Instead, they – and many other players in the fossil fuel industry – bankrolled the rise of the climate denial industry, helping fund the "thinktanks" and front groups that spent the last generation propagating the phoney idea that there was a deep debate about the reality of global warming.
It pursued this phoney idea that James Bond and Harry Potter were British films.
Hannan gave up his MEP spokesmanship to campaign full-time for a British referendum on the EU only days after this phoney idea was rejected by Cameron.
The words evoke an idea of phoney refinement, of needless flummery, snooty waiters and an atmosphere designed to intimidate the customer.
The 40-year-old allegedly suggested EDL members could be paid to canvass on his behalf, and floated the idea of a phoney protest – just weeks after a real demonstration in Dudley by 600 EDL supporters led to 30 arrests.
But while faith healers rely on the idea of some abstract, all-healing "It", AIDS denialists rely on phoney science.
One day, he hits on the idea of preying on single mums in their support group, pretending to be a single dad with a phoney child-seat in his sports car, ruthlessly exploiting their emotional vulnerability.
Germany's chancellor, Angela Merkel, knows the phoney war of recent years is over.
"Hairdresser, shop assistant and babysitter are some of the more common phoney offers of employment they receive.
Knowing which local organisations are legitimate representatives and which are phoney creations of criminal businessman can be a headache.
