"so at first glance it would appear that certainly the UK is getting colder."

Exactly as per the GW/CC predictions. As the GW model says the warming component affecting the melting of the northern ice will slow down and eventually stop the warmth being taken up your way by the Gulf Stream, making the bog hole you live in very cold ....

GW does not mean that EVERYTHING gets warmer. Which is WHY the name has been changed to stop the uneducated getting confused - the thing is that as the whole system 'warms', the total energy increases. As this happens, the system gets more turbulent, making for greater extremes of heat and cold in spots. The shutdown of the Gulf Stream is suspected to have happened before, as it increases/decreases, the temperature of places like Great Britain and Greenland/Iceland goes up and down.

Dave h - I did study Blacksmithing - does that help? :-P