Dave S
There are not many people in the Highlands as it is. Inverness-shire pop 67,733 (Inverness itself 46,870), population of Corby Northamptonshire 62,400.
Didn't Alexander Peden (1626 – 1686) say the time would soon come when a man could walk for a day and not see a smoking chimney nor hear a crowing cock. No sign of much re-population yet, and that day's walk is still there.

Ahead of Dieter Helm's review, the BBC and its mates are ramping up the propaganda:

Households 'need help to get warmer home'
By Roger Harrabin

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-41167853

It includes gems like this, quoted without question (one might almost say with approval):

"Nick Eyre, Professor of Energy Policy at Oxford, said: “The ‘Green Crap’ reduced energy bills. Until that’s understood and acknowledged we’re not going to make any progress on this agenda.”"

I have no wish to say anything derogatory about Professor Eyre, who is clearly a very intelligent chap, but I think he should have been challenged by Harrabin to justify what seems to me to be an extraordinary statement (the sort of statement which, had the BBC disapproved of it, they would no doubt have described as "controversial").

You can find out about Professor Eyre and assess his interests here:

http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/people/neyre.html

His external appointments are listed as follows:

2010 - 2015: UK Green Energy Supply Certification Scheme Panel member

2010 - 2014: Lead Author: 'Buildings' Working Group III, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 5th Assessment Report

2011 - (ongoing): Member, Ofgem Sustainable Development Advisory Group

2012 - (ongoing): Member, Energy Policy Panel, Institution of Engineering & Technology

2012 - (ongoing): Member, University of Oxford Sustainability Steering Group

2013 - (ongoing): Ambassador, European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

2013 - (ongoing): Advisory Group for the EPSRC Centre on The Dynamics of Energy, Mobility and Demand (DEMAND). Chair, 2015

2013-2014: Member, Ofgem Capacity Assessment Academic Advisory Group

2014 - (ongoing): Editorial Board, Energy Efficiency

2014 - (ongoing): Executive Committee member, European Energy Research Alliance

2015 - (ongoing): Advisory Group for the EPSRC Centre on Energy Epidemiology.

2015 - (ongoing): Steering group, Low Carbon Oxford

I feel that he is therefore likely to have a particular view on "green crap" which, in the interests of balance, might have suggested that the BBC should seek the views of someone equally eminent who holds different views. Needless to say they didn't.

Amusingly, the BBC also has a piece in its business section:

"The English wine makers taking on the Europeans"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-41087458

It contains this gem:

"The English climate also limits production mainly to the south of England, although rather perversely, things could improve in that respect because of global warming."

Note those words - "rather perversely". Why perversely? Because in BBC-land, "global warming" and "climate change" are catastrophic, and they find it astonishing to be told that any good can come of it.

Ezra's back in the news.

Why demonize The Rebel for daring to criticize 'political Islam'?