As the dog and I stepped out into the -15°C air this morning, my thoughts drifted inexorably to global warming.

The bad news is that not only has there not been any warming for the last 15 years, there isn’t going to be any for the next five either.

This is not news that is welcomed by global warming Cassandras: Christopher Monckton, the third viscount of Benchley, the bearer of the bad tidings that global warming is a sham, was ejected from the United Nations climate change conference for his efforts.

Some speculate that the U.N.’s determination to make Canada even colder is really a surreptitious war against capitalism. Since every self-respecting, anti-capitalist, liberal-left apparatchik from the impotent Fred Hiltz to the messianic Barack Obama is beside himself with excitement at the prospect of crippling Western industry with carbon penalties – no-one seems to care much about CO2 from China or India –  it seems pretty clear that they are right.

Still, at least it has warmed up to -12°C for the dog’s evening walk.