Transition Town ... You Cannot Be Serious!

The story so far:

On 23rd September 2010, Rob Hopkins (Co-Founder of the Transition Town Movement and Trustee of the Transition Network Charity) sent an unsolicited Email attempting to defame Ian R Crane.

The previous Email exchanges can be reviewed via the following links:

Round 1: Rob Hopkins Opening Salvo.

Round 2: Rob Hopkins Continues His Libelous Attacks.

Round 3: Rob Hopkins ... Portrait of an Eco-Leader in Denial

As it is becoming evident that Rob Hopkins is behaving like a Pit Bull Terrier and isn't about to let up in his efforts to defame me, I have now copied Ben Brangwyn (the other Co-Founder of Transition Town) in on my replies and requested a meeting with the Transition Network Board of Trustees in the hope that we might find a more conducive and co-operative way forward.

Unfortunately the initial response from Ben Brangwyn is not particularly encouraging:

----- Original Message -----
From: Ben Brangwyn

To: Ian R Crane

Cc: Rob Hopkins

Sent: Monday, September 27, 2010 11:07 AM

Subject: Transition Network: board meeting request

Ian,

Thank you for your request to meet with the trustees of Transition Network. We'll discuss it at the next board meeting. If the request is agreed with, I'll send you an email with the dates. If you don't hear from me, that's because we won't be able to fit you into our very busy agendas.

Regards.

Ben Brangwyn

---------------

Ben Brangwyn
Transition Network: co-founder
address: 43 Fore St, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5HN, UK
website: http://transitionnetwork.org
email:
office:
uk registered charity: 1128675

My Comments:


Not a good start! Not only does this look like a stock administrative response, it is apparent that the issue only warrants being 'discussed' at the next Board Meeting ... and only then if they can 'fit me in to their very busy agendas!'


So let's get this right, the founder of Transition Town and Trustee of the Transition Network Charity (uk registered charity: 1128675) initiates an unsolicited attempt to smear a Researcher who has the audacity to call into question the Transition Town attachment to 'Peak Oil', yet the Board of Trustees barely consider it to be worthy of discussion!


So... here's my response to Ben Brangwyn:


----- Original Message -----
From: Ian R Crane

To: Ben Brangwyn

Cc: Peter Lipman (Chair of Transition Network); William Lana (Transition Network Trustee)

Sent: Saturday, October 02, 2010 8:39 AM

Subject: Re: Transition Network: board meeting request

For the Attention Ben Brangwyn and all other Transtion Network Trustees:

CC: William Lana,

Dear Ben,

thanks for your response to my recent Email regarding the request to meet with the Trustees of the Transition Network... although I have my doubts that it is you who 'penned' the Email as it bears of the hallmarks of a standard administrative response!

The meeting with the Board of Trustees is requested specifically to discuss the recent exchange of Emails with Rob Hopkins. Your failure to take the request seriously would suggest that you and your fellow Transition Trustees condone the practice of attempting to defame and/or demonise those who have the audacity to question publicly the Transition Town attachment to the hypotheses of 'Peak Oil' & 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'.

Although the Emails received from Rob were from his gmail account, I draw your attention to the fact that the following statement appears at the end of each Email. Thereby putting the Email on the electronic equivalent of TT Headed Paper:

www.transitionculture.org
An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent.
Available now from Transition Culture: The Transition Handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience published by Green Books.
To subscribe to Transition Network's monthly newsletter go to http://tinyurl.com/44rasw

Could Rob Hopkins persistence in attempting to label me a a 'Holocaust denier' be related to him still harbouring antagonism following his poor performance in debate with Peter Taylor and myself, recorded in Glastonbury in March 2008? Having been acquainted with Rob since shortly after his arrival in South Devon, it has become increasingly apparent that Rob has great difficulty in separating the 'Political' from the 'Personal'!

FYI: Here's a link to Part One of the Glastonbury Radio Debate.

I ask this question as I have effectively ignored Transition Town ever since a brief exchange of Emails with Rob in the aftermath of that debate! The exception being when I asked Rob to confirm a report that Julia Middleton (Chief Executive of 'Common Purpose') had given a presentation on Eugenics at a Transition Town Conference. Rob denied that this was the case.

However, I note that Transition Town has not distanced itself from an essay published by Colin Campbell which broaches the need for 'Population Reduction' ... and with significant Schumacher College Alumni presence in the Transition Town leadership, the TT association with Lovelockian philosophy on planetary population is rather more than tenuous! In addition, the following 10:10 awareness video does nothing to alleviate my disgust at the underlying Eugenics agenda amongst myopic 'Greens'.

As a number of people and TT Communities are associated with the 10:10 campaign, I think it is safe to assume that the Eugenics agenda is not too far from underlying TT philosophy!

The great tragedy is that I support many of the TT initiatives but the Cult-like attachment to the increasingly dubious hypotheses of 'Peak Oil' and 'Anthropogenic Global Warming', as indisputable facts, coupled with the failure to denounce Eugenics, does the Transition Town Leadership no credit. Indeed, it is this attachment which has lead to division within many of the communities where Transition Town has a presence.

I assume that your 'busy agendas' will no doubt prevent the TT Board of Trustees from acquiescing with my request for a meeting; this being the case I will take the opportunity to share this latest Transition Town outrage with the widest possible audience.

Finally, I take this opportunity to thank you for providing me with further insight into the myopic and narcissistic worldview of the Transition Town Leadership. Another fine illustration of the TT approach to 'non-confrontational politics' in practice; i.e. Don't engage with anyone who refuses to buy-in to TT dogma! If this is your approach to 'Community Leadership' in the post-industrial world? May God help us all!

Regards,

Ian R Crane



I wonder if this might get somebody's attention?

Rob Hopkins ... Portrait of an Eco-Leader in Denial

This is the 3rd in a series of malicious Emails sent by Rob Hopkins, Co-Founder of the Transition Town movement and member of Transition Network Board of Trustees, a registered charity which received hundreds of thousands of pounds annually in return for promoting the ‘Twin Drivers’ of Peak Oil & Anthropogenic Global Warming.

This round of Emails commenced on 23^rd September 2010 when Rob Hopkins attempted to defame Peak Oil critic Ian R Crane. In the interests of transparency, the reader is encouraged to read through this Email exchange and determine for themselves the veracity of Rob Hopkins allegation(s) and his motivation for harbouring such antagonism toward his critics.

Read Rob Hopkins previous Email HERE.

----- Original Message -----

From: Rob Hopkins

To: Ian R Crane

Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 1:05 PM

Subject: Re: Holocaust denial....

It was a simple enough question Ian, yes or no will suffice, interesting that you seem to be struggling to provide an answer. I have no intention of engaging in a public debate with you. Why would I choose to throw away any ounce of credibility I have gained through years of hard work by being publicly associated with someone who believes that the 'Georgia Guidestones' are a founding document for the Green movement, that the 2012 Olympics will be used to stage a pretend alien invasion and plenty of other more bizarre things besides? You may be happy being the laughing stock, I am not. Now, could you answer my question please?

Thanks

Rob

Comments on Rob Hopkins Email:

1). Rob Hopkins is evidently becoming a legend in his own lunchtime as he writes, ‘I have no intention of engaging in a public debate with you. Why would I choose to throw away any ounce of credibility I have gained through years of hard work…?’

Yet if Hopkins is able to articulate his case competently and effectively, his credibility would surely be enhanced! Similarly, as he claims my ‘supposed 'research' bears little resemblance to actual research’, he should be able to capitalise and ably demonstrate that I am indeed a ‘laughing stock’!

2). As with many ‘Greens’, Rob Hopkins demonstrates classic Cognitive Dissonance when confronted with the prospect of having to explain and distance himself from the ‘Goals and Objectives’ listed on the ‘Georgia Guidestones’, along with the documented comments of many leaders of the ‘Green movement’; preferring to pretend that there is nothing to debate! (See ‘The Green Agenda & Population Reduction’ for more on this issue).

3). Rob Hopkins dismisses my 2012 Olympics hypothesis, as presented in ‘Fool Me Once …’ but makes no attempt to refer to and/or refute the supporting evidence.

4). Hopkins also suggests that I harbour, ‘… other more bizarre (ideas) besides.” No doubt he would have made the same observation a few years ago if he had been aware of my presentations on the following topics:

a). A False Flag Terror attack to be staged on Sears Tower Chicago on 6^th June 2006. I presented this hypothesis at a Conference in Chicago on Saturday 3^rd & Sunday 4^th June 2006 (approx 27mins into raw footage HERE). Reports of my presentation were broadcast on local radio & television news and on the Alex Jones Show … nothing happened! However less than two week later the following Reports appeared in the US National Media:

CNN Report

MSNBC Report

b). The imminence of meltdown in the Financial & Property markets. See ‘Fool Me Once’ – Recorded July 2007; one month prior to the collapse of Northern Rock and five months before the UK property market went into decline.

c). Those who elected to follow my counsel in 2007/08 with regard to the financial markets are certainly laughing … all the way to the bank! Except that their investments are NOT in any Bank!!

d). The Swine Flu Pandemic scam as presented to the Shoreditch Sisters Women’s Institute on Tuesday 28th April 2009, (Read report HERE) just a few days after the ‘outbreak’ of the H1N1 virus in Mexico. This presentation was recorded as ‘The Truth Injection’ in July 2009. Having ignored the evidence available from the alternative research community, global governments spent $billions on potentially fatal, untested and completely unnecessary vaccines!

e). How would Rob Hopkins have reacted had he read the Newsletter I distributed on 19^th April 2010 encouraging my readers to ‘Stay Vigilant’ as I strongly suspected that a False Flag event was imminent. 24 hours later the BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded. In the subsequent DVD presentation ‘BP, Population Reduction & The End of an Age’ (recorded 23rd July 2010), I named the individual placed on the rig just four days before the Blow-out; this individual needs to be asked some very pertinent questions! However, this individual has pleaded the Fifth Amendment and Congress has so far denied the power of subpoena to the Gulf Coast hearings!

See Video Intro to my BP DVD HERE

If presenting the above information ahead of the game makes me a ‘laughing stock’, then I guess that I will continue to be the source of much merriment to those who are locked into their own myopic one-dimensional version of reality!

No doubt Mr Hopkins would suffer from an extreme bout of hysterical laughter if he knew exactly what I am currently predicting will occur within the next few years … time will tell but so far I’ve been right more often than I’ve been wrong!

Compare the above with Rob Hopkins self-serving view of the world when he was quoted in early May 2008 as the price of oil was marching up towards $150 per barrel. When the price of oil rises, Hopkins cheers. "It's like a racehorse owner cheering his horse. The things I want to see happen only happen in times of high oil prices...” Hopkins showing total disregard for the effect that the manipulated rising oil price was having on the elderly and those less fortunate than a certain Transition Town co-founder drawing a £50K+ salary from a registered charity. Indeed on 27^th June 2008, just a few weeks after Hopkins made this ill-advised quote, the Western Morning News ran a front page feature on the case of George Mechan, 92, who killed himself by wiring himself up to the mains electricity because he feared his inability to meet the cost of his rapidly rising heating and lighting bills! Another fine example of Transition Town paying little more than cursory lip-service to their much-vaunted claim of ‘Honouring the Elders’.

I drew attention to this outrage in 'War on Terra' (Released July 2008)

Meanwhile … my response to Mr Hopkins:

----- Original Message -----

From: Ian R Crane

To: Rob Hopkins

Cc: Ben Brangwyn

Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 1:43 PM

Subject: Re: Holocaust denial....

I've answered your question ... it's in the public domain at about 15mins or so into 'BP, Population Reduction & the End of an Age' . Also in the yet to be released DVD of my presentation at the Deep Geo-politics Conference in Santa Cruz, California earlier this year (See Uncut footage HERE).

Your penchant for Ad Hominem attacks,when you do not have the capacity for open intellectual scholarly debate is becoming legendary!

It is becoming increasingly apparent that you have your head so far up your own dogma that you are completely incapable of applying any degree of critical thought beyond your own very narrow bounds of perception ... so feel free to escalate your rathet pathetic attempt at demonisation (as outlined in the 'Common Purpose' handbook, under 'Dealing with Critics'), it will only serve to provide me with more reason to raise questions regarding the underlying Transition Town 'agenda'.

In your own words, your behaviour is 'Absolutely and profoundly disgraceful'!

By copy of this Email I am hereby requesting a meeting with the Transition Town Board of Trustees to discuss the purpose and intent of your outrageous behaviour towards those who dare to challenge the ingrained dogma of Transition Town.

Ian

So let’s see how the Transition Network Board of Trustees react to my request for meeting … but I won’t be holding my breath!

Read the next round of Emails HERE

Rob Hopkins Continues His Libelous Attacks

Read previous Email exchange HERE

----- Original Message -----

From: Rob Hopkins

To: Ian R Crane

Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 3:16 PM

Subject: Re: Holocaust denial....

Hilarious. So how exactly is it 'out of context' to imagine that someone who suggests that it is a 'non-subject' to question the Holocaust thinks that there is actually a case for doing so? Hardly a leap. It isn't that there is 'no point in going there because all you're going to do is bring the whole weight of the Jewish community and you're going to present your head on a platter", it's that there's no point in going there because it is a part well-trodden only by Nazi apologists and historical revisionist, and people with fascist tendencies, and because it is nonsense. End of. If you think people who believe the Holocaust never happened ought not be 'demonised', you are, as you do with climate change, giving equal weight to one case for which there is an overwhelming scientific consensus (or historical consensus in the case of the Holocaust) with another for which there is no evidence. You call such an approach 'Truth'... I call it profoundly irresponsible. That quote from your Welsh talk will undoubtedly come back to haunt you... a straight question.. do you believe that there is a case for questioning the Holocaust?

Rob


COMMENT:

You can sense Rob Hopkins salivating as he wrote this Email. Indeed, he was probably logging in to his Email account every few minutes in anticipation of my repsonse! By noon the following day, he could contain himself no longer and sent the following 'reminder':


----- Original Message -----

From: Rob Hopkins

To: Ian R Crane

Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 12:01 PM

Subject: Re: Holocaust denial....

Ian.... I presume you have been too busy to respond, but I do hope I am going to get an answer to my one straightforward question, "do you believe that there is a case for questioning the Holocaust?". Pretty much a simple yes or no question really....
Thanks
Rob


... & my response:

----- Original Message -----

From: Ian R Crane

To Rob Hopkins

Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 12:56 PM

Subject: Re: Holocaust denial....

Public debate?

The Green Agenda and Deep Geo-politics?

Rob Hopkins + ??? - Ian R Crane + John P Costella

London Venue?

I'm sure you can find a way to incorporate your interpretation of my comment and your subsequent question into the event? However, I would encourage you to review all my recorded material beforehand!

I'll promote the event, film it and put it out on Satellite TV ... and of course on YouTube. The DVD's of the event will be copyright free so you will be at liberty to distribute them as you deem appropriate.

Ian


For the record, I have never denied the Jewish Holocaust ... anymore than I deny the Palestinian Holocaust! The only difference being that one is historical and the other is on-going.

However, the Jewish & Palestinian holocausts pale into insignificance when considering the eschatological holocaust advocated by many globalists and their puppet leaders within the 'Green' movement; i.e. Maintain(ing) Humanity under 500,000,000 ... a population reduction of at least 6 Billion!


So, do you think Rob Hopkins will accept the invitation to participate in a filmed Public Debate?

Click HERE to read his response.

Following Transition Town Principles

The following Email highlights the hypocrisy contained within the Transition Town Principles.


Original Message -----

From:Ian R Crane

To: Ben Brangwyn ; Peter Lipman ; William Lana

Cc: Rob Hopkins

Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2010 12:29 PM

Subject: Transition Town Watch

Gentlemen,

just a brief note to advise that the statistics on Transition Town Watch Blog have gone ballistic; with more people visiting the site in the past 24hrs than in the previous three years! As word spreads regarding the publication of our respective Email exchanges, through the various social networks, I anticipate that it will soon be on the first page should anyone search for 'Transition Town'.

Meanwhile, I would like to draw your attention to the Transition Town Principles.

Therefore, in the interests of helping people 'Access Good Information and Trust(ing) Them to Make Good Decisions', I am in the process of compiling a complete historical portfolio of all Email exchanges between myself and representatives of Transition Town. This portfolio will be submitted to the respective Boards of Trustees/Directors of all Transition Town Sponsors and Chief Executives of all Transition Town 'Partners'.

For the record, I deeply regret that the Transition Network Board of Trustees elected not to accede to my request for a meeting so that we might have discussed Rob Hopkins' recent behaviour and found a more co-operative way forward. I also regret, but am not surprised, that Rob cannot find it within himself to apologise for his rather pathetic attempts to defame and demonise me.

However, if Rob's correspondance is indicative of his behaviour and attitude within TT, perhaps you have elected to allow him to endure the fruits of his petulance in glorious isolation. Unfortunately, as members of the Transition Network Board of Trustees, you cannot abdicate nor absolve yourselves from your collective responsibility.

Regards,

Ian

Rob Hopkins Opening Salvo ....

From: Ron Hopkins

To: info@ianRcrane.co.uk

Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 1:30 PM

Subject: Holocaust denial....

Dear Ian,

Please do not see this email as an invitation to start bombarding me with emails again, but I do feel the need to write to you about something. It has long been clear to anyone with any degree of discrimination that the 'New World Order' nonsense that you peddle has, to put it mildly, a dark side, and that your supposed 'research' bears little resemblance to actual research, as I have pointed out to you before (how's that research about Transition running workshops on eugenics coming on by the way?!).... for example, your stuff about BP and the 'green agenda' which you talked about on Talk Sport (which someone else pointed me to with great hilairity) is absolutely ridiculous, bearing no resemblance to anything like the green movement I have been part of for 20 years (oh, and the 1992 summit in Rio wasn't called the 'Earth First Summit' by the way... do your homework... .

Anyway what prompted me to write was that I recently saw pointed to a film on YouTube of a talk you gave in Wales, in Part 4 of which you say "the equivalent we've got in this country is to question the Holocaust. It's a non-subject... no point in going there because all you're going to do is bring the whole weight of the Jewish community and you're going to present your head on a platter". So now Holocaust denial is on your agenda is it? What's the next DVD Ian, 'The Holocaust Agenda'? I am absolutely disgusted (but not surprised). Firstly with you for coming out with such nonsense, and secondly that no-one in your audience said "er, excuse me... what?". It is clear that what you present in your talks is based on a complete absence of critical thinking, but that you should now be questioning the historical basis for the extermination of 6 million Jews is revolting. Of course questioning the Holocaust is a 'non-subject' and so it should be, indeed in Austria it is a criminal offence... I presume you might leave that comment out of any talks you get invited to do there?

Absolutely and profoundly disgraceful.

Rob Hopkins

www.transitionculture.org
An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent.
Available now from Transition Culture: The Transition Handbook: from oil dependency to local resilience published by Green Books.
To subscribe to Transition Network's monthly newsletter go to http://tinyurl.com/44rasw


Some points to consider:

1). I received this unsolicited Email from Rob Hopkins on 23rd Sept. At the time I was not aware that the video of my Corwen presentation had been posted on YouTube and at the time had been watched by 23 people! How did Rob Hopkins become one of the first people to review this video ... is he stalking me on the internet?

2). Hopkins casual dismissal of the 'New World Order' as 'Nonsense' speaks volumes!

3) A common thread running through Hopkins' Emails are such comments as ' ... your supposed 'research' bears little resemblance to actual research...'! However, although I have offered Hopkins the opportunity to expose the inadequacy of my research in public debate, he seems strangely reluctant to take me up on this offer!

4). Hopkins facetious question, "how's that research about Transition running workshops on eugenics coming on by the way?!" refers to an Email I sent him a year ago asking him to confirm a report that Julia Middleton (CEO of Common Purpose) had given a presentation Eugenics at a TT Conference. Hopkins denied that this had been the case. However, there is an uncorroborated reference to this event HERE - page down to post submitted on Weds 29th July 2009.

5). The Eugenics comment rather backfired on Hopkins when 10:10 Global released their pornographic promo video, featuring the summary execution of 'Climate Change deniers' just one week later. See my post HERE.

6). Note the footer at the bottom of Hopkins Email. Although the Email was sent from Hopking gmail account, the Email was sent during normal business hours, from the Transition Town offices,on a Transtion Town Computer.


My response....

From: Ian R Crane

To: Rob Hopkins

Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 2:52 PM

Subject: Re: Holocaust denial....

Dear Rob,

congratulations on taking my statement so utterly and completely out of context! The point being that 'Truth' needs no protection from Law and/or demonisation of those who hold an alternative view. Next you'll be claiming that 'Anthropogenic Climate Change' and 'Peak Oil' are 'Non-subjects'! Your Email serves only to demonstrate your unwilingness (or inability?) to apply any degree of critical thought ... such is your attachment to self-serving political dogma!

As you seem so sure of your intellectual superiority, perhaps you would care to take up the long-standing invitation to debate 'The Green Agenda' in a public forum?

Of course you won't because you (and Transition Town in general) have already demonstrated that you are only able to present myopic political dogma to sympathetic audiences, who are effectively required to take your word at face value. As an avid viewer of my presentations, you will no doubt be aware that I always encourage people not to take anything I say at face value but to research the material for themselves. I sow seeds to encourage intellectual, political and spiritual curiosity ... as opposed to spouting forth emotive politicised dogma.

So Rob, as previously stated, any time you wish to subject the quality of my research to scrutiny via the medium of public debate, I would be more than happy to accept the invitation.

The great tragedy is that Transition Town could have had the potential to be a real force for community focus but your self-obsessed leadership has the effect of being inherently divisive. A situation you would be aware of if you had any capacity for self-reflection.

However, as you enter your early 40's, you may be blessed with the awakening of the serpent laying dormant at the base of your spine; as it starts the journey north the process of Metanoia may be revelationary!

Yours in 'Truth'

Ian

PS. Please feel free to share this Email with your fellow Trustees of Transition Town


However as you will see from my next post, Rob Hopkins has the bit between his teeth and is going for the jugular!

Read the next round of Email exchanges HERE

What are Transition Town afraid of?

From: robjhopkins
To: Ian R Crane
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 1:17 PM
Subject: Re: Transition Culture comment

Ian.

Any emails I have sent to you were meant for you, and you have neither my permission nor consent to publish them in the public arena.

Rob


& my response...

From: Ian R Crane
To: robjhopkins
Cc: Ben Brangwyn; William Lana; Peter Lipman
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: Transition Culture comment

Rob, if you check back in my earlier Emails you will note that I advised you that I reserved the right to publish all and any future correspondance that transpired between us. Consequently, it is to be assumed that you understood this to be the case when you initiated the current round of Emails on 23rd Sept 2010.

If you wish to initiate legal procedings to prevent publication of our correspondance, I will of course be happy to announce that I am unable to publish our Email exchanges due to you obtaining an injuction. However, please be advised that I will contest any attempt to suppress any exchanges between myself and Board Members of Transition Network.

Meanwhile, I would like to stress that you are welcome to publish the full transcripts of all Email correspondance between us.

What have you got to hide?

Ian


COMMENT:

When you have the opportunity to review the correspondance I received from Rob Hopkins over the past few years, it may become apparent why he would prefer that they are not subjected to public scruitiny! These exchanges will undoubtedly provide the reader with unique insight into the psyche of the author.

Let's not forget that this is the man who has established himself as the self-appointed leader & Guru of the Transition Town movement A 'movement' which demands unquestioning loyalty to the 'Twin Drivers' of 'Peak Oil' & 'Anthropogenic Global Warming'. Yet the leadership of Transition Town have consitently and persistently refused to subject their dogmatic attachment to public debate ... and unleash their attack dogs on anyone who has the audacity to propose alternative hypotheses. As illustrated by the pathetic attempt to label me as a 'Holocaust denier' in an unsolicited Email on 23rd September 2010.

I deeply regret that I have had to resort to posting these exchanges between Rob Hopkins and myself. I had hoped to resolve the situation by more amicable means and had requested a meeting with the Transition Network Board of Trustees. I had also offered to provide the complete portfolio of correspondance between Rob Hopkins and myself for their review. Both the offer of the portfolio and the request for a meeting were rejected.

If you wish to share your own Transition Town experience. please feel free to post it here or Email me at info@ianRcrane.co.uk

Transition Town Attacks Critic ... again!

Rob Hopkins, Co-founder of Transition Town & Board of Trustees member of The Transition Network, felt the need to respond to my (censored) post on his Transition Culture Blog. As you will see from this (and other Emails soon to be posted) Mr Hopkins is quite adept at ad hominem attacks.

My response is further down the page.


From: Rob Hopkins
To: Ian R Crane
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 9:22 AM
Subject: Transition Culture comment

Ian,

Just fyi, I won't be posting your recent comment on Transition Culture, not due to 'suppressing debate' or whatever daft slant you may choose to put on it, but for the following two reasons:

1. I regard you as little more than a glorified DVD salesman, and I have absolutely no interest in helping you to promote your wares. If you want advertising, go elsewhere.

2. You are one of only two people whose comments I have blocked, the other a highly abusive American who was just being outrageously rude to everyone. Your behaviour after our 'debate' (coming on raving about how you had 'won' the debate... I always understood that how debates worked was that it was for those listening to decide who 'won', not the participants themselves) showed such a profound lack of grace that it really ran counter to the spirit I try to encourage on the site.

Transition Culture is my own personal blog, not the site of Transition Network. It is my call what happens there. I don't censor debate about climate change, just look at comments thread after my recent post about the 10:10 film, lots of people with views even more absurd than yours.

At the end of the day, you think I am a stooge for the New World Order (with my 'paymasters' and so on), and perhaps you even believe, as Peter Taylor recently said, that Transition Network is "controlled by the United Nations". You clearly feel I am a puppet of dark forces and incapable of independent thinking, and sufficiently twisted that eugenics might actually be a part of my motivation for doing the work that I do. You somehow feel I rule Transition with an intellectual rod of iron, yet you clearly have little or no understanding of how it actually works.

I see you as a deeply deluded self-promoter, with appalling research skills (your recent blog about the 'Green Agenda' was a prime example of that), and unable to answer a simple yes or no question about your views regarding the Holocaust. Had I made a remark like that, I would have been very keen to clarify my position rather than going on the attack. It feels to me like there is little to add, nowhere to go from here. I will not be posting any comments from you, and you need not expect any from me on your site.

Rob

... & my response!


To: Rob Hopkins
Cc: Ben Brangwyn, Peter Lipman, william Lana
Sent: Wednesday, October 13, 2010 12:49 PM
Subject: Re: Transition Culture comment


Hi Rob,

just fyi, I will be posting this and other selected Emails received from you, on the Transition Town Watch blog..

Perhaps you could help me with something, you state that I claimed to have 'won' the Glastonbury Radio debate. Would you please direct me to the specific reference which would validate this claim? I agree with your observation that the listener should decide for themsdelves the outcome of any debate, which is precisely why I have endeavoured to raise awareness of the debate and encouraged the listener to decide for themselves. My recollection is that you accused the host Ross Hemsworth of colluding with myself and Peter Taylor to 'hijack' you and requested (or should that be 'demanded') that the debate not be aired. Consequently any 'lack of grace' was entirely yours in the aftemath of a debate for which you were grossly under-prepared, inadequately informed and evidently rather embarrassed that you had to resort to homily and hear-say in an attempt to explain your case.

I also remind you that Peter Taylor would not have participated in the debate at all, had you not attempted to solicit my views on AGW in the early stage of the interview, when you knew very well that the interview was intended to focus on the issue of 'Peak Oil; With the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure you realise that this was a spectacular 'own goal'!

For the record, my 'deluded self-promotion' does not include being so arrogant that I feel the need to post the world according to Ian R Crane on a daily blog! Neither do I draw (nor do I seek) a £50k+ salary and benefits package from a charity.

Also for the record, having effectively ignored both yourself and Transition Town for two and a half years I am at a loss to comprehend why you decided to initiate your rather crass attack on 23rd September. Anyway you did and I shall now take your counsel and allow the reader(s) to decide for themselves as our correspondance is posted in the public domain.

However, that said, the subsequent Email exchange with Ben Brangwyn was most enlightening ... with the outcome being exactly as predicted.

Ian