Now Prescott plans to send in the 'energy police' to make us
Discussion
Even allowing for journalistic exaggeration, this is alarming. It probably won't happen, because the govenment wouldn't dare, but it is illustrative of the way tehy think: like totalitarian regimes, they don't have confidence that they can persuade people that a policy is appropriate, so they use indoctrination and force.[quote=Sunday Telegraph]Energy wardens' will police homes and offices to ensure that they do not waste gas and electricity under a radical plan being considered by John Prescott.
An extraordinary blueprint being studied by the Deputy Prime Minister suggests conserving energy by monitoring the habits of home owners in the same way that air raid wardens made people turn off their lights during the Blitz.
Householders will also be forced to conduct an "annual energy audit" of their homes, defending the amount of fuel they have consumed.
The spectre of a force of "green police" is painted in a study warning that Britain risks catastrophe if it remains dependent on Middle East oil and urging a rapid shift to renewable energy and conservation.
The paper, entitled Britain's Energy Future, Securing the Home Front, by the former Labour minister Stephen Twigg and the Foreign Policy Centre, compares a future energy crisis to the Second World War aerial bombardment. It says: "The stakes are as high and the solution will be found only when UK citizens and corporate entities (government included) start acting as if the stakes are that high."
"The mentality at community and householder level must be similar to that of the war years or Britain will have no energy future."
The study paints a doomsday scenario of Islamic extremists controlling the world's oil supplies. Britain must prepare for an "inevitable shock to energy supply in coming years", it says.
It cites a study by the US Brookings Institution soon after the 9/11 attacks pointing to "devastating economic problems" in a "worst-case scenario" where extremists in all Arab Muslim nations have cut production. Oil prices would more than double to $161 a barrel.
The "khaki cost" of defending the world's oil supplies would be $150 billion a year. "Without wishing to scaremonger... rapidly decreasing our dependency on oil and gas imports is a national imperative," the study says.
It calls for a range of action at grassroots level for Britain to "secure its home front".
The heart of the plan is to expand an existing practice in some companies and public bodies, including the Corporation of London, which appoint "energy wardens" to audit their consumption. The study predicts: "The need for households and small firms to conduct an annual energy audit will become a new part of 21st-century life."
The study reflects growing concern in the Government at Britain's failure to meet EU energy targets. Less than four per cent of the UK's electricity supply comes from renewable sources. The Government has set the target of reaching 10 per cent by 2010, and 20 per cent by 2020.
Ministerial drives to conserve energy have been fraught with difficulties. Last year the then Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt's department was pictured with its lights blazing all night after she announced a drive to encourage householders to save £1 billion a year by switching off theirs.
The latest scheme reflects a growing belief that energy targets can be met only by punitive measures. Earlier this year householders were warned that they faced a £1,000 fine for failing to recycle rubbish. [/quote]
An extraordinary blueprint being studied by the Deputy Prime Minister suggests conserving energy by monitoring the habits of home owners in the same way that air raid wardens made people turn off their lights during the Blitz.
Householders will also be forced to conduct an "annual energy audit" of their homes, defending the amount of fuel they have consumed.
The spectre of a force of "green police" is painted in a study warning that Britain risks catastrophe if it remains dependent on Middle East oil and urging a rapid shift to renewable energy and conservation.
The paper, entitled Britain's Energy Future, Securing the Home Front, by the former Labour minister Stephen Twigg and the Foreign Policy Centre, compares a future energy crisis to the Second World War aerial bombardment. It says: "The stakes are as high and the solution will be found only when UK citizens and corporate entities (government included) start acting as if the stakes are that high."
"The mentality at community and householder level must be similar to that of the war years or Britain will have no energy future."
The study paints a doomsday scenario of Islamic extremists controlling the world's oil supplies. Britain must prepare for an "inevitable shock to energy supply in coming years", it says.
It cites a study by the US Brookings Institution soon after the 9/11 attacks pointing to "devastating economic problems" in a "worst-case scenario" where extremists in all Arab Muslim nations have cut production. Oil prices would more than double to $161 a barrel.
The "khaki cost" of defending the world's oil supplies would be $150 billion a year. "Without wishing to scaremonger... rapidly decreasing our dependency on oil and gas imports is a national imperative," the study says.
It calls for a range of action at grassroots level for Britain to "secure its home front".
The heart of the plan is to expand an existing practice in some companies and public bodies, including the Corporation of London, which appoint "energy wardens" to audit their consumption. The study predicts: "The need for households and small firms to conduct an annual energy audit will become a new part of 21st-century life."
The study reflects growing concern in the Government at Britain's failure to meet EU energy targets. Less than four per cent of the UK's electricity supply comes from renewable sources. The Government has set the target of reaching 10 per cent by 2010, and 20 per cent by 2020.
Ministerial drives to conserve energy have been fraught with difficulties. Last year the then Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt's department was pictured with its lights blazing all night after she announced a drive to encourage householders to save £1 billion a year by switching off theirs.
The latest scheme reflects a growing belief that energy targets can be met only by punitive measures. Earlier this year householders were warned that they faced a £1,000 fine for failing to recycle rubbish. [/quote]
Kyoto is as good as dead and this is Prezza the Hutt barking at the moon in anguish. The UK is still planning to meet its meaningless targets even if that means jackboot tactics imposed on the population. The whole bunch of nu labia stlyee green energy freaks are mad as hatters, idiots albeit intellignet idiots so you can't win an argument with them - except for Five Chins Four Blades Three Jags Two Jabs himself of course, who's just an idiot who loses arguments with himself every time he speaks in the Commons. The worrying thing is there are people who still vote for them, on here too. Can't fathom it.
Zod said:
The study paints a doomsday scenario of Islamic extremists controlling the world's oil supplies. Britain must prepare for an "inevitable shock to energy supply in coming years", it says.
Which is prescisely why we should go and nick it all now. Yet if we try, the very lefties who like fining everybody else start bleating. So - do we grab oil, or simply keep fining ourselves?
Seems to me that if you don't have any money, you can do what the heck you like because the Govt's only weapon is FINES, and if you don't have any CASH to give to Gordy, they're a bit buggered as to how to punish unruly citizens who don't jump through hoops on command.
monkeyhanger said:
richardlw said:
How can this country ever be reliant on the middle east oil producers when we have so much coal??????????????????
8 pits Richard, to be precise.......
Remind me, who closed the rest ?
Er why um! it wer' that ther' Thatcher Fella won't it?............
I seem to remember out man of many chins making biggest show of catching a bus or walking to a tube station - whatever.... and his Jag followed him! And picked him up at other end.
His excuse - something to do with carrying his papers.
Perhaps we should see his household energy bills und fuel bill for all those Jags too
I also bet he did not use the stairs when he booked that penthouse luxury suite for himself at the Carlton either. Bet that lift used lot of electricity puffing its way up und down too...during his stay
Perhaps he should engage his one brain cell before he speaks
His excuse - something to do with carrying his papers.
Perhaps we should see his household energy bills und fuel bill for all those Jags too
I also bet he did not use the stairs when he booked that penthouse luxury suite for himself at the Carlton either. Bet that lift used lot of electricity puffing its way up und down too...during his stay
Perhaps he should engage his one brain cell before he speaks
Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff