President Tony grasps the nuclear nettle

Tony Blair addressing CBI Conference 29^th November 2005-11-22

"I can today announce that we have established a review of the UK's progress against the medium and long-term Energy White Paper goals. The Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks will be in the lead, with the aim of publishing a policy statement on energy in the early summer of 2006. It will include specifically the issue of whether we facilitate the development of a new generation of nuclear power stations."

The first time Tony publicly discussed the issue of nuclear power was on January 30^th 2005 ( almost exactly 10 months and an election away) see MediaLens here and Manchester Evening News here – from someone adept at providing Tony Blair with clear, precise, accurate information on Government Policy.

In a subsequent private discussion, Blair made it quite clear not only that UK based nuclear power was the only option available, his only concern in supporting the policy was the presentational aspect – he typically, and incorrectly assumed the questioner was in some way representing the interests of the nuclear power industry.

The UK Government is now set to endorse the installation of new nuclear power stations by mid 2006 – with the use of public fnds if necessary – after all lottery money has been awarded to wind farms, biofuel plant and the Duke of Buccleughs imortation of Austrian wood chip burning boilers – why not nuclear power plants ?

Wicks and Johnson sent in to bat for the Government on the BBC Today prgram clearly haven't got a fucking clue about the issues involved - Prezz T will just ride ( as ever) roughshod over the lot).

Once the impact of the real, raw figures and their geo-political impact and economic consequences hit the PLP there will be a Transformation scene which will make this years panto look slow.

Perhaps those shares in British Energy, in December 2003 when they stood @ 5p weren't such a bad investment after all.

I now discover Rupe's Rag the "Times" used the phrase nuclear nettle for their leader this am. Cheap alliteration on their part, clear simple, readily understood metaphor on my part.