MEP welcomes removal of "unscientific propaganda"

Date published: 19 March 2010

North West MEP Paul Nuttall today welcomed the banning of two government climate change adverts.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled yesterday that two adverts released by the Department of Energy and Climate Change should be removed from our screens.

The adverts, based on children’s poems Jack and Jill, and Rub-A-Dub-Dub were deemed to be making exaggerated claims about the threat to Britain from global warming.

But the UKIP politician believes that all the "Act on CO2" campaign adverts should have been banned by the ASA.

Mr Nuttall said: "I think this series of adverts is a disgraceful piece of blatant unscientific propaganda. This government would have us all believe that the science on the subject of climate change is decided but that is far from the case.

"Luckily people are not as stupid as the government would like and almost 1,000 complained to the ASA. And let us not forget that only one in five people now believe that climate change is man made as compared with one in three a year ago.

"I am disappointed that the ASA did not uphold the complaints about the disturbing TV advert which deliberately darkly distorts the situation and could traumatise young children.”

He added: "This is taxpayer’s money that is being used to further a view that a great many scientists do not support.

"This government regards climate change propaganda as a positive move and so would doubtless continue to churn it out regardless of the effect on youngsters developing minds."