Political Grifting in Mayfair: Farage, Truss, and the Heartland Hoax

Coal, Cash, and Champagne: The Political Grifters Fuelling the Climate Crisis

In the annals of political grift, few spectacles can match the sheer audacity of Nigel Farage and Liz Truss waltzing into an exclusive Mayfair club to cheerlead for the Heartland Institute. This US-based climate denial think tank—famous for its oil-soaked ideology and imaginative claims like equating climate scientists to terrorists—chose London for the European debut of their latest charade. Because what better setting for a fossil-fuel fête than the stomping ground of Britain’s aristocratic excess?

With former UKIP leader and climate denier extraordinaire Lois Perry at the helm of the UK branch, the Heartland Institute has found its new mascot. Perry’s impressive résumé includes steadfastly ignoring science, casually dismissing climate reality, and championing policies that would make even Victorian industrialists blush. If there’s a market for turning back time on environmental progress, Perry is ready to sell it—probably with a cheerful smirk and a sales pitch about the joys of coal-fired nostalgia.

Farage and Truss: A Match Made in Mayfair

Nigel Farage, Britain’s perennial political grifter-in-chief, continues his transition from Brexit’s pied piper to the coal industry’s favourite cheerleader. Reform UK, his latest venture into political irrelevance, is now staking its fortunes on opposing net-zero goals. “Scrap climate targets, reopen coal mines, and let’s party like it’s 1899” seems to be the new battle cry. And why not? There’s always money to be made in pandering to the ill-informed while simultaneously ensuring the planet gets just a little bit toastier.

Enter Liz Truss, whose prime ministerial reign lasted about as long as a supermarket lettuce but left a legacy of, well, memes. Fresh off her meteoric career collapse, Truss appears to have rediscovered her purpose: serving as a walking, talking cautionary tale. Her presence at the launch only underscores the event’s true ethos—a mutual appreciation society for political has-beens desperately clinging to relevance.

And they weren’t alone. Joining them were Tory MPs Andrew Griffith (was in 2021 found by a High Court judge to have raped and abused Kate Kniveton during their marriage.) and Christopher Chope, whose CVs read like a “Who’s Who” of climate foot-dragging and Eurosceptic bravado. Chope, famous for opposing everything from progressive policies to common sense, and Griffith, a man so enamoured with deregulation that he’d probably privatise fresh air if given the chance, rounded out this rogues’ gallery of denialism.

The Heartland Institute: America’s Climate Denial Export

Let’s talk about the Heartland Institute. Picture a think tank that’s less about thinking and more about tanking the planet. Backed by oil companies and Republican donors, this group has spent decades peddling the idea that the science on climate change is “unsettled”—because when your paychecks come from ExxonMobil, denialism isn’t just a belief; it’s a job description.

Their strategy is as transparent as crude oil: cherry-pick data, amplify fringe voices, and muddy the waters just enough to delay meaningful action. And now they’ve brought their sideshow to Europe, seeking to “educate” conservative policymakers on the virtues of burning fossil fuels while the world literally burns around us.

Heartland’s president, James Taylor, framed their expansion as meeting the “growing demand for conservative climate resources.” Translation: there’s money to be made from stoking Europe’s climate scepticism, and Heartland wants its slice of the denialist pie.

Think Tanks: The Invisible Puppeteers

If you think this is just about the Heartland Institute, think again. This is merely the latest act in the long-running theatre of think tank chicanery. As The Invisible Architects reveals, think tanks are the shadowy puppeteers of public policy, crafting narratives that politicians like Farage and Truss regurgitate with the enthusiasm of B-list actors reading cue cards.

Take the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), which has spent decades championing deregulation, privatisation, and low-tax utopias while refusing to disclose its funders. Or the Adam Smith Institute, which seemingly won’t rest until everything that can be privatised is sold to the highest bidder. These groups operate under the veneer of impartiality, all while advancing corporate interests with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Farage’s cosy relationship with the Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF), a think tank dedicated to denying climate science while being mysteriously cagey about its funders, is yet another piece of this puzzle. And Liz Truss? Her economic agenda as Prime Minister was practically a cut-and-paste job from the IEA’s wish list, right down to its catastrophic consequences.

The Climate Denial Playbook: Old Tricks, New Wrapping

The Heartland Institute’s playbook is a tired one: cast doubt on the science, vilify activists, and paint climate action as an elitist conspiracy to rob the common man of his diesel engine and cheap energy. It’s the same script tobacco companies used to deny the health risks of smoking—just swap out “cigarettes” for “coal.”

Critics, led by the Green Party, have been quick to call out this charade for what it is: a cynical, self-serving cash grab masquerading as a policy initiative. The Heartland Institute isn’t here to provide “resources.” It’s here to exploit Europe’s most vulnerable political systems and ensure that oil executives can keep buying yachts while the rest of us invest in snorkels.

Why Transparency Terrifies Them

If there’s one thing that sends shivers down the collective spine of think tanks, it’s transparency. Groups like the Heartland Institute thrive in the shadows, where they can shape policy without pesky questions about who’s paying the bills. Critics have long called for mandatory disclosure laws to unmask these organisations, but such measures remain a pipe dream.

Without accountability, think tanks will continue to wield disproportionate influence, shaping policies that prioritise profit over people. And the likes of Farage and Truss will happily play their part, pocketing the perks while pretending to care about “the little guy.”

The Final Word: Political Grifters Gonna Grift

The Mayfair launch of the Heartland Institute’s European branch wasn’t just a political event; it was a masterclass in shameless opportunism. Farage, Truss, and their ilk aren’t here to solve problems. They’re here to find new ways to line their pockets, distract the public, and ensure that progress remains an uphill battle.

So as they toast to their success in Mayfair’s gilded halls, let’s remember this: the real price of their political grift isn’t measured in votes or donations. It’s measured in rising temperatures, disappearing coastlines, and a future that’s increasingly out of reach. And for that, no amount of Mayfair champagne can wash away the stain of their legacy.

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