Power To The People

We are having a respite from the bad weather, although the experts seem to be very coy about what might be come yet.  It is four weeks to the onset of spring.  Here in the UK usually this means another lurch into atrocious weather of one kind or another.  We shall see.

Early last Autumn it seems that the Met' Office in its confidential advice sent to the Environment Agency and subscribing local authorities etc. suggested that it would be a dry winter with less than average rainfall.

In weather speak that seemed to me to indicate long blocking highs with bitter cold, fog and maybe the occasional dose of nuisance snow falls.  What then was the worry was that if it went on long enough and was very cold there could be energy supply issues.

Happily on this score the rain and wind although chilly knocked out the power to a vast number of homes which helped to avoid this problem emerging.  As a blogger I can assert this was due to a conspiracy among highly placed people to make sacrifices of benefit seekers to the ancient gods of milder wet weather.

It is one explanation and arguably more rational than many in the media at present.  But the energy problem is still with us and is not going to go away.  This is the backdrop to an article in "Naked Capitalism" by Yves Smith "Will The Us Follow The UK Into  Power Shortages" which is very pessimistic telling us that it is not looking good.  In fact the word "catastrophe" is used.

Unless something nasty does happen which distracts the media and others from their current obsessions; given what might be going on in the next couple of years politically will mean that energy policy, the difficult decisions and the vital work all go on the back burner.

If one goes into the realms of fantasy, it could mean that when the HS2 is finally built, probably at around £150 billion at least, it might have to run at thirty miles an hour because of the electrical supply limitations.  Football matches may all have to be played earlier in the day because there are no floodlights.

And there will be no need to worry about the story lines in all the TV Soaps because nobody can watch.  Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man happier, wealthier and wise.