News

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell doesn't know the difference between the Sun and the Moon

Ukip MP Douglas Carswell doesn't know the difference between the Sun and the Moon
Getty/edited by indy100

It's been a big week for Ukip, they've just elected a new leader in the form of Diane James.

She cites Vladimir Putin among her political heroes.

Her Twitter account has also claimed that Ukip are the opposition party in waiting.

Which is a fairly big claim for a party with one MP.

Said MP, Douglas Carwell, has also been on Twitter recently, and he has been arguing with scientists about the tide.

Douglas Carswell, Member of Parliament for ClaptonPicture: PA

Paul Nightingale, a professor of strategy at Sussex University, tweeted this analogy about trade.

Carswell took issue with it, and tried to correct him.

And then an argument took hold:

People have started mocking Carswell's argument a little as it goes almost entirely against the scientific consensus:

The Sun does have some impact on the Earth's tides, but the point remains that the Moon has a far, far greater effect on the Earth's tides than the Sun due to it's proximity.

Which was Mr Nightingale's original point.

To be honest, we just can't wait to leave the 'Lunar Union' so we can put 350 million waves back into the British Channel.

HT Sid Verma

More: ​Meet Ukip's new leader - her political hero is Vladimir Putin

More: Douglas Carswell's response to Nigel Farage quitting was a thing of beauty

The Conversation (0)