Examinator, priceless! Hope so too, there's bugger all down here as our resident OLO dendrochronologists demonstrate by their salivating over WUWTF, ergo http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/people/briffa/yamal2009/

Geoff - okay, that's better. For whatever reason the headline (final measured) global warming has paused, as opposed to whatever the underlying trends might be. (Economists have similar arguments about "headline" and "underlying" inflation.) The problem, and its a big one, is that the global warming crowd forecast big increases in temperatures in that headline figure in 2001 and 2007, and this have not happened. In fact if we look back at the 1990 forecast by the IPCC (the first report) that's out by a country mile. The seasonal forecasts issued by the UK Met Office are also consistantly wrong.
But okay, internal variability such as changes in the great oceanic cyles (the IPD and AMO) may have disguised the supposed warming, and climate is vastly more complicated than we first supposed. So then how do we know the big increase between 1975 and 2000 (about) was not also an internal variation?
Anyway, back to the CRU. Its main sin is not to frankly admit all the problems climate forecasting faces. Far too much funding is at stake for that. They are lucky the Royal Society - a green bastion - chose the inquiry members. The findings should have harsher.

"Accusations of fraud or scientific misconduct have been widespread"

Absolutely Geoff, and I can understand why real scientists get peed-off:

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Climate-Scientist-Sues-National-Post-for-Libel-1151667.htm

Perhaps the reach of the court will extend to Anthony Watts.

OK I'll bite, qanda, what is "WUWTF" and why would anyone salivate over it - or is this secret code to those who "nudge nudge wink wink" are in the know?

Hey, howya doin Amicus!

1st of all, apologies for the typo. On the QWERTY keyboard, you will notice the 'F' just under and slightly to the left of the 'T'. I would have pressed the 'F' inadvertently.

It should have been 'WUWT' - no 'F' ... although there are those out there who would see the connotations with 'WTF' and apply it as appropriate :)

As for anyone salivating over it? WUWT is the well known (sorry) so called 'denialist' blogsite run and administered by a weatherman (at least in his previous life, although as Banjo pointed to - he seems to have been reincarnated as some kind of "expert" in dendochronolgy ... ROFLMHO). And dont' get me started on his "brand" of statistics!

His name? Anthony Watts - hence, Watts Up With That (aka WUWT).

Watts has NO credentials in any of the climate sciences whatsoever - but you wouldn't think so given he has achieved veritable 'messiah' status at groupthink conferences like those annual events organised and conducted by the Heartland Institute (remember?).

Indeed, WUWT is usually the 'home' and first 'port-of-call' to all those that think AGW is bunkum.

Check it out (follow Banjo's link). I used to post there but it got a tad tedious - being continually called a "forkwit" and such other descriptive 'niceties'.

Nevertheless, I still drop in to have a look from time to time ... and unsurprisingly, I drop out too - shaking my head in bemusement and disbelief at the musings of himself, his contributors and his 'church' of followers.

Oops ... I mean John J, or Atman's links.

[phoenix94 (otoh) tends to link to the SPPI quite regularly. Science and Public Policy Institute, 'home' of Lord Monckton, 3rd Viscount of Brenchley - another neo-conservative think-tank and much akin to Heartland.]