Barrel Strength

The Independent

The new religion of environmentalism

There is good news for employees who hold strong opinions about climate change and the environment. If your colleagues fail to respect your views (obliging a waitress to serve meat in a restaurant, for example), you will be able to seek redress in law.

The case of Tim Nicholson, an executive made redundant by the property firm Grainger, has established a curious precedent. Under law, environmentalism is no longer a matter of fact and science, but is essentially a religion. Mr Nicholson, whose fear for the future of humanity is passionately and pro-actively held, believed that, like many firms, his employers were talking green while acting greedy.

This position, according to a pre-hearing review, placed him within the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations. “In my opinion, his belief goes beyond mere opinion,” said the judge.

But why stop with employment? If environmentalism is now a religion, what more flagrant act of faith hatred could there be than expanding an airport?

The One now wants to dictate compensation and the behaviour of boards of directors across the American economy:

“The Obama administration will call for increased oversight of executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms and possibly other companies as part of a sweeping plan to overhaul financial regulation,” according to government officials who spoke to the New York Times (emphasis added).

Somewhere in the bowels of Hades Saul Alinsky is beaming with pride.