So the sponeless and spiteful government is about to give permission for 500 million barrels of oil to be extracted from the Rosebank Oilfield in the North Sea, Thus we can see how the oil companies control our government. Ignore the welfare of our children and grandchildren and the planet – profit is more important. They will conjure up the same old story of energy security needs. What we desperately need is reduced consumption, not just of oil but across the board. Any manufactire of single use plastic should be taxed. VAT on premium long lasting products should be cut – thus bringing them into the price range of poorer members of society. Products should be made to last.
ENERGY
Government reveals true colours on energy. i.e. It will do nothing other than set meaningless targets as it knows it is unlikely to be in power for much longer. Unproven carbon storage (but backed by oil companies) and hydrogen (ditto) are promoted as are small scale nuclear (whatever that means!). Onshore wind farms are not given the go ahead, no thought given to increasing National Grid capacity and farming was completely ignored. Nothing about reduced consumption or efficiencies. No Vision, No Plan, No Hope.
Around about 1970 there was a design shop in central London promoting the best of British Design, on TV we had “Tomorrows World”. Now we have nothing – zilch.
Government should be fasciltating innovation, encouraging investment via tax breaks (with a 10% stake in the company belonging to the nation, and providing seed funding (with larger stakes belonging to the nation).
An Idea – why not make motorways lorry only between 0100 and 0500 – sorry lorry drivers – but they could have quicker journeys and thus shorter working hours. They could use all 3 lanes (where available) and it would cut journey times of cars during the rest of the day. Car owners who do not like it could catch a train? Ot could be trialed on main motorways first like M1,2,3,4,5,6, 25 and A1(M).
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
A recent report regarding the deep sea mining of essential minerals will play havoc with the marine ecosystem. Electric cars and wind turbines and computers need these minerals. The petrochemical companies must welcome this report as it diverts attention from what they have done to the atmosphere. Agrochemical/agriindustrial companies are doing the same to. our land. Does the human beings captacious greed and stupidity know no bounds?
CLIMATE CHANGE – we need action now, not appeasement.
The media will be awash with Johnson and Partygate. In the real world climate change seems to be accelerating. Governments are idle. Macron – raising retirement age to 64 will not stop the sea level rise. Sunak – stop giving the rich more money and tax their planes out of existence. Biden – halt the oil drilling.
COTON ORCHARD
1000 fruit trees to be cut down by Cambridgeshire CC for a new road – madness. Road to cost £160 million – just ban cars from the city and use existing roads just for buses and bikes and pedestrians.
WILD ISLES
BBC censor national treasure Sir David Attenborough’s latest series. The Telegraph complains about partial sponsorship by WWF and RSPB (2 charities previously criticised for their political lobbying), and the BBC has pulled the episode which themes the destruction of nature because of a fear of a backlash from Right Wing Politicans and the RW Press. BBC is also cancellinng Autumn watch. How dare they question the integrity of Sir David Attenborough to pander to the ERG!
Is this the end, or the begining of the end, of free speech in this country. Gary Lineker was 100% correct but was criticised in Parliament andd by a Shadow Minister from Labour. What does Labour stand for? Yes people care about the economy and prices – but deep down we are, or were, proud of our democracy and freedoms.
On last nights “The last leg” the presenter read out a vile message he had just received on social media – the government and its lies and cruel rhetoric emboldens these morons!
UN TREATY TO PROTECT THE HIGH SEAS
After long debates over a decade a treaty has been agreed – it needs something like 60 signatures before it becomes international law (I think I read?). The so called 30/30 policy to conserve 30% of the Oceans by 2030 is politicans playing the numbers game! I guess that 70% of the worlds oceans could be put into a conservation zone with no benefit to the ecosystem. With it being estimated that the weight of plastic in the ocean will exceed the weight of fish by 2030. It is time to act to save our planet.
TOMATOES
Why they are being rationed. 1. Coldweather in Morocco and Spain. 2. War in Ukraine hiked fuel costs for growing in the UK and Netherlands. 3. Government has been warned about supply chain issues and refused to do anythingto help home grown produce. 4. BREXIT – plentiful sipplies across EU (and Ukraine) but wholesalers find it so simple to sell their produce across the EU. 5. Related to. Brexit – labour costs and shortages.
I am sure prices have risen in the EU but not to the ridiculous level here. But we have a government that puts ideology before practicality. Perhaps giving tax breaks for farmers to invest in solar panels on their greenhouses , or barns might be better, and wind turbines. We certainly need to grow more in this country to alleviate inevitable climate hiccups. We also need to lower housing costs to enable sustainable food costs.
Turnip face Coffrey has no clue. Her only mantra is the free market – an excuse for doing absolutely nothing and blame others when things go wrong.
I am getting ready to plant tomatoes and hope a bumper crop will allow me to dry more. Seasonal produce from Europe makes sense too. I make strawberry jam in the summer to consume in winter.. It makes sense to be sensible about eating in season and local. i love mango and pineapple and olives and apricots and papaya. So a mix of frozen, preserved and imported should give a healthy diet. And whilst I have cut down on meat – we should be sensible about this too!
COFFREY IN USA
Over there trying to get a trade deal, any deal will do, to bolster the flagging morale of Brexiteers. She announced that she will not go vegetarian or vegan. Silly woman. We all need to reduce meat consumption for the sake of the environment. American chlorinated meat will be on our shelves soon (undercutting British farmers with more sustainable farming methods). North Carolina has the UK as the biggest market for sweet potatoes – I get mine from Spain with a much lower carbon footprint.
Elsewhere in the USA the rail accident in East Palestine, Idaho is at last making the news in the UK, 2 weeks later. The train company did not attend a public meeting due to concerns over the safety of their employees if they attended. This is the lawless USA nowadays! Norfolk Southern Corporation, the train operator, has made massive profits and has a history of cost cutting. There were 150 carriages on the train which seems a bit excessive? Presumably more than one engine was used – probably many, and I bet they were minimally crewed!
WIND TURBINES
A deprived area of Bristol (Lawrence Weston) will soon have a huge wind turbine which should generate approx £100.000 a year to the local community. The community raised the cost and got some grants to help. The question is – why is this not happening everywhere? Energy company profits (generated solely in the UK) would pay for thousands of such schemes. The big companies and National Grid will not allow this to happen as it would stop their mega profits. It would not be practical everywhere, but community run schemes could cut our dependancy on fossil fuels rapidly, and cut energy bills too.