A small (but perfectly formed) group of MCFly writers and readers met recently to discuss George Orwell’s Animal Farm. MCFly volunteer Mark Haworth made a cool observation that we have cajolled him into writing down –

About half-way through Animal Farm there is the following passage:

If a window was broken or a drain was blocked up, someone was certain to say that Snowball had come in the night and done it, and when the key of the store-shed was lost the whole farm was convinced that Snowball had thrown it down the well. Curiouslty enough they went on believing this even after the mislaid key was found under a sack of meal.

Which made me think of climate change, and how people continue to doubt that humans are primarily responsible. Even on things such as the link between the burning of fossil fuels and climate change, an alarming percentage of the population still disagree with the evidence. For example, a recent UK poll from December 2011 found that only 20% of people said the statement ‘Every time we use coal or gas or oil we contribute to climate change’ was ‘definitely true’. 51% said it was ‘probably true’ and 17% said it was ‘defintiely/ probably not true’. (Source: British Social Attitudes 28 pp100). Another reminder that facts and evidence alone are not enough to change people’s minds, especially when the truth is this inconvenient.

Mark Haworth

The next book group is on Monday 5th March, at the Friends Meeting House, from 7pm. The book under discussion will be The Handmaid’s tale, by Margaret Atwood.