Today We Hand Our Energy Independence To France
Never Mind Hadron Collders.THIS is what we should spend our money on.
by john of gwent
We have many things to be thankful for here in Great Britain.
Not least of which is the Gulf Stream. Did you know that James Bay, at the southern end of Hudson Bay, is at the same latitude as Edinburgh ? Did you know that the sea in that area freezes over for much of the winter and the locals in the towns there have to carry heavy calibre rifles to defend themselves against bears seeking food from their dustbins ?
I have not (yet) needed an icebreaker to get to a Princes Street Hogmanay party, nor have I required heavy artillery to defend myself while there. The gentle warmth of that ocean current ensures the seas off Western Scotland remain a balmy 12 degrees C in the depths of December, and this I know for a fact for I have donned scuba amidst snow flurries on the deck of a fishing trawler in the waters off Oban in the week before Christmas and plunged into the depths just for the sheer hell of it.
For the same reason that bears wander the ice-bound towns around James Bay, whilst Bogart and Bacall and a host of PR people would have you believe that Paris In The Springtime is a wonder to behold, I can assure you from personal experience that Paris in November, and also in March, is cold enough to freeze your rocks off. So it is no surprise that when it comes to a decision between keeping warm, and saving the planet, the French attitude is that tree huggers can go to hell (or Davy Jones' Locker anyway).
Over here of course we pamper our tree huggers. Our politicians kiss all four of their cheeks and gleefully folow their demand that our cars be taxed off the road for our own good. They welcome their demand that it is good for our soul to have our bodies freeze to death. And in any case, our politicians sit in their second homes for which the heating bills are paid by the parliamentary expense account blisfully unaware that they are facing the same end as another who the winning side cruelly - and quite falsely portrays as saying "let them eat cake"
But the French will have none of it. They embarked on the largest Nuclear Power Plant building programme in Europe and now we go cap in hand to them when our ageing coal fired stations fail. And then go cap in the other hand to Putin and the Moslems for Gas at any price
What we should do of course is build nuclear electricity generating stations like there was no tomorrow - for at this rate there won't be. We should bring in an age where we realise Tony Benn's fantasy of having electricity 'to cheap to meter'. And every tree hugger should be put to the sword as a traitor to this country's sovereignty and independence.
But what have we actually done ?
We have, today, begin the process of selling off what little ability we have to keep ourselves independent in the energy game to the french
Mon Dieu !
Not least of which is the Gulf Stream. Did you know that James Bay, at the southern end of Hudson Bay, is at the same latitude as Edinburgh ? Did you know that the sea in that area freezes over for much of the winter and the locals in the towns there have to carry heavy calibre rifles to defend themselves against bears seeking food from their dustbins ?
I have not (yet) needed an icebreaker to get to a Princes Street Hogmanay party, nor have I required heavy artillery to defend myself while there. The gentle warmth of that ocean current ensures the seas off Western Scotland remain a balmy 12 degrees C in the depths of December, and this I know for a fact for I have donned scuba amidst snow flurries on the deck of a fishing trawler in the waters off Oban in the week before Christmas and plunged into the depths just for the sheer hell of it.
For the same reason that bears wander the ice-bound towns around James Bay, whilst Bogart and Bacall and a host of PR people would have you believe that Paris In The Springtime is a wonder to behold, I can assure you from personal experience that Paris in November, and also in March, is cold enough to freeze your rocks off. So it is no surprise that when it comes to a decision between keeping warm, and saving the planet, the French attitude is that tree huggers can go to hell (or Davy Jones' Locker anyway).
Over here of course we pamper our tree huggers. Our politicians kiss all four of their cheeks and gleefully folow their demand that our cars be taxed off the road for our own good. They welcome their demand that it is good for our soul to have our bodies freeze to death. And in any case, our politicians sit in their second homes for which the heating bills are paid by the parliamentary expense account blisfully unaware that they are facing the same end as another who the winning side cruelly - and quite falsely portrays as saying "let them eat cake"
But the French will have none of it. They embarked on the largest Nuclear Power Plant building programme in Europe and now we go cap in hand to them when our ageing coal fired stations fail. And then go cap in the other hand to Putin and the Moslems for Gas at any price
What we should do of course is build nuclear electricity generating stations like there was no tomorrow - for at this rate there won't be. We should bring in an age where we realise Tony Benn's fantasy of having electricity 'to cheap to meter'. And every tree hugger should be put to the sword as a traitor to this country's sovereignty and independence.
But what have we actually done ?
We have, today, begin the process of selling off what little ability we have to keep ourselves independent in the energy game to the french
Mon Dieu !
1 comment:
This is a rather cosy relationship, because EDF (who have just purchased our power infrastructure) is something of a family firm as far as the McBroons are concerned:
"Among those celebrating will be industry leaders, including the [2006 article] chancellor of the exchequer's brother. Andrew Brown is head of media relations at EDF Energy, which operates 58 atomic reactors in France and has been pressing the British government to renew its fleet of power stations here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/jul/11/greenpolitics.nuclearindustry1
.and...
It's been making me wonder over the past few days why there has been absolutely no comment from anyone in the Conservative Party about the fact that Gordon brown's brother is Head of Corporate Communications at EDF Energy. According to an internal memo sent around EDF his primary role is to "lead the communications agenda in the nuclear project" as well.
The potential for raising the possibility of sleaze, however tenuous it might be is there. This is especially the case when you add in the nuclear and energy lobbying link of Labour donors like Sovereign Strategy and Weber Shadwick. On top of which you have a former Labour Chairman (Iain McCartney) being a paid advisor to a nuclear specialist.
Then this morning I think I discovered why there is so much silence about the pontentially smelly EDF links to Downing Street. Between 2003 and 2005 EDF Energy, 70% owned by the French state, donated a total of £43,000 to the Conservatives and Labour. £31,000 and £12,000 respectively. Hardly going to big up connections if the quick answer is "you're connected too aren't you!"
http://dizzythinks.net/2008/01/silence-on-andrew-brown-explained.html
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