Piers Corbyn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Piers Corbyn
|
|
|---|---|
Corbyn in 2020
|
|
| Born |
Piers Richard Corbyn
10 March 1947 Chippenham, Wiltshire, England
|
| Occupation | Weather forecaster, businessman, anti-vaccination activist |
| Relatives | Jeremy Corbyn (brother) |
| Academic background | |
| Education | Castle House School Adams' Grammar School |
| Alma mater | Imperial College London Queen Mary University of London |
Piers Corbyn, born on March 10, 1947, is a British weather forecaster. He is also known as an activist who shares ideas about vaccines and other topics. He grew up in Shropshire, England, and went to Adams' Grammar School.
He studied physics at Imperial College London. Later, he earned a master's degree in astrophysics from Queen Mary University of London. Piers was once a member of the Labour Party. He served as a local councillor in Southwark, London, from 1986 to 1990. He is the older brother of Jeremy Corbyn, who used to lead the Labour Party. Piers left the Labour Party in 2003 because he disagreed with the Iraq War.
In the 1990s, Corbyn ran a company called WeatherAction. This company focused on predicting the weather. He became well-known for his forecasts. Later, he gained more attention for disagreeing with the scientific view on climate change.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he promoted ideas that were not supported by facts. He called the virus a "hoax." He often spoke out against lockdowns and COVID-19 vaccines. He also said that COVID-19 vaccines were dangerous. Corbyn was arrested several times for taking part in protests against public health rules.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Piers Corbyn was born on March 10, 1947, in Chippenham, Wiltshire. He grew up in a 17th-century country house in Newport, Shropshire.
He started recording weather and climate patterns when he was fifteen. He even built his own equipment for observations. He went to Castle House School and Adams' Grammar School. At 18, he began studying physics at Imperial College London. He earned his degree in 1968.
He then started research in superconductivity. However, he became more involved in student politics. In 1979, he returned to study at Queen Mary University of London. He earned a master's degree in astrophysics in 1981.
Student Leadership
In 1969, Corbyn became the first president of the Imperial College Union. He was chosen directly by the students. As president, he helped create a full-time position for the student leader. This meant the elected student leader could focus on their role.
Corbyn also worked to give students more say in how the college was run. He wanted students to have a bigger voice on college boards. This was a lasting success of his time as student union president.
In 1969, Corbyn met the Queen when she opened a new building. He used this chance to ask the Queen for students to have more power in college decisions.
Housing Activism
In the mid-1970s, Corbyn was an activist for housing and squatters' rights. He worked in the Paddington area of London. He ran for election to the Westminster City Council. He wanted to improve housing for people.
As a result of his campaigns, some squatters, including Corbyn, were given new homes by the Greater London Council in 1975. He later became a leader of a tenants' association in Southwark.
Career
Political Involvement
Corbyn was a member of the Labour Party. He was elected as a Labour councillor in Southwark in 1986. He lost his seat in 1990. For seven years, he worked as a volunteer campaign organizer in Southwark.
Corbyn left the Labour Party in 2002. This was before the Iraq War. He ran as an independent candidate in local elections in 2002 and 2015. In 2017, he tried to rejoin the Labour Party but was not allowed.
His brother, Jeremy Corbyn, became a Member of Parliament in 1983. He was the leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. In 2015, Piers supported his brother's campaign to lead the Labour Party. He said his brother stood for open discussions, including on climate.
WeatherAction Company
After working as a weather predictor for some years, Piers Corbyn started his own business. He formed WeatherAction in 1995. This company sells his weather predictions. He used to bet on his own forecasts. In 1990, his predictions of very bad weather got a lot of attention. That year saw some of the "worst extremes" in weather.
WeatherAction was briefly listed on the stock market. It was removed in 1999 because it was losing money. Corbyn then bought the weather prediction business back.
Prediction Methods
Corbyn's method for predicting weather combines different ideas. He uses "statistical analysis of over a century of historical weather patterns." He also looks at clues from observations of the sun. He believes past weather and sun-earth magnetic connections are important. However, most weather scientists say these influences have only a small effect on Earth's atmosphere.
Scientific Review
Only one study about Corbyn's work was published in a scientific journal. This study looked at his predictions for strong winds in Great Britain. It covered the period from October 1995 to September 1997. The study found that his forecasts were better than just guessing.
The study said: "Forecasts prepared by WeatherAction would repay further attention. The results provide little evidence to dismiss the observed success rates as being attributable to mere chance or good fortune."
In 1999, Wired magazine quoted researchers Ian and Nils Jolliffe. They said Corbyn's predictions were rarely completely right or completely wrong. They often fell into a "grey area."
In 2012, Erik Klemetti, a professor of Geosciences, criticized Corbyn. He accused Corbyn of "cherry-picking" data. He compared people who claim to predict earthquakes to "faith healers."
Media Coverage
Critics have pointed out some of Corbyn's inaccurate predictions. These include a "white Easter" in 1989 that did not happen. Also, "raging weather" in September 1997 was not as severe as predicted. The Met Office, the UK's national weather service, disagreed with WeatherAction's predictions in 2008.
While Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, he sometimes suggested that Corbyn might be right about denying human-caused climate change.
Let London Live
In January 2021, Corbyn announced he would run for mayor of London. He created his own party called Let London Live. He said he would "end lockdown on day one as mayor" if elected. He finished 11th in the mayoral election.
He also ran for Let London Live in local elections in Southwark in 2022. In 2023, he ran in a special election in Uxbridge and South Ruislip. His party, Let London Live, was officially removed from the list of political parties in November 2023.
Promoting Ideas Not Supported by Facts
In 2020, reports stated that Corbyn attended a meeting of a group called Keep Talking. This group discusses ideas that are not supported by facts.
Climate Change Ideas
Corbyn does not agree with the scientific view on climate change. He says that humans do not cause climate change. He believes any warming is due to increased activity from the sun. He has spread ideas about climate change that are not true.
He has claimed that the media, the Met Office, and "corrupt scientists" are tricking the public. He says this is part of a plan to keep oil prices high. In 2009, he attended a conference organized by a group that denies climate change.
Corbyn appeared in a TV documentary in 2007. He was called 'Dr Piers Corbyn, Climate Forecaster'. However, he does not have a doctorate or a specific degree in climate science. In 2016, Corbyn suggested that Margaret Thatcher supported the idea of human-made climate change to close coal mines. But there is no proof she used these arguments at that time.
In 2015, BBC Radio 4 apologized for a documentary. It featured Corbyn talking about climate change without mentioning the scientific agreement on the topic. In March 2016, Corbyn took part in a BBC climate change discussion. This led to complaints because he was given airtime.
In April 2019, Corbyn posted a picture of environmental activist Greta Thunberg with a Nazi symbol. He called her an "ignorant, brainwashed child."
In April 2023, Corbyn was removed from a church service. He told environmental activists that human-made climate change "does not exist." He also said they were "working for the Devil." The crowd sang a hymn as he was escorted out.
COVID-19 Ideas
Corbyn has stated that COVID-19 and the pandemic are a "hoax." In March 2020, he posted an idea on Twitter that was not true. He claimed that certain wealthy individuals created the pandemic. He said this was to vaccinate everyone, and that vaccines are dangerous. His Twitter account was later suspended.
On a TV show, he called the pandemic a "psychological operation." He said it was meant to "close down the economy." A doctor on the show called his views "extremely dangerous."
2020 Protests
On May 16, 2020, Corbyn was one of 19 people arrested. This happened during a protest against the UK's COVID-19 lockdown in Hyde Park, London. He spoke about ideas that were not true, including those linking coronavirus to 5G technology. He also made claims against vaccines before his arrest.
On August 29, Corbyn was arrested near Trafalgar Square. He was suspected of breaking new rules about large gatherings. He was fined £10,000 for organizing an anti-lockdown rally.
On September 5, Corbyn helped organize a rally in Sheffield. He claimed the lockdown was to "end your rights and freedom." He also said mass vaccination was dangerous. He was arrested and charged, but the charges were later dropped.
Corbyn continued to speak at many protests across the UK. He spoke against face masks and public health rules. He told protesters to "free your face." He called the British Parliament a "brainwashing institution." He said it was full of "fake scientists" who are "paid liars."
On October 14, Corbyn was arrested at a protest in Bristol. He was one of fourteen people arrested for breaking new laws on gatherings.
On October 17, Corbyn attended a protest in London. He told the crowd that Bill Gates "wants vaccinations to control you."
On October 18, Corbyn spoke at a protest in Liverpool. He denied that COVID-19 existed. He also suggested it was a "bioweapon." He said it was used for "the most monstrous power-grab the world has ever seen."
In December 2020, Corbyn helped create a leaflet. It was given out in London. The leaflet compared the COVID vaccine campaign to the Holocaust. It showed a picture of the Auschwitz concentration camp entrance. The Nazi slogan "Work sets you free" was changed to "Vaccines are safe path to freedom." Corbyn denied that the leaflet was anti-Jewish. He said he had worked with Jewish people and was married to a Jewish woman for many years.
2021 Protests
On February 3, 2021, Corbyn was arrested. This was because of the leaflet. He was released on bail. He was arrested again at a protest on February 27. He later claimed that he accepted COVID-19 existed. However, he compared it to the flu, which went against his earlier claims.
In June, police started investigating Corbyn. A video showed him removing public health signs on a London Underground train. These signs asked people to keep distance and wear masks.
On July 10, Corbyn and other protesters gathered outside a vaccine bus in Brighton. This caused some vaccine appointments to be canceled. Local leaders criticized the protest.
On July 20, Corbyn spoke at a protest outside the Labour Party headquarters. He supported members who were accused of anti-Jewish behavior. He said that following the government's vaccine plan was like people submitting to Nazi rule in Germany.
In July, some pranksters pretended to be investors. They met Corbyn and offered him money to stop criticizing a vaccine. Corbyn received fake money from a board game.
In September 2021, Corbyn held a protest outside the Old Bailey in London. This was on the day a former police officer was being sentenced for murder. The officer had used COVID-19 lockdown rules to kidnap his victim. Corbyn claimed this showed that coronavirus laws were "not about controlling a virus." He said they were "about controlling the public." Many people found this protest inappropriate. A passerby shouted, "How dare you hijack Sarah's death for your own cause?"
On December 18, 2021, Corbyn attended another large protest in London. He appeared in a music video. In a speech, he urged the crowd to "hammer to death those scum" who supported new COVID rules. He also suggested burning down the offices of Members of Parliament. The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, called his speech "sickening." She asked the police to take action. On December 19, Corbyn was arrested for his comments.
See also
- Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic § United Kingdom
