Tuesday 4 June 2013

Scraping The Green Barrel

Tim Yeo - he of the multifarious vested interests in promoting investment in 'renewable' energy sources - is going against the Coalition line and advancing a new, ultra-low, 'legally binding' fantasy-target for CO2 emissions.  It will be interesting to see how the voting pans out when he moves his amendment to the Energy Bill, because of course if Labour goes for it, not many breakaway Tories & LibDems are needed.

He really is pulling out all the stops.  For starters, he is honest enough to mention his primary consideration:
"It’s an important amendment because it will reassure investors"
Then, we read him claiming that the lights will go out unless his target is introduced ! 
"There will be a hiatus among investors", said Mr Yeo. "The result of that in the short term is to make the risk of power cuts much greater"
We could amuse ourselves trying to rationalise this sophistry; but one gets quickly distracted by loud barrel-scraping sounds as he dredges up still more fatuous arguments - like this:
"If parliament fails to set the electricity system on a low carbon pathway by 2030 ... the anticipated carbon benefits of HS2 would evaporate"
Not to mention HS2 grinding to a halt when the power-cuts hit !  What other cherished coalition policies will also fail if he doesn't get his windfall amendment?  Let us help Mr Yeo by spelling out a few more of the disastrous consequences:  
  • It will cause the lights to flicker in the offices of bankers around the country, placing more obstacles in the way of SMEs seeking loans
  • Ditto in the offices of MI5 and GCHQ, making it harder for Teresa May to snoop on terrorists using Facebook for evil purposes (that's evil terrorists of course, not evil Teresa) 
  • It will be yet another injustice to gays, who only want to use the same electricity as the rest of us  
I'm bound to have missed something out here, but the point is made.  Support Yeo's amendment - or we're all going to hell in a hand-basket !

ND

UPDATE: Bid to include target to decarbonise the UK's electricity generation by 2030 is voted down by 290 votes to 267.  Go Yeo !

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

They hunt in packs you know.

This is an Early Day motion signed by Yeo last year.

http://www.edms.org.uk/2012-13/406.htm

It "welcomes the commitment in Budget 2011 to act to incentivise take-up of the Green Deal".

His fellow signatories include Caroline Lucas, Glenda Jackson, George Galloway, Mike Hancock, Frank Dobson, Denis MacShane, Valerie Vaz, Margaret Hodge etc. Honest to a wo/man in suggesting taking out a 25 year loan @ 7% p.a.

Government mis selling on an industrial scale led by the usual idiot Barker. But I suppose they need something to improve the profits of the nationalised banks.

Anonymous said...

And in recognising the mis selling, Barker is seeking to limit any claims by claiming he is working for "hard-working families"

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201314/cmhansrd/cm130603/debtext/130603-0004.htm#130603-0004.htm_spmin0

The guy shouldn't be in charge of a light switch never mind a major energy policy.

Blue Eyes said...

How much can the deficit be reduced by by issuing shale gas licences?

Anonymous said...

@ "gays, who only want to use the same electricity as the rest of us"

I thought some of them liked using candles.

Demetrius said...

Schlock horror! Will it affect the action replays in football matches! The utter barminess of Yeo and his like will destroy the economy faster than a Brown Clegg coalition.

andrew said...

In other news, the US President starts moves to reduce the impact of Software patents (basically there was/is a real danger that innovation would happen in more 'ip-liberal' countries and start to bypass America).
In this country the govt is lukewarm on Shale at best and v. keen on windfarms and other DeLoreans.

assurance auto said...

wonderful to read that ""
It will cause the lights to flicker in the offices of bankers around the country, placing more obstacles in the way of SMEs seeking loans
Ditto in the offices of MI5 and GCHQ, making it harder for Teresa May to snoop on terrorists using Facebook for evil purposes (that's evil terrorists of course, not evil Teresa)
It will be yet another injustice to gays, who only want to use the same electricity as the rest of us
""

Agence communication said...

i find this topic very interesting ... so thanks so much for sharing it with us """ Tim Yeo - he of the multifarious vested interests in promoting investment in 'renewable' energy sources - is going against the Coalition line and advancing a new, ultra-low, 'legally binding' fantasy-target for CO2 emissions. It will be interesting to see how the voting pans out when he moves his amendment to the Energy Bill, because of course if Labour goes for it, not many breakaway Tories & LibDems are needed.""