwarmingnav}}
{{cquote|You won't see them flashing past, as they scuttle down to their noisome lairs—there to snivel in the darkness.|||on the [[Climategate]] scientists,<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=e7jdT2rc-6M YouTube clip], [http://www.black-and-right.com/2010/03/11/monckton-on-climate-hoaxers-jail-the-lot/ blog post]</ref> who were completely exonerated shortly after}}
'''Christopher Monckton, 3rd Viscount Monckton of Brenchley''', "Lord of the Lies"<ref>[https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/viscount-christopher-monckton-lord-of-the-lies-on-climate-change,15179 Viscount Christopher Monckton: Lord of the lies on climate change] by Steve Bishop (11 June 2021) ''Independent Australia''.</ref> {{lived|1952}} is "a caricature English peer",<ref name=Hitchens>In the words of the late [[Christopher Hitchens]]: {{quotebox|... at the first Tea Party rally I attended, at the Washington Monument earlier this year, the crowd—bristling with placards about the Second Amendment’s being the correction—was treated to an arm-waving speech by a caricature English peer named Lord Monckton, who led them in the edifying call-and-response: “All together. Global warming is?” “Bullshit.” “Obama cannot hear you. Global warming is?” “bullshit.” “That’s ''bettah''.” I don’t remember ever seeing grown-ups behave less seriously, at least in an election season.}} ([http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2011/01/hitchens-201101 Tea’d Off], ''Vanity Fair'', January 2011)</ref> sacked former deputy leader of the [[United Kingdom Independence Party]] (UKIP)<ref>[http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/ukip-wiped-out-north-of-the-border-after-its-scots-leader-is-sacked.22833054 "Ukip 'wiped out' north of the Border after its Scots leader is sacked"]. ''The Herald''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> and a [[climate change denier]]. He constitutes an excellent argument in favour of [[revolution]]ary [[socialism]].

One ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' commenter said "If he didn't exist you really would have to invent him." It's not entirely clear the amusement gained would be worth it... wait, [http://youtu.be/w833cAs9EN0 Sacha? Is that you?]

==Science==
In his role as UKIP [[pseudoscience|science]] spokesman, Monckton said that funding for climate science would be cut unless there arose "[[Sound science|sufficient evidence]]" to change his mind. He also said that health risks associated with excessive salt consumption are merely "[[Denialism|unjustifiable fears]]" and compared [[embryo]]nic [[stem cell research]] to "the killing of very small [[children]]."<ref name="ukip-science-policy">Brenchley, Viscount Monckton of (27 April 2010). [http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/apr/27/ukip-science-policy-general-election "Ukip answers questions about its science policy"]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> Monckton is a big promoter of the [[global warming conspiracy theory]] in which [[Barack Obama]] will cede [[US]] sovereignty to the [[United Nations]], which will then enact a [[New World Order|communist world government]],<ref>Press For Truth. [https://youtu.be/GL-0BaGiGoY "Lord Christopher Monckton – Climate Change And The New World Order"]. (10 July 2014).</ref> citing [[Agenda 21]] as reasoning for his claims.<ref>JustRightMedia. [https://youtu.be/8Hyl9YzJsQg "Lord Christopher Monckton – Agenda 21 and Environmental Marxism"]. 18 March 2012, speaking to members of the {{wpl|International Free Press Society}}.</ref> But Monckton doesn't "want to be bracketed with" the likes of [[David Icke]], whom he considers "far-out" with views "so far from common sense and rationality that really, in the old days he'd be locked up as a lunatic".<ref>The Richie Allen Show. "Christopher Monckton In Extraordinary Attack On David Icke On The Richie Allen Show!" (June 28, 2016) [https://youtu.be/oCk8k-u2Hnk?t=445 7:25], [https://youtu.be/oCk8k-u2Hnk?t=1044 17:20–40].</ref>

His views on [[disease]] aren't much better. He wrote an article entitled ''The Myth of [[AIDS denial|Heterosexual AIDS]]'' for a 1987 edition of ''American Spectator'', stating quite clearly:

{{quotebox|There is only one way to stop AIDS. That is to screen the entire population regularly and to quarantine all carriers of the disease for life. Every member of the population should be blood-tested every month … all those found to be infected with the virus, even if only as carriers, should be isolated compulsorily, immediately, and permanently.<ref>[http://www.desmogblog.com/christopher-monckton "Christopher Monckton"]. ''desmogblog.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>}}

He has since conceded that this would presently be unfeasible but not that it would in any way have been a bad idea.

[[Stopped clock|At least]] he considers [[alternative medicine]] should only be [[NHS]]-funded after it has been proven clinically.<ref name="ukip-science-policy" />

According to him, scientists "perhaps" should be required to certify that they 
are [[Christian]]
 belong to a [[religion]] before they are allowed to practice. No kidding:

{{quotebox|[[Scientism#Usage by cranks|Perhaps, therefore, no one should be allowed to practice in any of the sciences, particularly in those sciences that have become the mere political footballs of the leading pressure groups, unless he can certify that he adheres to one of those major religions – Christianity outstanding among them – that preach the necessity of morality, and the reality of the distinction between that which is so and that which is not. For science without the morality that perhaps religion alone can give is nothing]].<ref>[http://sppiblog.org/news/what-is-science-without-religion What is science without religion?], The Science and Public Policy Institute Blog, attributed to "The Viscount Monckton of Brenchley"</ref>}}

===It's peer-reviewed!===

Monckton likes to claim he has "[[peer review|peer-reviewed]]" publications under his belt. What he's usually referring to when he says this is an article he had published in the American Physical Society's ''Forum on Physics and Society'' issue of its newsletter. In fact, the first sentence of the article is part of an editor's note reading "The following article has not undergone any scientific peer review since that is not normal procedure for American Physical Society newsletters."<ref>Monckton's [http://www.aps.org/units/fps/newsletters/200807/monckton.cfm Climate Sensitivity Reconsidered]</ref> Not that it would have gotten past peer review,<ref>Okay, maybe at {{wpl|Energy & Environment|''Energy & Environment''.}}</ref> as just about every sentence contained an error.<ref>[http://www.altenergyaction.org/Monckton.html A detailed list of the errors in Monckton's July 2008 Physics and Society article], Arthur Smith. For more fun, see also Eli Rabett: [http://rabett.blogspot.com/2008/07/biter-bit-arthur-smith-has-had-quite.html The biter bit], [http://rabett.blogspot.com/2008/07/lord-voldemort-bleats-we-have-become.html Lord Voldemort bleats].</ref>

In an October 2012 opinion column on [[World Net Daily]] in which he insists climate change had nothing to do with [[Hurricane Sandy]], he claimed to be "an appointed expert reviewer for the forthcoming 'Fifth Assessment Report' to be published by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change."<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2012/10/global-warming-did-not-cause-sandy/ "Global warming did not cause Sandy"]. ''wnd.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> Blogger Graham Readfearn contacted the IPCC secretariat on how one is "appointed" to be an "expert reviewer." The reply he received follows:

{{quotebox|Anyone can register as an expert reviewer on the open online registration systems set up by the working groups. All registrants that provide the information requested and confirm their scientific expertise via a self-declaration of expertise are accepted for participation in the review. They are invited to list publications, but that is not a requirement and the section can be left blank when registering. There is no appointment.<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/11/11/1173691/climate-denier-lord-moncktons-ipcc-appointment-that-wasnt/ "Climate Denier Lord Monckton’s IPCC ‘Appointment’ That Wasn’t"]. ''thinkprogress.org''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>}}

==I'm a Lord really, m'Lord==
{{cquote|Nice to see the two logos side by side: one can see that in Monckton's version the chains are unhinged and there is empty space beneath the crown. Can anyone explain the symbolism?|||[http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2010/08/11/monckton-vs-house-of-lords/#comment-96082 Vagueofgodalming]}}
[[File:Lords insignia and monckton insignia.jpg|frame|Left: the [[House of Lords]] insignia. Right: Viscount Monckton's insignia. Monckton's is clearly completely original and not mimicking the Lords insignia in any way.]]
Monckton's father, Gilbert, was one of those kicked out in 1999 when the hereditary complement of the House of Lords was cut to 92, thus leaving Christopher's status as Viscount of Brenchley a matter only of interest to the [[aristocracy]] [[nerd]] contingent on [[Wikipedia]]. Since Christopher inherited the title in 2006, he has consistently misrepresented himself as being a member of the House of Lords. He has various [[pseudolaw|pseudolegal]] theories as to why this is the case, usually revolving around the notion that a hereditary peerage can only be withdrawn by the [[Monarchy#Monarchy in Britain|Crown]] on an individual basis, as the letter patent was granted on an individual basis.<ref>[https://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/07/12/a-detailed-rebuttal-to-abraham-from-monckton/ "A detailed rebuttal to Abraham from Monckton"]. ''wattsupwiththat.com''. 12 July 2010. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> This may well be true but has nothing to do with whether said hereditary peer gets an ''automatic'' seat in the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.<ref>"No-one shall be a member of the House of Lords by virtue of a hereditary peerage." (''House of Lords Act'', 1999). Assented to by the Crown. The same Crown that issues the letters patent granting hereditary peerages.</ref> The main point appears to be to represent himself in other countries as [[argument from authority|having governmental power and status]] that he does not when talking up climate change denial.

The House has asked that he desist in his frequent habit of implying, or outright claiming, to be a member in any way whatsoever. They have also requested, rather forcefully, that he stop using a personal insignia closely resembling the portcullis insignia of the House of Lords and are presently '"taking steps with a view to ensuring that Lord Monckton does not in future either claim to be a member of the House or use the parliamentary emblem or any variant thereof."<ref>[http://friendsofginandtonic.org/files/867576d3dfe135ff8dcd26715bd86ac5-187.html "The Empire Strikes back: Moncktongate &mdash; the End of a Jester?"] ''Friends of Gin & Tonic''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> Buckingham Palace (who control use of the insignia) did not directly comment on the claims but just happened to point an enquiring [[journalist]] at the relevant [[Copyright|trademark laws]] and the possible penalties for their violation.<ref name=guardian>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/11/lords-climate-christopher-monckton Lords distance themselves from climate sceptic Christopher Monckton] (Leo Hickman, ''Guardian'', Wed 11 Aug 2010)</ref>

The House finally got fed up and wrote an open letter to Monckton in July 2011, telling him in unusually blunt language that "'''you are not and have never been a Member of the House of Lords'''."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110720192325/http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2011/july/letter-to-viscount-monckton A letter to Viscount Monckton of Brenchley from the Clerk of the Parliaments &mdash; News from Parliament] by David Beamish, Clerk of the Parliaments (15 July 2011) ''www.parliament.uk'' (archived from July 20, 2011).</ref>

While Monckton is not a member of the House of Lords, he's still a hereditary peer and "Lord Monckton" ''is'' one of the correct ways to address him.<ref>[http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/titles/viscount-and-viscountess "Viscount and Viscountess, Titles, Forms Of Address, People of Influence"]. ''debretts.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>

==Monckton vs academia==
{{cquote|It is particularly hard [to challenge climate scientists], if like me, you have no [[scientific]] qualification to do so.<ref>[http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/05/23/488801/heartland-denial-conference-special-guest-lord-monckton-goes-birther-admits-he-has-no-scientific-qualification/ Monckton], at the [[Heartland Institute]]'s 7<sup>th</sup> International Conference on Climate Change</ref>|||Ya think?}}

===Monckton vs Rachel Pinker===
Before Tim Lambert of [[ScienceBlogs|Deltoid]] fame appeared at a live debate with Monckton, he noticed that Monckton had been [[quote mining]] a paper by atmospheric scientist Rachel Pinker and her colleagues by using a figure they calculated for surface [[sun|solar]] [[radiation]] to stand in for total climate sensitivity. Lambert then played a recording of her letter explaining Monckton's misuse of her work ''during the debate''.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2010/02/12/moncktons-mcluhan-moment/ Monckton's McLuhan Moment], Deltoid</ref> However, that didn't stop Monckton from quote mining the paper again in [[Congress]]ional testimony, which prompted another response from Pinker and co-author Ellsworth Dutton.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2010/09/24/rachel-pinker-on-moncktons-tes/ Rachel Pinker on Monckton's Testimony to Congress], Deltoid</ref>

===Monckton vs John Abraham===
John Abraham, a professor of thermal engineering at the University of St. Thomas, [[Minnesota]], created and published online a presentation<ref>[http://www.stthomas.edu/engineering/jpabraham/ A Scientist Replies to Christopher Monckton: Abraham v. Monckton]. ''stthomas.edu''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> debunking a talk delivered by Monckton in October 2009 at Bethel University in Minnesota. When the rebuttal gained attention, Monckton wrote a hilariously lengthy and pompous reply ([[Gish gallop|466 questions]]!),<ref>Tim Lambert, [https://archive.is/fBc0N I think that they might have to rename it the Monckton gallop]. Archived from scienceblogs.com, 5 October 2013.</ref><ref>Monbiot, George (14 July 2010). [http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2010/jul/14/monckton-john-abraham "Monckton's response to John Abraham is magnificently bonkers"]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> accusing Abraham of libel (among other things) and demanding a retraction, an apology, and large donations to a [[charity]]. To top it off, in an interview with [[Alex Jones]] (yes, that one!), Monckton kept it classy by calling the university a "half-arsed [[Catholic]] [[Bible]] college" and its president a "creep."<ref>The Alex Jones Channel, (24 June 2010). [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnQdKDeDjqI "Lord Christopher Monckton: Real Data Disproves Al Gore's Global Warming Theory &mdash; Alex Jones Tv 5/6"]. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 &ndash; via YouTube.</ref>

Abraham's laconic reply makes the whole thing reminiscent of the [[Lenski affair]]. In its entirety:
{{quotebox|I am replying to your letter of June 10, 2010, on behalf of myself and, at his request Fr. Dennis Dease, President of the University of St. Thomas. I stand by my original position. Point and counterpoint are the standard in academic discourse.<ref>[http://rabett.blogspot.com/2010/07/gold-amongst-dross.html "Rabett Run: Gold amongst the dross"]. ''rabett.blogspot.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>}}

===Monckton vs Peter Hadfield===
In February 2011, Peter Hadfield debunked Monckton's presentation's misrepresentations point by point in a series of [[YouTube]] videos under his account [[potholer54]]. Monckton replied on [[Watts Up With That]] (WUWT) to a comment by a WUWT reader briefly summarizing some of Hadfield's points. Peter Hadfield approached the owner of WUWT, [[Anthony Watts]], about having a debate on the website, and Watts agreed. Monckton was given the opening statement.<ref>http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/01/11/monckton-responds-to-potholer54/</ref> Hadfield's response was published under the same article in an update. Monckton, despite promising to Watts that he would respond, never did. After a few months, Hadfield and others began calling out Monckton on his rather obvious retreat from the debate. Watts conjured up a reason to pull the plug on the debate, conveniently excusing Monckton from having to reply. A comment moderator at WUWT then announced a policy that any comments mentioning Hadfield would be deleted.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neH50KofxL0</ref>

===Monckton vs Lawrence Torcello===
Lawrence Torcello, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Technology, wrote an article addressing climate change denialists as "criminally and morally negligent."<ref>https://theconversation.com/is-misinformation-about-the-climate-criminally-negligent-23111</ref> Many conservative outlets, including Breitfart and Infowars, misrepresented his article, instead saying that he had called for climate change denialists to be imprisoned. Monckton wrote a letter to the Provost of the university asking if he was a "fit and proper person to hold any academic post at the Institute" and calling for action to be taken against the professor.<ref>http://wattsupwiththat.com/2014/03/14/moncktons-letter-to-rochester-institute-of-technology-regarding-assistant-professor-lawrence-torcello/</ref><ref>http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2335240/ecologist_author_targetted_in_climate_hate_campaign.html</ref>

==Monckton: The last refuge for the deniers==
With the Climategate brouhaha debunked and [[plagiarism|plagiarized]] "research" like the [[Wegman Report]] discredited, [[Republican]]s got really desperate. In 2010, Monckton was called as the ''only'' witness for the [[GOP]] at a subcommittee hearing on climate science. During Monckton's pathetic testimony, Rep. Jay Inslee ([[Democratic Party|D]]-[[Washington|Badass]]) issued a definitive smackdown right in front of the entire committee, saying:
{{quotebox|And I would note there is a dispute over whether we actually [[moon landing hoax|landed on the moon]], and there is a dispute about whether the [[Flat Earth|Earth is round]], and there is a dispute about [[gravity]] in some places.}}

Inslee went on later in the testimony:
{{quotebox|You come here, you call yourself a Lord to try to convince the world to ignore something that threatens our grandkids, and you're not even a Lord.<ref>The entire hearing can be seen [http://globalwarming.house.gov/pubs?id=0018#main_content here] and Inslee's remarks can be seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NtOxuHli0s here]</ref>}}

On top of that, twenty-one climate scientists issued a lengthy rebuttal to Monckton's testimony.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/sep/21/climate-scientists-christopher-monckton 'Chemical nonsense': Leading scientists refute Lord Monckton's attack on climate science], ''The Guardian''</ref>

==Miscellaneous==
===Homophobe===
Monckton, who married in middle age and has no children, and whose coat of arms features a camp pink portcullis, has made a series of inflammatory homophobic statements.
# He claimed that gay men have up to 20,000 sexual partners over their "short, miserable lives" (surveys show that they have the same number of sexual partners, on average, as straight people, viz. six)<ref name="gay-hate">{{cite web |title=[http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/gay-people-really-20000-sexual-4726501 Do gay people REALLY have 20,000 sexual partners? A former UKIP deputy leader thinks so] |accessdate=2015-01-18 |publisher=The Mirror}}</ref>
# He called AIDS and other diseases the "wages" of gay promiscuity
# He called for the regular screening of the population for AIDS and the life-long quarantine of all carriers<ref name="hphobe">{{cite web |title=[http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/28/nigel-farage-ukip-isnt-homophobic-we-have-a-great-big-screaming-poof-mep/ Nigel Farage: UKIP isn’t homophobic, we have a ‘great big screaming poof’ MEP] |accessdate=2015-01-18 |publisher=Pink News}}</ref> (no word on whether this includes women infected by their husbands).
# He dismissively referred to [[LGBT]] people as "QWERTYs" after the letters on the keyboard.
# He claimed that gays only want to get married so that they can adopt children, which is unfair to children, in his view.
# Despite [[Same-sex marriage|gays only wanting to marry to adopt children]], gay rights are actually a [[communist]] plot to destroy families. Monckton believes Obama devised this dastardly plot on the plane trip to [[Hawaii]], following his [[Obama citizenship denial|birth in Mombasa, Kenya]].<ref name="ObamaGayKenyan">[http://www.wnd.com/2015/07/obama-lectures-his-fellow-kenyans-on-gay-rights/ "Obama lectures his fellow Kenyans on ‘gay rights’"]. ''wnd.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>

===Uninvited spokesman for Burma at Doha===
Monckton's behavior and pronouncements have earned him the nickname "potty peer" in various corners of the blogosphere. Consider the episode in which Monckton found himself booted from the Doha Climate Change talks for taking the unoccupied [[Burma|Burmese]] delegate's chair and addressing the speaker for a minute from the microphone. Earlier he had been seen dressed in traditional [[Arab]] garb handing out climate change denial leaflets.<ref>Harvey, Fiona (7 December 2012). [http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/dec/07/doha-climate-talks-ukip-lord-monckton "Ukip's Lord Monckton thrown out of Doha climate talks"]. ''theguardian.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>

===Web 2.0===
Monckton is a keen user of the [[Internet]], an IP address geolocating to just near him having added all manner of strange claims (''e.g.'', that the ''Guardian'' had paid him £50,000 in settlement of a defamation claim) to the Christopher Monckton and [[George Monbiot]] articles on Wikipedia.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Contributions/95.145.99.96 "User contributions"]. Retrieved on 3 July 2016 &ndash; via Wikipedia.</ref> Monbiot, a long-term critic of Monckton, asked him what was up with that and got a series of nonsensical evasions in response.<ref>[http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2007/10/03/did-lord-monckton-fabricate-a-claim-on-his-wikipedia-page/ "Did Lord Monckton fabricate a claim on his Wikipedia page?"]. ''monbiot.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>

He is also a fan of using [[sock puppet]]s.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2011/05/01/monckton-uses-a-sock-puppet/ "Monckton uses a sock puppet"]. ''scienceblogs.com''. 1 May 2011. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>

===And a Nobel===
Monckton has claimed since 2007 to be a [[Nobel Prize|Nobel Peace Prize]] winner. When cornered, he said he was merely joking, although he had claimed several hours before to be a Nobel laureate in apparent seriousness;<ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-diary/nobleman-is-no-nobel-man-20100125-muky.html "Nobleman is no Nobel man"]. ''smh.com.au''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> the claim is still present on the staff page of the [[Science and Public Policy Institute]].<ref><capture>http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/personnel.html#20100812</capture></ref>

===Birther===
{{cquote|The probability that the “birth certificate” and other Obama identity documents are genuine is just [[PIDOOMA|1 in 75 sextillion]].<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2012/11/win-or-lose-obama-was-not-and-is-not-the-president/ "Win or lose, Obama was not and is not the president"]. ''wnd.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>}}
Monckton also is a [[Obama citizenship denial|birther]],<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/2012/08/a-sad-farewell-to-the-u-s-constitution/ "A sad farewell to the U.S. Constitution"]. ''wnd.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> 
though he claims not to be
.<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2012/03/22/lord-monckton-im-no-birther-but-obama-birth-certificate-plainly-a-forgery/ "Lord Monckton: ‘I’m no birther,’ but Obama birth certificate ‘plainly a forgery’"]. ''dailycaller.com''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref>  Monckton has since dropped all pretenses and now states that Barack Obama was born in Mombasa, [[Kenya]].<ref name="ObamaGayKenyan" />

===Maggie's bag-man===
In the 1980s, Monckton somehow squeezed his way into [[Margaret Thatcher|Margaret Thatcher's]] {{wpl|Number 10 Policy Unit}} and has claimed that he was her scientific advisor. That claim was shot down by John Selwyn Gummer, Environment Minister in Thatcher's cabinet, who referred to Monckton as a "bag carrier" whose views were taken seriously by nobody.<ref>[http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/british-mp-calls-for-a-carbon-tax/3014168 "British MP calls for a carbon tax"]. ''abc.net.au''. 20 March 2011. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> His name was also conspicuously absent from Thatcher's memoirs, ''The Downing Street Years''.<ref>[http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/22/thatcher-climate-sceptic-monckton Thatcher becomes latest recruit in Monckton's climate sceptic campaign].</ref>

===Ban the Qur'an===
Lord Monckton proposed banning public recitations of portions of the [[Qu'ran]], under Anglo-American jurisprudence which criminalizes incitement to murder.<ref>[http://www.worldbulletin.net/news/144478/british-lord-calls-to-ban-reading-of-quran "British Lord calls to ban reading of Qur'an"] ''WorldBulletin.net''. Retrieved on 3 July 2016.</ref> Clearly, the sections of the [[Old Testament]] which incite murder [[Double standard|don't count]], eh Monckton?

==="Texit"===
Lord Monckton has been involved in the [[Tea Party movement]] for a number of years now,<ref name=Hitchens/> with a specific fondness for [[Texas]],<ref>[http://www.texasgopvote.com/2012-elections/lord-monckton-conservative-scholar-visits-texas-patriots-pac-polls-montgomery-004217 Lord Monckton, conservative scholar, visits Texas Patriots PAC at Polls in Montgomery County]. TexasGOPVote official website, enter at your peril.</ref> fooling 
Americans
 GOP supporters into thinking he's smart because he uses big words and talks in a toffish British accent.

Following [[Brexit]] in the United Kingdom, Monckton spoke to ''[[The Daily Caller]]'' about the possibility of [[Secession#Texas|Texan secession]] from the United States in order to increase border security,<ref group=note>Or "Texit", as he likes to call it.</ref> although he has mocked [[Donald Trump|The Donald]]'s plan on building a "Great Wall of America".<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2016/06/04/monckton-its-time-for-texit-texas-should-secede-thatcher-advisor-says/ No, we're not making this up]...</ref>

===Eternity puzzle===
Apart from being a repellent bog creature with buckets of cash, Monckton is also an amateur [[mathematician]]. He invented a puzzle called ''The Eternity Puzzle'' and challenged anyone to solve it, offering a £500,000 prize and expecting it would take many years to solve, if ever. Embarrassingly, only a year later he had to pay the prize money out of his own funds to two mathematicians who solved it using a computer program. Monckton claimed that the earlier-than-expected solution had forced him to sell his 67-room house, Crimonmogate, to pay the prize — a true Pyrrhic victory.

A new version of the puzzle has since been released, called ''Eternity II''. This new version was designed with the help of the mathematicians who scooped up the prize for the first version and with the assurance that the new version cannot be solved with a simple computer program. Indeed, the deadline for the contest passed with no one claiming the prize, although the contestant who got closest got a consolation prize.

==So, what's with his eyes?==
[[File:Monckton of brenchley.jpg|thumb|right|165px|Do not mock.]]
{{wpl|Graves' disease||,}} the same thing Marty Feldman had (though in the BBC documentary "Meet the Sceptics" from 2011, he claimed to have cured himself of Graves').<ref>Rupert Murray [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00y5j3v "Meet the Climate Sceptics"], ''[[Storyville (TV series)|Storyville]]'', 3 February 2011.</ref> There are a lot of reasons for which Monckton should be mocked, but his eyes are not among them. Why not mock him [http://imgur.com/a/MyXox wearing] a "[[Donald Trump|Make America Great Again]]" hat instead?

==External links==
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfA1LpiYk2o Climate Denial Crock of the Week (with Peter Sinclair) - Debunking Lord Monckton Part 1] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duxG4lyeSlc Part 2]
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Monckton Monckton's page at SourceWatch]
*[http://www.skepticalscience.com/Monckton-Myths-one-stop-shop-Monckton-misinformation.html Monckton Myths - a one-stop-shop for Monckton misinformation], SkepticalScience.com
*[http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/category/global_warming/monckton/ Monckton category] at [[ScienceBlogs|Deltoid]]
*[http://bbickmore.wordpress.com/lord-moncktons-rap-sheet/ Lord Monckton's Rap Sheet] and [http://bbickmore.wordpress.com/the-church-of-monckton/ The Church of Monckton], Barry Bickmore
*[http://theconversation.edu.au/pages/monckton-watch Monckton Watch] at The Conversation
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbW-aHvjOgM&feature=related Potholer54's "Monckton Bunkum" series]
*[http://ossfoundation.us/projects/environment/global-warming/myths/christopher-monckton Monckton profile at OSS]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w833cAs9EN0&feature=youtu.be The Hamster Wheel: Lord Monckton]
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zOXmJ4jd-8 Christopher Monckton Speaking in St. Paul] - an example of how he presents his claims.

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

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[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
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Categories: Conservative deceit, Conspiracy theorists, Global warming denialists, Homophobes, Living people, Political pundits, Pseudoscience promoters, Shysters