Had Labour done it, the Tories would be screaming bloody murder. I am, of course, talking about the deal with the Chinese to build two nuclear power stations. If the Tories really were standing up for Britain, from a national security perspective it beggars belief that key national infrastructure be handed over to a power […]
Posts Tagged ‘Nuclear power’
Is Hinkley C the turning point against nuclear power in Britain?
Jan 24th, 2015 by Michael Meacher.Despite the government’s constant assertion that funding is impossibly tight and that any departure for a rigid status quo by the Labour party is unaffordable, there seems to be no limit to government subsidies gushing into the doomed nuclear project at Hinkley in Somerset. Last year the government offered the French energy company EDF the […]
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Nuclear power is turning out badly: why is the government clinging to it?
Nov 21st, 2014 by Michael Meacher.The news for nuclear gets worse every day. The latest news is that the Hinkley Point C nuclear plant in Somerset, the government’s flagship nuclear project is near the point of collapse. After Ed Davey, the LibDem secretary of state (there was a time before they joined the government in 2010 that the LibDems were […]
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Nuclear gets a glowing review
May 16th, 2014 by Michael Meacher.One major reason why UK governments fail to advance the drive towards renewables, with which Britain is uniquely endowed, is the colossal burden of the nuclear legacy. The nuclear clean-up now swallows up about tw0-thirds of the entire DECC budget. Sellafield alone costs £1.7bn a year, almost as much as the nearly £2bn spend supporting […]
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Who trusts Cameron to keep the lights on?
Oct 22nd, 2013 by Mark Seddon.So Britain’s first major nuclear power station construction in a generation – at Hinckley – is to come courtesy of the French state owned EDF energy company and Chinese state owned interests. In return for providing up to 7% of Britain’s energy needs, the French and Chinese will be guaranteed fixed rate electricity price deals, […]
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Whatever happened to Labour resistance to the Tory rampage?
Oct 22nd, 2013 by Michael Meacher.In case you were wondering, there is no 3-line Labour vote in the Commons this week. It’s true that on two of these days there are four debates organised by the elected Back-Bench Business Committee, though all of them concern important and worthwhile issues. But today (Tuesday) there is a highly contentious debate on an […]
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The end of nuclear Britain?
Apr 13th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.Hitherto the future of nuclear in Britain has hinged around whether the French nuclear behemoth, EDF (Electricite de France), can find a partner to help bear the cost of new nuclear plants – currently some £14bn apiece. And, not entirely unrelated, whether EDF can squeeze the British government where it hurts into agreeing a ‘strike […]
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Tories about to build biggest white elephant
Feb 5th, 2013 by Michael Meacher.The government is shortly set to announce its decision to go ahead with building a second Sellafield MOX plant (SMP) at a cost of £3bn. MOX is a mixed uranium-plutonium oxide used as a nuclear reactor fuel. The history of the first MOX plant, which was forced to close down several years ago, make this […]
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China (and UK) head towards bad error on energy
Oct 26th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.The nuclear industry and its cheerleader DECC will be pleased at today’s announcement that China has re-started its nuclear programme after an 18 month hiatus following Fukushima. The Chinese government have made clear they remain very concerned about the safety issue, as well they should be – Fukushima came very close to making Tokyo uninhabitable […]
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Tories trashing promises as well as the environment
Sep 7th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.How about this for ‘the greenest government ever’?: Appointing as the new secretary of state for energy a man who hates windfarms, loves airports, and wants to maximise the exploitation of shale gas?
