This cartoon by Paul Thomas from The Daily Express is inspired by the comments made by the Duke of Edinburgh (aka Prince Philip) about wind farms. In a withering assault on the onshore wind turbine industry, the Duke said the farms were “a disgrace”. He also criticised the industry’s reliance on subsidies from electricity customers, claimed wind farms would “never work” and accused people who support them of believing in a “fairy tale”. Read more >>
The cartoon shows the Duke and the Queen walking past a wind farm. The Queen comments, 'Must you be so beastly about these wind farms?' The Duke replies, 'It'll blow over.'
EXPLANATION
The joke comes from the play on the expression 'blow over'. Of course, the wind blows over the land, but if something such as trouble or an argument blows over, it ends without any serious consequences.
LESSON IDEA
Get students to debate this issue: "We need more wind farms to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels." See links below for arguments for and against.
RESOURCES
• Debate: Wind energy (Debatepedia)
• Wind Farms Debate (BBC News)
• The Pros and Cons of Wind Energy and Wind Farms (Renewables Guide)
• Wind Power: Advantages and Disadvantages
• Wind energy pros and cons
• Philip dismisses wind farms as 'a useless disgrace' (Mail Online)
