How HS2 white elephant proves problem of making data say what you want: Bird Lovegod

The problem with data, and ‘science’ when applied as a sales device, be it selling an idea, an opinion, a reality, or a solution, is that it is nonsense. It’s reverse engineered answers. It’s numbers created to fit the narrative and the predetermined outcomes. It’s not science, which is an ever- continuing search for truth, it’s pseudo science, detached from the quest for deeper understanding and replaced with a means of convincing people of something you want them to believe.

Data was used to make a great case for HS2, how it would create X many jobs and bring Y many new opportunities and even, ridiculously, as it plowed up acres of ancient forests, create Z amount of saved carbon emissions as goods were transported by train rather than road.

All of it is complete nonsense, PR, marketing, spin, sales pitch, call it what you will, but science and truth it is not. I’m glad HS2 has proven itself to be a white mammoth of immense proportions, I knew it was, and here it is.

How surprising that a vast ego driven vanity project goes ten-times over budget. Who knew that would ever happen. The only surprising thing is that Rishi had the gumption to cancel most of it. It’s almost as if he knows he won’t be in power much longer so he can do things that are deeply unpopular but still right. Which is at odds with allowing the new oil fields.

More generally, to pretend that politicians don’t have ulterior motives for much of what they do, and try to do, is naive.

Some politicians do in reality work for industries and companies, although they are employed as MPs.

They have a hidden agenda. And agendas are the bane of truth and reality.

Because the agenda is what determines the direction, the motivation, the policies, the funding, and the laws. And then data and science and numbers and all the other supporting documentation is used to post-rationalise it and justify it to the people and to the media and to the mechanics of Government.

When did a company ever do some research that did not confirm what they were already wanting to do? Take carbon capture, for example.

It is very popular amongst companies who are deeply into carbon extraction, fossil fuels, and biofuels, such as those who burn trees as wood pellets and pretend it’s offset by planting a new one.

Agendas obstruct truth, and create vast quantities of false narrative, nonsense data, and fog the path to humanities future wellbeing.

When the companies who cause the problems are expected to come up with the solutions, you absolutely know they are going to use the future promise of those ‘solutions’ as a justification to continue creating the problems.

And politicians will allow them to. I think what I am describing is the corrupted nature of humanity. People just don’t care about truth.

Bird Lovegod is a Christian commentator and business consultant