And now even Mother Nature gets an ASBO...

'The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore' sang Cher. Okay, it was a cover. But that's not the point. Apparently scientists now actually do want to stop the sun from shining - if a story in the Daily Telegraph is accurate.

Now, the Telegraph is not a newspaper we associate with making up rubbish, conspiracy theories, interviews with aliens or April Fool's jokes in August. Even more bizarre would be the Telegraph roping in The Times to peddle the exact same story as a hoax. So it must be true... mustn't it?

This blog author is also not very hot on science nor very interested in environmental politics.

However, there was a 'what the flip?' moment when we read this story in the Telegraph which details how scientists are plotting to have a huge flotilla of unmanned ships sailing the oceans of the globe, creating clouds to stop the sun shining on our beautiful planet.

Failing that, they want to send some giant mirrors up into space and reflect the sun's rays away from the planet.

Or something.

It's a story that's already generated several hundred comments on the Telegraph's website. We're not surprised.

Who are these scientists? And what would they have done had they had technology at the beginning or the end of the Ice Age? Evacuated the planet?

And here's another question. If cloud producing ships were commissioned, would it rain in Britain 367 days a year?

And another - if the sun has to be punished for shining, does that mean we can stop worrying about our carbon footprint and get cheaper flights on EasyJet and RyanAir again?

This is one of those stories that comes along every so often and catches you completely off-guard.

We've said it before and we'll say it again... what the flip!? We knew New Labour were totalitarian halfwits, but not even they could be ridiculous enough as to contrive to hand Mother Nature an ASBO... could they?