The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Nowhere is this more true than in the naive British political approach to UK electricity supply and generation.
For more than 10 years, the political parties have vied with each other in their plans to save the planet by the application of green solutions, regardless of either engineering practicability or cost to taxpayers and energy consumers. All this because the UK contributes around 2% of global carbon dioxide.
They are abetted by the European Union, which with its Large Combustion Plant Directive requiring the British Government to shut down a large tranche of coal-fired power stations. This must be resisted completely and immediately. Otherwise it will combine with the looming gap between electricity demand and supply caused by the UK government’s former opposition to nuclear power and its routine replacement. The Scottish Government has not helped. A total electricity black-out of Britain is in prospect.
This has been made possible, first, by the previous Conservative government privatising electricity and replacing centralised engineering planning with short-term market forces and, secondly, by New Labour continuing the policy.
To continue on these lines cannot save the planet, but will certainly destroy the United Kingdom, and within a short time.
