Cameron “fiddling at the margin on green levies”, says UKIP
David Cameron plans to mitigate energy bills, and to counter Labour’s price freeze initiative, by cutting green levies and fostering competition. But UKIP Energy Spokesman Roger Helmer MEP describes the Prime Minister’s proposal as “fiddling at the margin”. He particularly criticises Cameron’s statement that “there is nothing we can do about wholesale prices”.
UKIP point out that we could do a great deal about wholesale prices. Because of the government’s green obsession, and because of EU rules from Brussels, the UK has turned its back on competitively-priced coal, and turned instead to expensive imported gas from Russia and elsewhere. As a result of the EU’s Large Combustion Plant Directive, we have been closing perfectly good coal-fired power stations, which delivered reliable and affordable energy, and relying on gas and intermittent renewables instead. Meantime Germany is building or refurbishing a couple of dozen new coal-fired power stations, and taking advantage of cheap American coal, which has become available as America switches from coal to shale gas.
The Prime Minister has talked a good story on indigenous British shale gas, which could potentially transform Britain’s energy situation, but has failed to deliver the necessary leadership to allay public concern and to counter the black propaganda from Green NGOs (many of which are funded with taxpayers’ money through the European Commission). He should be taking urgent action to facilitate exploratory drilling.
UKIP argues that we are wasting many billions of pounds on green infrastructure — wind turbines, solar panels and grid adaptations to accommodate distributed generation. We are wasting money on expensive imported fuels and ignoring cheaper alternatives. The government is downright dishonest in blaming power companies and wholesale prices when their own policies are doing the damage, says Helmer. UKIP advocates an energy policy based on coal, gas and nuclear, and calls for the careful and environmentally responsible exploitation of domestic shale gas opportunities.
Roger Helmer MEP 
What can Cameron, or anyone else not making money from the “green nightmares” possibly see in the scam and delusions?
Who was it fiddled while the nation burned?
Science Confirmed: Carbon Dioxide & Water Vapor Cool Earth’s Atmosphere
Roger while I am in total agreement with the points you make in this post, it does appear that you have ignored the fact that à large proportion of the wholesale cosy of energy in the UK is controlled by à virtual cartel operated by the big six players in the UK energy market who not only sell the end product to us consumers but also generate the electricity which they then sell to themselves at undisclosed prices.
Effectively reducing the consumer to à similar status to that of à 19th century worker who was forced to buy every thing they messes from the company shop.
The fundamental question, Leosco, is this: Are these companies making excessive profits? The answer is No (and given that they are heavily regulated, that should come as no surprise). The second question is: Are they making ENOUGH profit to justify future investment? The answer is: Let’s hope so!
I can only assume that our top politicians of both major parties ( joined now by the once `no chance` liberal democrats) are either giving the big companies an easy ride so as to get a position on their boards when their political career ends, or, treacherously selling us out to the EU by carrying out edicts to the letter, so as to be given well paid `non jobs` such as the ones given to T Blair and his henchmen, plus other so called socialists, just like the French vichy government during WWII. They will fight against anything which will upset the EU troughmen, anything such as shale gas and coal fired stations which would help to make us more self sufficient. At some future date the European Union will become the German Empire and we will be crushed financially and by overcrowding thanks to the EU. Paid back for resisting in 1939 without a shot fired. The only thing missing then was the third column which we have today.
There is no point in pretending that anyone in this country has any influence whatsoever on energy prices ,after privatisation the energy companies where quickly sold off to foreign government owned corporations, EDF being the largest, in a kind of backdoor EURO nationalisation .
Do you imagine for one moment that the French or Germans would allow their major utilities to be in foreign hands .
Dick R
What you say is true but very much only up to a point.
Cameron, Clegg and Miliband (not to mention Salmond & Lucas) DO have influence on energy prices as they could (but certainly won’t) repeal the Climate Change Act 2008, a piece of legislative lunacy (for which Miliband and Brown were responsible) that is unique in the World.
Things would be bad enough with just the EU directives and regulations. But the Climate Change Act presents itself as the apotheosis of incompetence, dogma, greed and malice.
Those responsible for it should be locked in the Tower for treason. Those who supported it (all but 5 Tory MPs) should be barred from any public office.
But Dick: My whole point is that we CAN change energy prices, by scrapping renewables and going for lower-cost fossil fuels like coal and shale gas. It’s not rocket science. We have the choices in front of us,. but our government declines to make them.
Sorry I should have said Fifth Column!
I would have said that “the large majority of every electricity bill is political not engineering or business cost and UKIP believe that by allowing a free market bills can be massively reduced” & “the fact that the new Hinkley Point is costing nearly 4 times more than a similar, Euriopean built project in China shows the degree of political regulatory parasitism, or as Mr Cameron puts it “green crap” we are being loaded down with” & “there is a very close correlation between energy use and gdp – thus recession can clearly be blamed entirely on the political decisions of Labour, Conservatives and Lib Dems to make energy more expensive, rarer & less reliable”.
But then I do tend to go OTT in the cause of justice.
Reblogged this on Cornwall Wind Watch.
Roger, you can say all this, but only because UKIP has the great luxury of being able to make all these ideological plans/promises as it has no chance of being elected into government and thus having to deal with real issues in a practical manner. Further I believe that it was your heroine, and fellow libertarian, Margaret Thatcher, who initiated the “dash for gas” in order to capitalise on home produced fuel from the North Sea. We wasted that and now have to import from other less desirable places.
I cannot bring myself to agree with UKIP, on most things because there are too many fundamental differences between us, but I can agree on UKIP’s support for nuclear and I give a lukewarm welcome to the potential exploitation of shale gas, provided it is done in an environmentally sustainable way. However the long term planning must be for a combination of renewables (including nuclear) and an overall reduction in the amount of power consumed, both in the UK and elsewhere. Currently too much energy is wasted in modern society, (offices left lit all night when there is no-one there and unnecessary street lighting for example) and there is a good argument for amending the basis of charging for energy consumed by domestic customers. The first few units of energy consumed should be at a cheap price, with tariffs rising as more energy is consumed. That would encourage the consumer to minimise their energy usage.
Presumably you are saying this purely because you, though not your paymasters, have “the great luxury of being able to make all these ideological plans/promises (without) having to deal with real issues in a practical manner”.
The fact is that there is no genuine energy shortage and at least 90% of electricity bills are ecofascist parasitism. The 31,000 excess deaths are largely the deliberate policy of those whose duty it is to “deal with real issues in a practical manner” but resolutely refuse to do so,
Babble, I am afraid. You, sir, do your paymasters a disservice.
No, Catalanbrian. Nuclear may be low-carbon, but it is not in any real sense a renewable. We don’t want renewables in the mix (other than say hydro) because they add cost without adding significant net production, when the inefficiency of the back-up is accounted for.
In my contrarian way, Roger, I am going to disagree. Including uranium from seawater, we have enough to have renewed nuclear power for 5 billion years, by which time the Sun will have devoured the Earth. Can’t get much more renewable than that. In comparison with other renewables it is, at least, 10s of thousands of times better so the comparison should be made.
What nuclear isn’t is an “alternative” power source since “alternative” by definition, means “not economically sane or utilities would long ago be doing it”. Thus shale went from being a non-existent source to a conventional one without passing through “alternative”.
We can debate the precise definition of ‘renewable’ (more correctly described as ‘ruinable’.) and whether nuclear is, or isn’t. It certainly isn’t considered to be renewable (but neither is large scale hydro, because the greenies hate that too.
But nuclear works. Compared to any ruinable technology it is also reliable and (if not cheap) a hell of a lot cheaper than wind. It even produces less CO2 than coal or gas, if you happen to believe the fashionable fairy story that CO2 is a problem.
In fact it is very largely beneficial.
Wish we could find a way to create an energy ‘Mutual’. I don’t mind business at all but not in strategic assets like power generation. it isn’t too late to change direction.
Ages ago at school, I studied the last years of the ancient regime in France. I noticed Necker fudging the figures and puzzled how he got away with it. I noted the court carrying on with their shepherdess balls and their out of touch parties. Even when the Bastille was taken – or rather allowed to fall – the government still didn’t wake up. It all ended in a bloodbath. Then Napoleon brought in terrible wars.
I feel very much the same today. Go on Conservative Home or even worse Labour List or Left Foot Forward and get the impression that everything is more or less lovely. More give aways, more moaning about “rights” and “entitlements”. Nothing about immigration of the Roma. Nothing about the Welfare Reforms that are desperately needed. Nothing about the coming energy crisis that will solve the problem. Nothing about the unification of Europe under M. Barroso. Nothing really about the break up of my country into two parts. Nothing about the rigging of the coming election with postal votes and unfair boundaries. Above all, nothing about the same problem that brought the ancient regime to its end – the crushing burden of debt and taxation.
The people who write on the comments section of blogs are getting stroppy now. This is a new phenomenon. I should have said we are in about 1780.
Excellent article which points out the true position. Unfortunately the “big 3” political parties are all so wedded to CO2 reduction policies that they will ignore it.