Climate change and politics

Apparently climate change is a "political" issue, according to Mark Squires, the administrator of the US based wine forum attached to the eRobertParker web site. For those who aren't wine geeks, Robert Parker is probably the most influential wine critic in the world currently.

A recent thread started by UK "wine anorak" Jamie Goode on the subject of climate change and it's affects or otherwise on vines and the various wine growing regions of the world was suppressed (removed) by Squires who responded with the following reply to Goode,

'To answer your question, global warming is not a legitimate topic for discussion on a wine board that bans politics. No one knows how it affects wine. From week to week you hear that the vineyards will be (a) colder or (b) warmer. Be that as it may, it is a very political discussion in any number of contexts. If you do not agree with that, that is most certainly your right. But it is my right to run the board...'

Since when did physical climate phenomenon become "political", the very fact of suppressing the thread is a political statement in itself. Of course one could argue that this is an American board and Squires is clearly biased in that regard, but still, this organization is happy to take money from clients all around the world where is their representation?

This particular discussion board does have a reputation for this kind of “censorship” along US political interest and Parker “sycophant” lines, so I’m not sure I should be so surprised at this response, perhaps its because I can’t help thinking that this insults the intelligence of all those “free thinking” Americans on that board who have been denied an opportunity to debate their side of this issue, all this in the so called "land of the free", comical really.

I have cancelled my own subscription to this organization.