In the dark

[emmie]

this doesn't bode well

http://news.sky.com/s...wer-shortages-by-2015

[emmie]

ben, so when the lights go out, some might take the opportunity of a little light looting, hospital patients could well be in lots of trouble, those seriously ill won't make it. You won't get much to eat as the shops will be shut, no electricity to power factories, hospitals, schools, government offices, so what next. That may seem like scaremongering to some, sadly i have seen how this works, if only in a small way when we worked three day weeks and power was off for part of that time.

[emmie]

pdq, the fact is that whatever industry it needs investment, renationalising these industries is not the answer. You need massive finances to keep everything going, where do you get that money from?

[seadogg]

Can recall the power cuts in the period after WW2 and the coal shortages. We took to the woods with saws. Problem now is that society has reached a level of sophistication and power dependency unknown to most in those days.

Is it possible that we shall defy the European directives and keep our coal fired power stations for longer even though we have to import coal thanks to the decline of our coalfields.

[emmie]

as JTP says that the people who supply us with gas can quite literally pull the plug whenever they wish, we shouldn't be so dependent on outside sources for our energy supplies, nuclear would be the way to go, why has this stalled.

[emmie]

doesn't look like me, but very similar environment,

http://www.guardian.c...16/past-conservatives

[LazyGun]

The concern I have with the whole privatisation of the energy supply is simply the worry that energy companies are willing to put their bonuses, their salaries, and their profits to the shareholders ahead of the good of the consumer.

Unless you have a strong regulatory environment, one that plans for future energy provision, there will always be a risk that power supplies are at risk.I do not think OfGem has been particularly strong or effective in this regard.

With respect to Nuclear - I personally would favour an expansion of such facilities, but it would seem that public opinion has always been negative, and no government has been successful in making the public case. Add to that the expensive and frankly scandalous fiasco over the MOX facility at Sellafield and confidence is further eroded.

Might have to start planting out those toy windmills in the garden ;)

[B00]

Im sure this won't be the escuse they need to increase our already ascending bills ;-)

[boxtops]

i remember the 3-day week, too, em, and sitting at home with the living room lit by fairy lights from a car battery, in the cold.

[emmie]

i don't fancy going back to those days, it wasn't a good time, and seemed to go on forever.

[emmie]

we worked by candlelight when it got dark, something health and safety would have a fit over now.