Christopher, Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, the man who put the pier in peer review, is on his way to Australia at the end of January to make “a barnstorming three-week lecture-tour” designed to reassure audiences in major cities that “‘Global Warming’ is Not a Global Crisis“. His fee? A$20,000 (£11,000), plus all flights and hotel accommodation for himself and his wife. The speaking tour, organised with the assistance of Australia’s Climate Sceptics Party, is expected to cost around A$100,000. Announcing the tour in a forum postin mid-December, the treasurer of the CSP was looking for money:
As you can understand, the cost of this exercise will be very substantial as we have to (and from) fly Lord Monkton (sic) to Australia, all his domestic travel and accommodation plus a “stipend” of $20,000.
Our aim is to cover these costs from donations from individuals, appropriate associations and corporations; we expect the required total to be of the order of $100,000. We would like to keep the cost of admission to Monckton’s lectures at around $20 so as to maximise the number of people that will come to hear him.
We have had a number of offers of the order of $1,000 and would prefer donations to be of that order, but of course any amount is very welcome. Should there be a surplus, this, depending on the amount, will be given to Lord Monckton and/or the Climate Sceptics Party which is assisting with this project.
Sufficient funds were obviously forthcoming, because the tour was confirmed today at the Science and Public Policy Institute blog, Monckton’s personal digital fiefdom. Aussie sceptic Ian Plimer will accompany Monckton on his walkabout, which begins in Sydney on Jan 26th. Monckton also released the text of a letter to Aussie PM Kevin Rudd in which he offers “personal briefings on why “global warming” is a non-problem to you and other party leaders” during his trip. He explains in detail, and at enormous length, what he plans to do:
Nor is the IPCC’s great lie the only lie. If you will allow me to brief you and your advisers, I will show you lie after lie after lie after lie in the official documents of the IPCC and in the speeches of its current chairman, who has made himself a multi-millionaire as a “global warming” profiteer.
Monckton, of course, will only receive A$20,000 for his Aussie excursion — a mere pittance when a cursory check suggests that he usually charges at least £8,000 (A$14,400) for a single speaking engagement. Clearly Aussie sceptics drive a hard bargain. Two mysteries remain. Given the relatively recent plea for funds, who stepped up to the plate to support the tour? And why have New Zealand’s cranks not jumped at the chance of bringing the potty peer over here? I also find it rather suspicious that no mention is made of funding for Monckton’s manservant… I may have to dig a little deeper into the background of the tour. 
[For really deep background refer to: Monckton & The Case Of The Missing Curry, Mycroft Mockton Makes Mischief, and Something Potty In The State Of Denmark]
UK sources inform me that the true reason for Viscount Mockton’s AGW denialist tour is to warm up for the following event…
http://sydneycomedyfest.com.au
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/01/04/christopher-monckton-of-brenchley-replies-to-readers/ has his response to readers at Wattsupwiththat.com I know you mostly dislike the site, but it has some scientifically literate commenters and some dreck. But it is the response he made to the readers comments.
Monckton to Rudd:
This is not just nonsense, it’s an outright lie. That the man should think he has the standing to advise world leaders is amusing, that others should think it worth parting with good money to let him parade his smears and lies is tragic.
Sad to say, that’s precisely why they’re parting with their good money.
Mockton has certainly picked a good time to preach the gospel of AGW denial in Australia this Jan/Feb – the peak fire season, coupled with an El Nino event will guarantee him a “warm” reception.
I look forward to him visiting to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, to convince them of the error of their ways:
http://www.bom.gov.au/announcements/media_releases/climate/change/20100105.shtml
Perhaps he should travel to Copenhagen in December and preach global warming??
Is your point that local seasons can be confused as global trends or something? I don’t understand.
Perhaps this will help you understand, C3P0…
http://climatechangeinaustralia.com.au/pastchange.php
http://climatechangeinaustralia.com.au/resources.php
(click on “view file” for Climate Change Update 2)
My point is that Australia is the harbinger of what global heating will bring to other countries in future – extreme weather events such as heatwaves, flooding and wildfire, drought, dust storms, agricultural collapse and a shortage of drinking water.
Even a fake peer of the realm might find all that a bit much, what?
Yeah ‘Australia’ is at the forefront of ‘Global’ warming. But meanwhile the rest of the world shivers through an unusually cold northern winter. Any weather event can be twisted to perhaps be caused by ‘global warming’, but none can be proven. Guess we just have to wait for the hurricanes to start tearing through the Cook Strait….. In the meantime I don’t see why local weather is important to what time Mockton does a speech in Australia
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-06/more-cold-heading-for-florida-as-northern-hemisphere-shivers.html
Conversely any [cold] weather event can be twisted to support the veiw the world is cooling. That is why changing climate is assessed using statistically rigorous time series methods, which when used show warming at a global level.
Exactly my point
C3P0, I am indeed referring to trends in the regional climate, measured over the last 50 years, as per the links in my previous comment.
Which of the following observations do you not comprehend?
Temperature:
Australian average temperatures have increased 0.9°C since 1950, with significant regional variations. The frequency of hot days and nights has increased and the frequency of cold days and nights has declined.
Rainfall:
Since 1950, most of eastern and south-western Australia has experienced substantial rainfall declines. Across New South Wales and Queensland these rainfall trends partly reflect a very wet period around the 1950s, though recent years have been unusually dry. In contrast, north-west Australia has become wetter over this period, mostly during summer.
From 1950 to 2005, extreme daily rainfall intensity and frequency has increased in north-western and central Australia and over the western tablelands of New South Wales, but decreased in the south-east and south-west and along the central east coast.
Oceans:
Global sea levels rose by about 17 cm during the 20th century, and by around 10 cm from 1920-2000 at the Australian coastal sites monitored. Substantial warming has also occurred in the three oceans surrounding Australia, particularly off the south-east coast and in the Indian Ocean.
Perhaps go back longer than 60 years. What has it done since 1800? 1000? 4000BC? 100,000BC?
Here we go again; the standard denialist response to being caught out on matters of fact is to change the subject, fast.
If C3P0 is genuinely interested in regional climate reconstructions, he / she / they could start here:
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/recons.html
I just wonder who he is going to be next year, Princess Leia?, Jabba the Hutt?.