The deal.

Whilst I think that the Con/Lib agreement has some merit. I think that this part really should be put on hold, or preferably consigned to the dustbin.

 

The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambitions for a low carbon and eco-friendly economy, including:

• The establishment of a smart grid and the roll-out of smart meters.
• (Another snooping device)
• The full establishment of feed-in tariff systems in electricity – as well as the maintenance of banded ROCs.
• (Will be heavily subsidised)
• Measures to promote a huge increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion.
• (Fair enough, but who's going to build them and where?)
• The creation of a green investment bank.
• (More scope for troughing. Remember those carbon credits?)
• The provision of home energy improvement paid for by the savings from lower energy bills.
• (How mamy years does it take to recoup that?)
• Retention of energy performance certificates while scrapping HIPs.
• When I asked my EPC assessor about coefficients of heat transfer he looked at me as if I was a swivel eyed loon from the planet Zog)
• Measures to encourage marine energy.
• (Vastly expensive to construct and maintain)
• The establishment of an emissions performance standard that will prevent coal-fired power stations being built unless they are equipped with sufficient CCS to meet the emissions performance standard.
• (Expect the lights to start going our by 2015)
• The establishment of a high-speed rail network.
• (Why do we need that?)
• The cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow.
• (All the future revenue will go to Europe)
• The refusal of additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted.
• (Ditto)
• The replacement of the Air Passenger Duty with a per flight duty.
• (Both are iniquitous general taxation)
• The provision of a floor price for carbon, as well as efforts to persuade the EU to move towards full auctioning of ETS permits.
• (Mmm. Must try to jump on this gravy train)
• Measures to make the import or possession of illegal timber a criminal offence.
• (Difficult to enforce unless trees have "Legal" all through them like Brighton rock)
• Measures to promote green spaces and wildlife corridors in order to halt the loss of habitats and restore biodiversity.
• (Ah. One to appease the treehuggers)
• Mandating a national recharging network for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
• (You may need to build some more of those coal fired power stations to satisfy the demand)
• Continuation of the present Government’s proposals for public sector investment in CCS technology for four coal-fired power stations; and a specific commitment to reduce central government carbon emissions by 10 per cent within 12 months.
• (And I thought that we were broke)
• We are agreed that we would seek to increase the target for energy from renewable sources, subject to the advice of the Climate Change Committee.
• (You could save money and hot air by not having the committee in the first place)

Liberal Democrats have long opposed any new nuclear construction. Conservatives, by contrast, are committed to allowing the replacement of existing nuclear power stations provided they are subject to the normal planning process for major projects (under a new national planning statement) and provided also that they receive no public subsidy.
We have agreed a process that will allow Liberal Democrats to maintain their opposition to nuclear power while permitting the government to bring forward the national planning statement for ratification by Parliament so that new nuclear construction becomes possible.
This process will involve:

• the government completing the drafting of a national planning statement and putting it before Parliament;
• Specific agreement that a Liberal Democrat spokesman will speak against the planning statement, but that Liberal Democrat MPs will abstain; and
• clarity that this will not be regarded as an issue of confidence

 

Any way what do I know? I'm just an Engineer