Victory Loves Preparation...

....So expect us to lose out. 

News reaches us via WUWT that real experts have been watching the sun and note a serious decline in sunspot activity.  From this they conclude that we face another Maunder Minimum.  For those not familiar with our last Maunder Minimum, it got cold, really cold and was also termed the mini ice age.  The latest release on the the study of the activity also suggests we could be in a for a long colling period.

Of course a quick tour around the mainstream press reveals a lack of activity on this release on par with that on the sun.  To report on this would require one heck of an volte face, especially on the part of the BBC who blow the trumpet of AGW loud and proud. We now wait to see the reaction and one which will be telling.

We were "caught out" last winter after the debacle by the met office who have also become the standard bearers of AGW instead of being impartial assessors of the weather for the benefit of the nation.  I note we were "caught out" as other forecasters such a Piers Corbyn and Joe Bastardi were aware of such a winter through a willingness to look at the evidence and without a preconception that the earth is warming and a political need to make the evidence fit the narrative.

This need to make activity fit the evidence runs through politics and infrastructure management and so I can anticipate that once again we will fail to plan for a cold winter.  To do so would have to acknowledge something was very wrong with the idea that is being used a way to generate politicians billions in taxation.  Politicians struggle to make the right decision when faced with the obvious need to take action balanced against their desire for more of our money, with the latter usually winning out.

So in the event that we are set for a cold winter this year and that the powers that be refuse to entertain such a notion I'm issuing so of my own practical advice.  Be prepared.  Anticipating power cuts - stock up on candles.  Not serviced your boiler?  Try and do it now and save yourself the emergency call out cost.  If you've got a condenser boiler, get hold of some external lagging for the outdoor condenser pipe and look at whether a larger bore pipe will be better for you.  Go to a builders merchants and get your own bags of rock salt.  If you don't have tyre chains, now might be a good time to price up a set before a price hike comes along.