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« A gallery of rogues, spivs and wideboys | Main | The judge, the presidential hopeful and some strange conflicts of interest »
Thursday
Oct082015

Deccline and fall

The man running UK energy policy?According to an article in the Ecologist, DECC is now no longer much more than a shell. It seems that the Treasury and the new Infrastructure commission headed by Lord Adonis are taking all the decisions related to energy projects, leaving Amber Rudd with little to do beyond talking about the weather (or at least the climate) with colleagues from around the world.

Unfortunately Lord Adonis seems to be enthusiastic about wind energy, so the insanity may continue for a while yet. But at least energy policy seems to have been removed from the hands of the deep greens.

 

 

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Reader Comments (22)

I suppose this means that once Amber is gone, DECC will be totally Rudderless...

Oct 8, 2015 at 9:44 AM | Registered Commenterlapogus

It wouldn't have been the done thing to do away with DECC altogether before the Paris conference, but hopefully once that shindig is over we can say goodbye to it forever.

Oct 8, 2015 at 9:56 AM | Unregistered CommenterBloke down the pub

Don't forget that the author of the article is Oliver Tickell, son of Crispin Tickell.

Oct 8, 2015 at 9:59 AM | Registered CommenterPhillip Bratby

"And let's not delude ourselves. Lord Adonis is no greenie. He supports high speed rail, airport expansion, fracking and new Thames river crossings in East London. He has nothing to say about climate change at all - he's far more worried about the fiscal climate or the economic climate than climate itself."

Oliver Tickell, The Ecologist magazine

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2985705/uks_energy_revolution_deccs_role_usurped_by_new_infrastructure_commission.html

Tickell's claim that Adonis supports off-shore wind was based on a 2012 comment. Which was about uncertainty in the energy market.

Oct 8, 2015 at 10:09 AM | Unregistered CommenterRoger Clague

Mrs. Stonyground and I did the Drax Triathlon last Sunday. Beautiful day, very still, stationary windmills could be seen in every direction. The ones in our area have been still an awful lot lately, surely the implications can't be lost on the people who see them.

Oct 8, 2015 at 10:11 AM | Unregistered CommenterStonyground

Solar energy firm goes bust:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-34472419

Despite ridiculous levels of subsidy for the use of their product, the business model still can't be made to work; I wonder why? Of course it is the fault of those nasty Tories cutting the subsidies.

I feel genuinely sorry for those that have lost their jobs. Hopefully, they will all find gainful employment in a field that is a net contributor to the economy.

Oct 8, 2015 at 10:18 AM | Unregistered CommenterSteve Jones

Given that the wind is unable to move (or sustain the motion) of a car in neutral (engine off), and the area of a car is comparable to that of wind turbine blades, it must be obvious to anyone who drives past a wind turbine that the thing is incapable even of powering a single one of the thousands of cars that drive past the thing every day.

The BBC is still pushing wind power, no dissent allowed, except to give an opportunity to the truly scary Tom Heap to accuse objectors of being NIMBYS.

Oct 8, 2015 at 10:29 AM | Unregistered CommenterMikky

A question; if the government suddenly announce that 'man made climate change was really one big con after all' (like so many of those nice people at Bishop Hill have been saying for years) then what legal action does HMG open itself up to?

On the other hand if HMG slowly but surely unwind their position at a snails pace so as to not arise suspicion of outright wrongdoing, instead implying that 'the threat has passed' and 'our previous position was always an insurance-policy application of the precautionary principle, then there's almost zero chance of any class actions. Right, wrong or whatever?

I ask as it has seems clear to me that Osborne is doing exactly the latter; slowly but surely he's unwinding the extremes of green climate policy, but without actually admitting as much.

Oct 8, 2015 at 11:03 AM | Unregistered CommenterCheshireRed

DECC is not being axed in a dramatic move. It is now relying on wind power to charge its batteries, and so will just go flat and useless, before being binned.

Oct 8, 2015 at 11:19 AM | Unregistered Commentergolf charlie

Yes, stonyground, people do notice, though often subconsciously, that the wind farms spend a lot of time doing nothing. On a car journey with the parents last year, at one point on the M1 my mother suddenly exclaimed "Oh, look at those windmills. They're turning!"

Oct 8, 2015 at 11:19 AM | Unregistered Commentermichael hart

The Labour Government always had Labour placemen to put at the top of QANGOs. The Conservative Government seems keen to find Labour placemen to put at the top of QANGOs. Thus either the Conservatives are really socialists in disguise or they are preparing for when the lights go out by being able to blame Blair/Brown/Milliband''s Labour lot, the LibDems (Huhne, Davey) and the Labour man in charge of the Infrastructure Commission. Take your pick.

Oct 8, 2015 at 11:54 AM | Registered CommenterPhillip Bratby

Red, Amber, Green.........:o)

Oct 8, 2015 at 12:11 PM | Unregistered CommenterNCC 1701E

Maybe Osborne listens to Nigel Lawson after all.

http://blogs.new.spectator.co.uk/2012/02/lawson-abolish-decc/

Oct 8, 2015 at 12:40 PM | Unregistered CommenterJamesG

Interesting situation we have now:

The new Labour leader is intent on turning his party into the Socialist worker's Party or perhaps the Trotskyites.
The Tory Leader is dragging his party into Labour territory.
Anyone know of a good Conservative leader?

Oct 8, 2015 at 12:50 PM | Registered CommenterDung

I do not believe for one minute that Cameron has moved an inch from his green position. Cameron is right at the centre of UN moves on climate change, sustainability and diversity.

Oct 8, 2015 at 12:54 PM | Registered CommenterDung

Amber Rudd, DECC's secretary in a state.

Oct 8, 2015 at 1:04 PM | Unregistered CommenterMartyn

...Unfortunately Lord Adonis seems to be enthusiastic about wind energy...

I suspect that 'Lord' Adonis will remain committed to wind energy right up to the point at which Cameron's father-in-law moves out of the industry. That is, if he wants to keep a Cabinet post....

Oct 8, 2015 at 1:15 PM | Unregistered CommenterDodgy Geezer

Dung,

So much political capital has been invested in this and so much money misspent, that it's impossible to imagine a Labour or Conservative leader saying that it's all been a big mistake and it's going to stop. Politicians are not known for fessing up anyway. Think of all the non-jobs for hangers on and the revenue streams for shysters it's created. Then there's the legislation which has been put in place, and governments are usually keen to create legislation but not great at removing it. There's also the EU aspect.

It was the hot topic ten years ago and politicians jumped on the bandwagon without understanding much about it or what the consequences would be, which anyway would probably be realised on someone else's watch.

I think it's dawning on Cameron that it was a serious mistake to commit so heavily to this, and we're seeing an edging away, which is about all which can be expected without a crisis to motivate action. There's also the fact that energy policy is necessarily long term and we've had ten years of going up a blind alley, wind energy, power stations converted to use wood pellets, STOR and other nonsense, which isn't so easy to reverse.


As for Cameron himself, I find it hard to believe he has any thought through convictions.

Oct 8, 2015 at 1:22 PM | Unregistered Commentercosmic

Oct 8, 2015 at 1:22 PM | Unregistered Commentercosmic

Your last line says it all mate:

As for Cameron himself, I find it hard to believe he has any thought through convictions.

Oct 8, 2015 at 2:30 PM | Registered CommenterDung

Subsidy fiddling will continue despite the DECCline and Fail of the Miliband Empire, that never was.

Oct 8, 2015 at 4:38 PM | Unregistered Commentergolf charlie

Isn't the energy job for Adonis to ensure that the Chinese can get to build nuclear power plants?

Oct 9, 2015 at 10:27 AM | Unregistered CommenterIt doesn't add up...

They need something to keep his other pet project going - HS2.

Oct 9, 2015 at 10:28 AM | Unregistered CommenterIt doesn't add up...

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