Bishop Hill Paterson urges pause for thought
Oct 12, 2014 Climate: Parliament Energy: grid GWPF Today is fraught with family athletic fixtures, so I don't have a lot of time to write anything. In the meantime, there is plenty going on, not least the splurge in the Sunday Telegraph about Owen Paterson's GWPF lecture this week.
Britain will struggle to “keep the lights on” unless the Government changes its green energy policies, the former environment secretary will warn this week.
He will argue that the 2008 Climate Change Act, which ties Britain into stringent targets to reduce the use of fossil fuels, should be suspended until other countries agree to take similar measures. If they refuse, the legislation should be scrapped altogether, he will say.
Owen Paterson will say that the Government’s plan to slash carbon emissions and rely more heavily on wind farms and other renewable energy sources is fatally flawed.
That should set the cat among the pigeons.
Reader Comments (63)
electricity => unreliable
"dave"'s head => pyke
Simples [SQUEAK]
I'd like to knock this myth on the head the idea that most UK electricity is used in the home . Surely more is used in Industry shops/services and government
Can anyone in the know enlighten us ?
..I'd also guess that although electricity consumption fridge/freezers is a reasonably significant in the home ..those home fridges/freezers are not going to account for more than a tiny percentage of UK electricity use
No, no.
Ed Davey has already told us at his party's conference that electricity generation using coal will be illegal by 2025.
I'd suspect that this time-shifting is less about fridges being switched off so much as not being able to boil the kettle during the commercial breaks of Corrie or Eastenders. A lot of load-balancing is down to checking the TV schedule: The worst known spikes to date having been in breaks of the 'Thorn Birds'.
The BBC of course managed to review the Sunday newspapers without once mentioning the Paterson report and gave us acres of stuff on Ukip without once mentioning that Ukip pretty much concurs with Paterson's views.
The thing is this.
If we out here in Realityland spotted this situation years ago, how come it has taken this long to dawn on (some of) our politicians..?
Rapid approach of May 2015 perhaps..?
And Andrew Marr dismissed it with a smirk and some remark about it not being important enough to bother with. It made me really angry.
Do not believe a word this shy***r is saying. This is just an attempt by Paterson to cover his own backside, with a General Election due next May. There are a whole load of Planning Applications for wind and solar farms in North Shropshire (where he is the local MP) being forced through despite massive local opposition, as well as the scheme to connect Powys windfarms to the National Grid through Shropshire. If any of these go ahead, he can kiss goodbye to his Parliamentary Seat.
Strange that Salopian (a disgruntled UKIPper ?) has emerged to launch this vicious, irrelevant, personal attack along with veiled threats toward Paterson, at the same time as a similar poster has emerged on Delingpole's "Paterson" blog.
It's most unlikely that Paterson will "come across" to UKIP, he's chosen to fight this battle from within the Tory party.
More power to his elbow !
@toad
"Strange that Salopian (a disgruntled UKIPper ?) has emerged to launch this vicious, irrelevant, personal attack along with veiled threats toward Paterson, at the same time as a similar poster has emerged on Delingpole's "Paterson" blog."
I regard your post as an offensive personal attack against me. I have no links whatsoever to UKIP, and have never, ever voted for them. And, I have never, ever visited, let alone posted on Delingpole's blog. Please either, justify and prove your offensive remarks against me, and apologize, or I will report your trolling behaviour.
"
salopian
OK I apologise for suggesting that you might have voted for UKIP (much relief there) or for suggesting that you've ever visited Delingpole's blog.
@toad
Apology accepted; but I stand by my comments on Paterson. When a senior politician does a U-turn 7 months before a general election, on policies that he was largely responsible for initiating; but are generating a lot of anger in his own (and neighbouring) constituencies (check out the Shropshire Star and County Times if you want confirmation of this); it is inevitably an arse-saving exercise, rather than an epiphany.
Hi David, toad and co: sorry not to have been reading BH but I'm going to be at the Pret A Manger at 81 Piccadilly from 6pm prior to walking to the lecture this evening. Bring an umbrella if you want to join me. Otherwise, see you there!