Yes, ultimately all economic activity comes down to EROEI and, again David, you make a compelling argument for a new direction. So compelling that these facts, not difficult to understand, must be obvious and known to Government yet, for ideological reasons, they just double down on the destruction.
That being the case, the next question becomes, what exactly IS that ideology? That becomes a matter of opinion to some extent but faced with the above situation, it isn't entirely unreasonable to suggest that there is a deliberate Marxist agenda of economic destruction being implemented by the Deep State and the Globalist Green blob.
I agree. It has been obvious for years from comments let slip by UN IPCC political insiders that climate change/Net Zero has little or nothing to do with climate but is all about wealth redistribution and the political control of resources and the global populace.
The climate change hoax turned out to be too “slow-burn” for the establishment deep state so in 2020 they launched their Covid “plandemic”, by which they showed their evil true colours. When that fizzled out without having achieved its main goal (mandatory Digital Ids to shackle the populace), they then needlessly provoked Russia into invading Ukraine to save their compatriots in the Donbas from being slaughtered. President Trump has scuppered that diversionary action, and Net Zero in the USA, so they are back to doubling down on the climate change hoax and the war on farmers. How Starmer and the EU think they can get away with continuing to pursue such destructive policies unilaterally is beyond me.
The problem is that it is impossible to discuss these “conspiracy theory” issues with our treasonous Uniparty politicians, or even with the sadly brainwashed general public.
The world can see that the UK is being destroyed economically and societally. Here’s US reporter Michael Schellenberger describing how Britain is now a living example of Orwell’s 1984: https://x.com/Artemisfornow/status/1951903692598264290 .
President Trump is taking a keen interest in Starmer’s suppression of free speech and two-tier policing and justice. Maybe he will be our saviour. He has just delivered a withering comeuppance to Brazil and its activist Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes for engaging in such malfeasances, imposing 50% tariffs on most Brazilian goods and sanctions against de Moraes under the Obama-era 2012 Magnitsky Act. For details, see this Jeff Childers newsletter: https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/concession-cycles-thursday-july-31.
Here’s Neil Oliver (3-minute clip) on the tyranny of the Digital Id BritCard, “the pre-prepared, oven-ready solution that was written up before the problem it purports to solve even existed, good to go even before the Covid pandemic … There in black and white is the promise you'll be tracked, every moment of every day, waking or sleeping": https://x.com/Togetherdec/status/1951961251107795148.
EROI indeed! See Schernikau and Smith. Wind and solar are parasitic on the more efficient conventional sources of power. They are energy stealers, incapable of making an independent living, leaning on more efficient providers like spoiled children who never leave home.
I think the situation is more complicated but almost certainly began out of genuine fear by some in government too stupid or unqualified to check the claims of imminent climate doom. Others, sensing money to be made, the Dale Vince’s of this world, jumped onto the bandwagon. Slowly, bit by bit this coalition of believers and rent seekers grew and grew. A symbiotic relationship developed such that we saw the emergence of the climate industrial complex which has until recently entirely controlled the narrative. Back scratching has been the order of the day. As the inevitable demise of this whole charade becomes more obvious and imminent, it is too late for either party to the charade to admit they were wrong. I don’t think it is ideology now - at least not in the main. I may well be wrong but this is looking more and more like a classic project going wrong where no one wants to be first to stand up and admit they got it badly wrong.
Steve, thanks for your perspective, I think that's a credible scenario to consider also. BUT IMHO, a little like with Covid, would that explain why ALL western Governments adopted the same beliefs and rent seekers simultaneously and implement the same strategies. I find that implausible and some conspiracy, one way or the other, surely must have taken place? Yes, I know there were Global rent-seeking actors (like Gore) involved, but still they only have limited Global political influence out of Office.
I'm generally not a conspiracy theorist, except on the many that have already become conspiracy fact (!!), but on this one I do believe there is something far more nefarious going on which which is taking advantage of these morons like Miliband as useful idiots.
I have always believed that Starmer, a member of the (Rockefeller/Brzezinski) Trilateral Commission, was a Trojan Horse adopting the same strategy, easy to imagine when you look at the "quality" of the people he has surrounded himself with?
Hi Phil, only time will. I certainly can't say you are wrong but it's remarkably easy to convince people of complete nonsense. I should know, I once believed it myself! If there is an opportunity to game a system, human nature is such that gaming will happen. We can see this looking at the business loans scheme during the pandemic, cash for ash in Northern Ireland, etc etc. It may be that someone is sitting in a control room somewhere pulling the strings, but I would argue, they don't have to pull those strings very hard.
The UK's high energy costs, and loss of electric power production are obvious -- and net zero hasn't got a thing to do with it.
Since "the Iron Lady", Margaret Thatcher, and her Government privatized your electric power development and power grid system into the ridiculous 2-tier "for-profit" system run by the Government -- you been falling further behind the US -- because your Government is guaranteeing those profits - while telling people that they have to tighten their coats - because the new Labour Government hasn't got a clue as to how to make the necessary change - to a truly competitive / not Government guaranteed profits.
You make a sound point, the privatisation of utilities (notably water, most recently) has delivered a poor result. But David's core argument about the link between energy prices and economic success is true too.
That said, I'm just not sure it's a simple cause and effect, there are other factors too, such as access to skills and capital.
I work in Big Tech. We consume huge energy (and cash- $100B+ investments this year alone) for our DataCentres, the planning for which is running into real problems in Europe (plans are being cancelled even last week in Ireland for example) because of lack of energy supply. Abundant plus cheap is necessary.
I sending information to you here - as American born; but also as a full-blooded Scotsman - going back to Rob Roy MacGregor.
I am an early 1960's US Navy educated graduate of both the Class "A" "ET"/ "Electronics School and Class "A" Radar School - and I told you that - to tell you this.
While in ET school, in "labs"; I discovered that what I was being taught -- was not what takes place in a specific electric circuit - which happens to be the "resonating receiver circuit" found in the billions of AM or FM Radios manufactured after Nikola Tesla was awarded his US Patent for the Radio.
The receiver circuit, when tuned to a radio station you want to listen to -- operates at "over-unity" - not that it exceeds or increases it's absolute maximum output power level - which it can't do - because that is impossible:
--- it electrically reduces the input power level connected to it - to it's absolute minimum power level -- and this developed power level to connected power level - is always:
--- "...more than '1'..." - with "1" signifying "over-unity".
This does not violate / break / bend / or "even get close to" / any Laws of Physics / Thermodynamics / Conservation of Energy Theory / Perpetual Motion / or Sustained Action.
Over the last 60+ years (I am now 81 years "young") I've been fortunate enough to have invented / developed / had professional laboratory tested / US Patented / that exact circuitry, used exactly the same way - into a solid-state, electric power supply that once started from it's own onboard "start-up" power source / continuously develops up to and including:
--- 480 VDC or inverted VAC / 500 Amps - which is:
--- 240 kW, or
--- .24 MW --- per 2.5 cu. ft. / 40 lb. / unit.
5 of them constantly develops up to 1.2 MW of clean electricity - and you can do the math.
As soon as the new UK Government was elected - I offered the technology to
--- PM Starmer' - through his office and also at 10 Downing Street;
--- Exchequer Reeves - through her office;
--- Sec. for Energy Miliband, both directly and through is office - and
--- Head of Mission Chris Stark - who requested and received the information via LinkedIn.
None of them responded - except to state that the info had been received.
The Governments of Scotland and Wales wee also sent the information, which they acknowledged positively as receiving, but stating that they could not do anything individually -- as "...Westminster controlled the UK Electric power industry and grid...".
I offered the technology with no strings attached - because I knew that when the power supply is made available -as it will be in the future as it is now privately funded and being developed for mass production; -- one thing is definitely going to take place in the UK:
--- individual installations are going to be privately offered to all private premises owners / consumers of electric power - at a rate of around $10 per hour / not per kW/ Hr. / $72 per month per unit - for all of the clean electricity needed per month via long term lease.
And there is nothing that Westminster can do about it.
Also - we will be setting up manufacturing throughout the UK for manufacturing and export -- because I am sick and tired of non STEM politicians screwing the UK electric power consumer - to just keep their terribly unjust "for profit" scheme going.
They had a chance - and they blew it - so we doing it in spite of them.
And incidentally - the small manufacturing facilities (20-25,000 sq. ft.) are also 72 MW electric power development locations - which can be situated "where needed".
So when I wrote my last comment to David - it was with the knowledge that this is going to take place irrespective of whether the Labour Government "gets the message" and stops what is taking place -- we will work with them -- but not until.
IF this information interests you - I can be directly contacted via my email address at
scotsman7@comcast.net -- and I will send you all of the documentation validating everything I have stated here as to what the clean electricity the unit can develop.
"Scott McKie (likely Richard L. McKie) holds a legitimate patent (US5146395, issued 1992) for a power supply using resonant tank circuits, inspired by Tesla’s work. This supports his claim of a patented technology developed over decades. However, the claims of "over-unity," 240 kW output from a small unit, and plans for mass production lack substantiation in the patent or public records. The exaggerated power outputs, unverified testing, and ambitious deployment plans align with grifter-like tactics, though McKie’s long-term focus and patent suggest he may genuinely believe in the technology. No additional patents directly tied to the POD MOD Project or recent developments were found."
Over-Unity Claims: The patent does not describe an "over-unity" device (producing more energy than input), which aligns with scientific principles but contradicts McKie’s post and related sources claiming outputs up to 4,000 times input power. Such claims are likely exaggerated or misinterpreted, as they would violate the law of conservation of energy. The patent’s focus on efficient power transfer via tank circuits suggests a high-efficiency system, not a perpetual motion machine.
McKie’s claims about the POD MOD Project are highly implausible due to their reliance on "over-unity," lack of verifiable evidence, and unrealistic power output for the device’s size. The timeline of his personal history aligns with reality, but the technology’s development and government interactions lack corroboration. The post exhibits grifter-like traits—sensational promises, vague details, and emotional appeals—but McKie may genuinely believe in his invention rather than intend to deceive.
The poor result is from mediocre regulation and oversight. Much of the US utility ecosystem is run by the private sector but their regulators are very draconian and take no prisoners resulting in those utilities being very focussed on their customer needs and price point.
"The UK's high energy costs, and loss of electric power production are obvious -- and net zero hasn't got a thing to do with it." This comment is utterly asinine and demonstrably untrue.
You are clearly just a grifter engaging in clickbait in the hope that some poor sap believes your nonsense and sends you some money. The fact that 4 people at this time have liked your post indicates there are still fools to be fleeced!
The cost of net zero is seriously enormous. Almost everything we touch has a net zero component. Now that it is well known that nothing is the UK can do will affect climate, all this money is being totally squandered and is no more than expensive virtue signalling.
It would be good if somebody could make a stab at totalling up the cost of net zero and how much would be saved if it was abandoned for with. I am sure it would be many billions of dollars per year
When I was at secondary school, around the age of 14,15, (class of '89) sorry I hate that Americanism) I remember being told by newspapers, the telly and the system in general, that 'electricity, food, 'good times' etc will end in the future, everything will have to get more expensive. They were also saying that the pension age would have to rise, or that most likely the state pension will be worthless/end. I wondered at the time how they were going to engineer this. Now I know, this along with the 'immigration crisis' has been orchestrated for a very long time.......
Predictive programming refers to the concept of introducing ideas, scenarios, or outcomes in media—such as TV shows, movies, or other forms of entertainment—to familiarise or condition the public to accept certain events, ideologies, or societal changes in the future. The theory suggests that by repeatedly exposing audiences to specific themes or narratives, they become desensitised or more receptive when similar events occur in real life.
Anyone not seeing this is not paying attention.
On a personal level, we removed TVs from our home and stopped visiting the cinema, and the benefit is profound. When you see a TV program while visiting relatives, the propaganda is so crude and blatantly obvious.
Ably supported by the UK's Dept of Science, Innovation and Tech team NSOIT (National Security and Online previously known as the Counter Disinformation Unit during Covid. see Telegraph 1 Aug 2025 - paywalled.
Vallance - political No2 at DSIT
'UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said:
Freedom is an essential ingredient for scientific progress. Without it we are denied the ability to act on the curiosity that sparks so many breakthroughs, or to get the answers that make us think that maybe we have been wrong about the way we have thought about something in the past. ' https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-ukraine-hail-scientists-role-in-the-fight-for-freedom
Be useful to put that freedom concept for scientific progress into practice- Energy and Covid comes immediately to mind.
We’ve come to an extraordinary point in our history where our political ‘leaders’ are telling people that they must pay vast sums for the destruction of our countryside, economy and society in pursuit of an unachievable and pointless policy. For how long are people going to put up with this madness?
A lot longer than we desire because they've been brainwashed for best part of 20yrs and that is now reinforced by the MSM on a daily basis. Until you break that link I can't see majority of population coming on board.
Although it's true that opinion polls indicate that the majority of respondents support net zero, that obscures the fact that net zero is way down their list of priorities, with the cost of living, the economy, immigration, the NHS, crime etc. regarded as more important. Moreover, support for 'climate action' falls away when it's seen to affect respondents' own cost of living and lifestyle.
Not for much longer if the best that the Met Office can come up with to sell this insane destruction of society, the economy and our environment and wildlife is the promise that we won't have to avoid opening doors during scary summer storms!
I have a good example of the Trolly Problem just 5 miles from where I live. The company Haventus is spending £400 million developing the former oil rig fabrication yard at Ardersier Port as an Energy Transition Facility for deploying and servicing offshore windfarms.
Here’s a comment I posted elsewhere following the recent approval of the massive Berwick Bank offshore windfarm just days after President Trump described wind power as a con:
President Trump uses the word windmill as a derogatory term, quite rightly as modern wind turbines are an economic and ecological disaster: expensive, only commercially viable by being granted never-justified massive taxpayer-funded subsidies, short lifespan exacerbating capital costs, resource depleting and not at all “green” (dependency on rare earth minerals, copper, steel and reinforced concrete, land and sea real estate, etc), un-recyclable toxic carbon fibre blades and concrete and steel foundations, landscape and seascape despoiling including all the pylons, death-dealing to birds, bats and whales, intermittent and wholly dependent on duplicate supplies from fossil fuels (including Drax biomass) for grid backup and balancing, unstable due to lack of inherent inertia (ref. the recent pan-Iberian power blackout) and totally incompatible with the way the national grid was designed to operate.
Meanwhile, the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels for our primary energy supply was 75.2% in 2024, still a million miles away from Net Zero after 17 years of Climate Change Act striving and that’s including the cheat of not counting “thermal renewables” as fossil fuels, including Drax biomass woodchips from clean-felled North American forests with CO2 emissions higher than the local coal it replaced, see Page 5 of the latest Dukes report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688b52e67b28774ca0437f09/DUKES_2025_Chapters_1-7.pdf.
As we foolishly run down our North Sea oil and gas production capabilities and continue to maintain a short-sighted ban on fracking, our fossil fuel supplies increasingly come from expensive imports.
100 miles to the east lies Peterhead with a CCGT gas power station which the green blob desperately wants to fit with a hugely-expensive and pointless carbon capture and storage facility. To the chagrin of the Scottish Uniparty, Miliband seems to be favouring Teesside and Merseyside: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4301n3771o.
The only “canny Scots” among this lot are the green blob grifters who are making a fortune at the expense of hard-pressed taxpayers and electricity users.
As an Engineer, this is music to my eyes. The question is will the next government with vigour put all these common sense matters into action. Will the next cohort of our representatives in Parliament have the right knowledge and skills to convince the public of the need for such a revolution.
Indeed, the obstacles will be huge, particularly those that will be created by the civil service and the second chamber.
I feel I am able to answer your question with a very high degree of certainty: NO.
The politicians are still more interested in what other politicians think of them and not being delisted from the dinner party circuit than in understanding the reality of NetZero.
Then, most people are totally ignorant of electrical generation and so keen to virtue signal that they accept the nonsense of Netzero without question.
I fear the lights need to go out, and for a while, in order to get the majority to pay sufficient attention. Then a lot longer to get around to fixing the problem.
Thank you for your thoughts on this, and I must agree with those in terms of the here and now. But I do detect that ordinary people are now questioning the net zero policy as being highly detrimental to our personal as well as national well being, with more recognising its association with the noun scam as well. By the time the next General Election is most likely to be held it is quite likely Milliband’s madness will reflect much more on electricity prices, and adversely at that despite what Ofgen may have to say (yet another body designed to protect customers now predominantly to ease in government dictat). The state’s interference with ordinary people as part of the net zero roll out as well in many other matters will become unsustainable at the present rate of travel. One party has declared repeal of the Net Zero law, in recognition of the benefits that will accrue. But before then more will need to be done to overcome the media’s grip in support of net zero - the propaganda war in effect.
There is no doubt what is being reported on the rapid changes within the USA, with a complete renewed accent on nation first and cheap energy second, will not have gone unnoticed in this country. The globalist agenda is being pricked, and the reaction is taking place.
As for Starmer, well he is really being confronted with reality, in his recent facings with national leaders to the west and recently the east. His goose is being burned!
I purchased a small Honda generator a couple of years back that enabled me to have a reasonable level of comfort when the power last went off, owing to damage to overhead lines.
I think that there is a good chance that the answer will be no, but with an important caveat: they are likely to employ people who do, including as ministers and replacements for civil servants.
Thank you David for another excellent article and a further reminder of the convergence of British governance and economic sabotage.
One of the great remaining glories of England is its medieval cathedrals, started by men certain they would never live to see them finished. Shouldn't we similarly be trying to peer through the mists into the far future? As far as I can see, that would be a nuclear future.
To close, I assert that had our modern government system existed in medieval times, none of those cathedrals would have been built - they would still be awaiting planning permission after hundreds of costly inquiries.
David spot and a great strategy but I don't believe even Reform have got the balls to put all this in a manifesto and even if they did that's fours years away although I do get the threat will act as a dissuader. The reality is we've got what we've what and it should be how do we stop any further deterioration in our position.
Labour had an opportunity to just blame the Torys for creating the mess (yeah i know the Blair administration laid the foundations) and say we need to look at what is the best strategy to ensure costs don't increase any further balanced by reconfirming the Net Zero goal is 2050 so still in the spirit of the Climate Change Act. This would have immediately suspended AR6 and any future allocation rounds. I would have also gone as far as revoking any AR5 contracts where the developer hadn't taken FID although may have had to pay compensation for the costs incurred on environmental reports eta al. This would have then closed down the grid expansion programme. They should also kept the N.Sea option on the table and let O&G companies decide if they want to take the risk or not in exploring and developing any new finds.
Then going forward the REMA remit should have been revisited to ensure that the outcome required was for a least cost price whilst preserving security of supply standards. In parallel with this a 25yr strategy to get to Net Zero should have been set that made sure price was the main driver and in all reality we would find that a more measured approach would have seen prospective costs of kit drop anyhow. I would have also mandated a 50% local content for any new project.
Of course the problem with any of this doesn't flatter Milibrain with any Kudos with his desired employer the UN. So until Starmer/Reeves realise that he's only interested in upstaging his brother and the rest of us are just pawns in that game down and down the UK economy will go. Mind you in reality our energy/capita is much higher its just not counted in all the imports.
The architects of the climate and energy scam in the UN Environmental Program, including Maurice Strong, were quite clear, to save the planet they had to destroy the western economic system.
Warming driven by CO2 was the problem and the net zero program is the solution. It plan is clearly working in Britain and Germany.
There are several layers of lunacy here, it is lunacy all the way down (like the series of elephants holding up the world.)
Starting with the foundation – dangerous warming. Climate realists need to reframe the terms of the debate which the alarmists have won so far by establishing the view that climate realists deny climate change.
In fact climate realists don’t deny climate change, we study it and we find that the warming in the last 200 years or so since the Little Ice Age has been unequivocally beneficial, like the increase in airborne plant food (CO2.)
The last Assessment Report from the IPCC clearly refuted alarmism, as Steve Koonin explained clearly for anyone who is seriously interested, after he read the 4000 pages of scientific papers.
Climate alarmism started as a political movement in the US and it will die there since President Trump recruited genuine climate scientists to rewrite the script.
So warming is not a problem, we are still short of the prime times for life on earth during the Roman and Medieval warm periods.
The next level of absurdity is blaming warming on CO2, in fact it is a minor driver and its effect is exhausted due to the diminishing returns from increasing the level since the Little Ice Age when it was barely sufficient to maintain life on earth. The plants would be pleased to have three times as much.
The next level is the effect of emissions in Britain and Australia. Both of our countries could stop emissions completely without making a measurable difference to the amount of plant food in the air.
Moving on to net zero. Trillions of dollars have been spent around the world rolling out wind and solar infrastructure and in return we have more expensive and less reliable power with catastrophic environmental impacts.
The elephant in the net zero room is the wind droughts or dunkelflautes that Australian investigators documented over a decade ago.
When competent commentators explain the wind drought problem, the credibility of the push for net zero will collapse like a punctured balloon.
Wind droughts render the wind and solar power system unfit for a modern industrial civilization. Have a look at Germany and Britain.
Heroic efforts and buckets of money are being applied to prop up the grids that are contaminated by intermittent energy but it will not work, any more than making steam engines more efficient will enable them to drive a rocket to the moon.
The two major threats to the power supply are windless nights (Texas Feb 2021) and grids with no inertia that collapse during the day due to fluctuations in the solar and wind input (Spain.) The solution in each case is to stop the subsidies and mandates for solar and wind, and get them off the grid.
Sources, starting with the failure of the meteorologists to issue wind drought warnings. [They were foundation members of the alarmists’ club in the UN.]
Dirt farmers are alert to the threat of rain droughts, but the wind farmers never checked the reliability of the wind supply to become aware of wind droughts, wind lulls, known as Dunkelflautes in Europe.
Wind droughts become an existential threat to thousands or tens of thousands of people when the wind drought trap closes on a windless night during extreme weather conditions coinciding with outages of conventional power.
I see Spain and Portugal have been using a lot more gas since their experiment failed them. The UK could do with a system wide blackout as thats about the only thing that going to move the dial before its too late. trouble is for all its faults NESO control engineers are very likely to prevent this happening anytime soon as the grid being so under resourced in Scotland means they have to keep more CCGTs spinning than they really need under their reduced inertia levels.
I'd suggest that cancelling net zero is a key enabler for reversing the imposition of taxes and poverty under Labour/Uniparty and becomes essential if we are to have the strength to resist the immigration invasion.
I agree with you regarding the folly of net zero, which cannot be achieved with the current government's approach and that in any case what the UK does will make little if any difference.
The "sums" by NESO, CCC, etc. around renewable energy in the UK are totally flawed and ludicrous.
However, the biggest existential threat is the planet's changing climate. Global warming is real and its many but complex consequences are also real.
The corrupt UN IPCC pulls the wool over the eyes of the general public by not disclosing that they only take into account supposed human influences on the climate. Hence they concentrate their scam on man-made CO2 emissions, ignoring solar variations, planetary orbital and gravitational variations, solar/ocean-driven ENSO, PDO and AMO cycles and much more.
According to Professor Valentina Zharkova (and others) the modern Grand Solar Minimum, a repeat of the Maunder Minimum of 400 years ago, is already underway and will kick off in earnest in 2030: https://iainhunter.substack.com/p/the-grand-solar-minimum-is-here.
This will coincide with the pending cold phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, a repeat of the freezing 1960s-70s some of us remember only too well.
Getting through these events having to rely on electricity supplies based largely on inertia-less (ref. the recent pan-Iberian power blackout), weather-dependent (ref. Dunkelflautes in cold, dark midwinter) so-called renewables could be a challenge.
In the very long term you are likely correct. The next major ice age is likely to heavily restrict habitable areas. Eventually as the sun starts to change into a red giant we will move to the other extreme. In the mean time the real trends are not particularly alarming.
Of course, there is potential for random events to change things. Some argue that the Hunga Tonga eruption projecting water into the statosphere has caused some short term warming for instance, and the reduction in marine SO2 emissions under IMO2020 is also considered a warming factor. Volcanic eruptions and large meteors have potential for significant cooling, as would a major nuclear war.
The reality is that climate is a complex chaotic system, that even absent random events is not properly predictable, whose interactions we fail to capture adequately in rudimentary models. It is also the case that we have far more pressing concerns: civil or global war, impoverishment through net zero policies, totalitarian dictatorship, attempts at genocide through biowarfare or migratory invasion.
These are things we could control far more effectively than puny attempts at terraforming. Doing so would make us richer, and far more able to adapt or take advantage of such changes in climates as do occur.
I suggest you take time to learn about complex chaotic systems. These are mathematical terms, not plain English, and they mean that such systems cannot be predicted. That's before you start introducing random disturbances.
Although geologists can show that the Minoan Warm Period was warmer than current conditions there were no censuses at the time. The census was confined to the Roman Empire during the Roman Warm Period.
Energy always has been either the jewel in the economy or the cancer wrecking it, so I agree with the piece you’ve written. It is proof that successive governments embracing NetZero are most likely under instruction to push nonsense windmills, push nonsense solar & demolish coal fired power stations cutting off vital ‘emergency’ infrastructure that could be used in a crisis. Germany took all their coal stations offline but didn’t demolish them. We did - which makes us even more self destructive than our German cousins. We no longer have a democracy - we have a technocracy - where it’s aims are to restrict, constrain & regulate growth so we have a submissive majority with an (eventual) population who have a very low expectation of what life will give them - and a minority of autocrats who do exactly what they like. Just like Russia between 1920 & 1970. Personally - I’d recommend taking any ‘ministers’ & senior civil service mandarins pushing NetZero & put them on Rockall (as a gulag) with a windmill & solar panels.
There are few coal stations still intact and they should at least be protected for power generation well new CCGTs. Planning permission shouldn't be allowed for anything else. The main reason for this is they are grid nodes and this is the fundamental problem with renewables the grid isn't where the intermittent power is being offered.
West Burton was still intact 12mths ago when i went past but i see its been largely demolished a few weeks ago as has Cottam. Ratcliffe still there. My point is these are grid nodes and should be restricted to generation only in reuse. A few of the larger BESS developers are using former power stn sites as grid connections ready made. However should be used for new breed of CCGTs but all the while they have to be CCUS compliant aint going to happen.
Yes, ultimately all economic activity comes down to EROEI and, again David, you make a compelling argument for a new direction. So compelling that these facts, not difficult to understand, must be obvious and known to Government yet, for ideological reasons, they just double down on the destruction.
That being the case, the next question becomes, what exactly IS that ideology? That becomes a matter of opinion to some extent but faced with the above situation, it isn't entirely unreasonable to suggest that there is a deliberate Marxist agenda of economic destruction being implemented by the Deep State and the Globalist Green blob.
I agree. It has been obvious for years from comments let slip by UN IPCC political insiders that climate change/Net Zero has little or nothing to do with climate but is all about wealth redistribution and the political control of resources and the global populace.
The climate change hoax turned out to be too “slow-burn” for the establishment deep state so in 2020 they launched their Covid “plandemic”, by which they showed their evil true colours. When that fizzled out without having achieved its main goal (mandatory Digital Ids to shackle the populace), they then needlessly provoked Russia into invading Ukraine to save their compatriots in the Donbas from being slaughtered. President Trump has scuppered that diversionary action, and Net Zero in the USA, so they are back to doubling down on the climate change hoax and the war on farmers. How Starmer and the EU think they can get away with continuing to pursue such destructive policies unilaterally is beyond me.
The problem is that it is impossible to discuss these “conspiracy theory” issues with our treasonous Uniparty politicians, or even with the sadly brainwashed general public.
The world can see that the UK is being destroyed economically and societally. Here’s US reporter Michael Schellenberger describing how Britain is now a living example of Orwell’s 1984: https://x.com/Artemisfornow/status/1951903692598264290 .
President Trump is taking a keen interest in Starmer’s suppression of free speech and two-tier policing and justice. Maybe he will be our saviour. He has just delivered a withering comeuppance to Brazil and its activist Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes for engaging in such malfeasances, imposing 50% tariffs on most Brazilian goods and sanctions against de Moraes under the Obama-era 2012 Magnitsky Act. For details, see this Jeff Childers newsletter: https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/concession-cycles-thursday-july-31.
Here’s Neil Oliver (3-minute clip) on the tyranny of the Digital Id BritCard, “the pre-prepared, oven-ready solution that was written up before the problem it purports to solve even existed, good to go even before the Covid pandemic … There in black and white is the promise you'll be tracked, every moment of every day, waking or sleeping": https://x.com/Togetherdec/status/1951961251107795148.
EROI indeed! See Schernikau and Smith. Wind and solar are parasitic on the more efficient conventional sources of power. They are energy stealers, incapable of making an independent living, leaning on more efficient providers like spoiled children who never leave home.
https://open.substack.com/pub/rafechampion/p/wind-and-solar-the-energy-thieves-a0c
I think the situation is more complicated but almost certainly began out of genuine fear by some in government too stupid or unqualified to check the claims of imminent climate doom. Others, sensing money to be made, the Dale Vince’s of this world, jumped onto the bandwagon. Slowly, bit by bit this coalition of believers and rent seekers grew and grew. A symbiotic relationship developed such that we saw the emergence of the climate industrial complex which has until recently entirely controlled the narrative. Back scratching has been the order of the day. As the inevitable demise of this whole charade becomes more obvious and imminent, it is too late for either party to the charade to admit they were wrong. I don’t think it is ideology now - at least not in the main. I may well be wrong but this is looking more and more like a classic project going wrong where no one wants to be first to stand up and admit they got it badly wrong.
Steve, thanks for your perspective, I think that's a credible scenario to consider also. BUT IMHO, a little like with Covid, would that explain why ALL western Governments adopted the same beliefs and rent seekers simultaneously and implement the same strategies. I find that implausible and some conspiracy, one way or the other, surely must have taken place? Yes, I know there were Global rent-seeking actors (like Gore) involved, but still they only have limited Global political influence out of Office.
I'm generally not a conspiracy theorist, except on the many that have already become conspiracy fact (!!), but on this one I do believe there is something far more nefarious going on which which is taking advantage of these morons like Miliband as useful idiots.
I have always believed that Starmer, a member of the (Rockefeller/Brzezinski) Trilateral Commission, was a Trojan Horse adopting the same strategy, easy to imagine when you look at the "quality" of the people he has surrounded himself with?
Hi Phil, only time will. I certainly can't say you are wrong but it's remarkably easy to convince people of complete nonsense. I should know, I once believed it myself! If there is an opportunity to game a system, human nature is such that gaming will happen. We can see this looking at the business loans scheme during the pandemic, cash for ash in Northern Ireland, etc etc. It may be that someone is sitting in a control room somewhere pulling the strings, but I would argue, they don't have to pull those strings very hard.
This regime is not interested in our democracy or our country. I think the aim is to make us poor and dependent on the state.
Hi David,
The UK's high energy costs, and loss of electric power production are obvious -- and net zero hasn't got a thing to do with it.
Since "the Iron Lady", Margaret Thatcher, and her Government privatized your electric power development and power grid system into the ridiculous 2-tier "for-profit" system run by the Government -- you been falling further behind the US -- because your Government is guaranteeing those profits - while telling people that they have to tighten their coats - because the new Labour Government hasn't got a clue as to how to make the necessary change - to a truly competitive / not Government guaranteed profits.
Both things can be true at the same time.
You make a sound point, the privatisation of utilities (notably water, most recently) has delivered a poor result. But David's core argument about the link between energy prices and economic success is true too.
That said, I'm just not sure it's a simple cause and effect, there are other factors too, such as access to skills and capital.
I work in Big Tech. We consume huge energy (and cash- $100B+ investments this year alone) for our DataCentres, the planning for which is running into real problems in Europe (plans are being cancelled even last week in Ireland for example) because of lack of energy supply. Abundant plus cheap is necessary.
Hi Paul,
I sending information to you here - as American born; but also as a full-blooded Scotsman - going back to Rob Roy MacGregor.
I am an early 1960's US Navy educated graduate of both the Class "A" "ET"/ "Electronics School and Class "A" Radar School - and I told you that - to tell you this.
While in ET school, in "labs"; I discovered that what I was being taught -- was not what takes place in a specific electric circuit - which happens to be the "resonating receiver circuit" found in the billions of AM or FM Radios manufactured after Nikola Tesla was awarded his US Patent for the Radio.
The receiver circuit, when tuned to a radio station you want to listen to -- operates at "over-unity" - not that it exceeds or increases it's absolute maximum output power level - which it can't do - because that is impossible:
--- it electrically reduces the input power level connected to it - to it's absolute minimum power level -- and this developed power level to connected power level - is always:
--- "...more than '1'..." - with "1" signifying "over-unity".
This does not violate / break / bend / or "even get close to" / any Laws of Physics / Thermodynamics / Conservation of Energy Theory / Perpetual Motion / or Sustained Action.
Over the last 60+ years (I am now 81 years "young") I've been fortunate enough to have invented / developed / had professional laboratory tested / US Patented / that exact circuitry, used exactly the same way - into a solid-state, electric power supply that once started from it's own onboard "start-up" power source / continuously develops up to and including:
--- 480 VDC or inverted VAC / 500 Amps - which is:
--- 240 kW, or
--- .24 MW --- per 2.5 cu. ft. / 40 lb. / unit.
5 of them constantly develops up to 1.2 MW of clean electricity - and you can do the math.
As soon as the new UK Government was elected - I offered the technology to
--- PM Starmer' - through his office and also at 10 Downing Street;
--- Exchequer Reeves - through her office;
--- Sec. for Energy Miliband, both directly and through is office - and
--- Head of Mission Chris Stark - who requested and received the information via LinkedIn.
None of them responded - except to state that the info had been received.
The Governments of Scotland and Wales wee also sent the information, which they acknowledged positively as receiving, but stating that they could not do anything individually -- as "...Westminster controlled the UK Electric power industry and grid...".
I offered the technology with no strings attached - because I knew that when the power supply is made available -as it will be in the future as it is now privately funded and being developed for mass production; -- one thing is definitely going to take place in the UK:
--- individual installations are going to be privately offered to all private premises owners / consumers of electric power - at a rate of around $10 per hour / not per kW/ Hr. / $72 per month per unit - for all of the clean electricity needed per month via long term lease.
And there is nothing that Westminster can do about it.
Also - we will be setting up manufacturing throughout the UK for manufacturing and export -- because I am sick and tired of non STEM politicians screwing the UK electric power consumer - to just keep their terribly unjust "for profit" scheme going.
They had a chance - and they blew it - so we doing it in spite of them.
And incidentally - the small manufacturing facilities (20-25,000 sq. ft.) are also 72 MW electric power development locations - which can be situated "where needed".
So when I wrote my last comment to David - it was with the knowledge that this is going to take place irrespective of whether the Labour Government "gets the message" and stops what is taking place -- we will work with them -- but not until.
IF this information interests you - I can be directly contacted via my email address at
scotsman7@comcast.net -- and I will send you all of the documentation validating everything I have stated here as to what the clean electricity the unit can develop.
Yours,
Scott McKie / The POD MOD Project
Is this you?
"Scott McKie (likely Richard L. McKie) holds a legitimate patent (US5146395, issued 1992) for a power supply using resonant tank circuits, inspired by Tesla’s work. This supports his claim of a patented technology developed over decades. However, the claims of "over-unity," 240 kW output from a small unit, and plans for mass production lack substantiation in the patent or public records. The exaggerated power outputs, unverified testing, and ambitious deployment plans align with grifter-like tactics, though McKie’s long-term focus and patent suggest he may genuinely believe in the technology. No additional patents directly tied to the POD MOD Project or recent developments were found."
Over-Unity Claims: The patent does not describe an "over-unity" device (producing more energy than input), which aligns with scientific principles but contradicts McKie’s post and related sources claiming outputs up to 4,000 times input power. Such claims are likely exaggerated or misinterpreted, as they would violate the law of conservation of energy. The patent’s focus on efficient power transfer via tank circuits suggests a high-efficiency system, not a perpetual motion machine.
McKie’s claims about the POD MOD Project are highly implausible due to their reliance on "over-unity," lack of verifiable evidence, and unrealistic power output for the device’s size. The timeline of his personal history aligns with reality, but the technology’s development and government interactions lack corroboration. The post exhibits grifter-like traits—sensational promises, vague details, and emotional appeals—but McKie may genuinely believe in his invention rather than intend to deceive.
Odd that Scott has gone quiet all of a sudden!
I think we can now be sure Scott is a grifter
Sigh. Where is the demonstration project?
Resonant circuits cannot, and do not, increase power. They simply have lowest losses at resonance.
The poor result is from mediocre regulation and oversight. Much of the US utility ecosystem is run by the private sector but their regulators are very draconian and take no prisoners resulting in those utilities being very focussed on their customer needs and price point.
"The UK's high energy costs, and loss of electric power production are obvious -- and net zero hasn't got a thing to do with it." This comment is utterly asinine and demonstrably untrue.
You are clearly just a grifter engaging in clickbait in the hope that some poor sap believes your nonsense and sends you some money. The fact that 4 people at this time have liked your post indicates there are still fools to be fleeced!
The cost of net zero is seriously enormous. Almost everything we touch has a net zero component. Now that it is well known that nothing is the UK can do will affect climate, all this money is being totally squandered and is no more than expensive virtue signalling.
It would be good if somebody could make a stab at totalling up the cost of net zero and how much would be saved if it was abandoned for with. I am sure it would be many billions of dollars per year
Whilst from our perspective, the money is being squandered, it does not disappear. It is going somewhere, to someone. And a lot of it!
Always follow the money.
When I was at secondary school, around the age of 14,15, (class of '89) sorry I hate that Americanism) I remember being told by newspapers, the telly and the system in general, that 'electricity, food, 'good times' etc will end in the future, everything will have to get more expensive. They were also saying that the pension age would have to rise, or that most likely the state pension will be worthless/end. I wondered at the time how they were going to engineer this. Now I know, this along with the 'immigration crisis' has been orchestrated for a very long time.......
Predictive programming.
Predictive programming refers to the concept of introducing ideas, scenarios, or outcomes in media—such as TV shows, movies, or other forms of entertainment—to familiarise or condition the public to accept certain events, ideologies, or societal changes in the future. The theory suggests that by repeatedly exposing audiences to specific themes or narratives, they become desensitised or more receptive when similar events occur in real life.
Anyone not seeing this is not paying attention.
On a personal level, we removed TVs from our home and stopped visiting the cinema, and the benefit is profound. When you see a TV program while visiting relatives, the propaganda is so crude and blatantly obvious.
Ably supported by the UK's Dept of Science, Innovation and Tech team NSOIT (National Security and Online previously known as the Counter Disinformation Unit during Covid. see Telegraph 1 Aug 2025 - paywalled.
Vallance - political No2 at DSIT
'UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said:
Freedom is an essential ingredient for scientific progress. Without it we are denied the ability to act on the curiosity that sparks so many breakthroughs, or to get the answers that make us think that maybe we have been wrong about the way we have thought about something in the past. ' https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-ukraine-hail-scientists-role-in-the-fight-for-freedom
Be useful to put that freedom concept for scientific progress into practice- Energy and Covid comes immediately to mind.
Quite. 'The Science is Settled' no it's never settled, 'Boris', if it is ask who's funding...
We’ve come to an extraordinary point in our history where our political ‘leaders’ are telling people that they must pay vast sums for the destruction of our countryside, economy and society in pursuit of an unachievable and pointless policy. For how long are people going to put up with this madness?
A lot longer than we desire because they've been brainwashed for best part of 20yrs and that is now reinforced by the MSM on a daily basis. Until you break that link I can't see majority of population coming on board.
Although it's true that opinion polls indicate that the majority of respondents support net zero, that obscures the fact that net zero is way down their list of priorities, with the cost of living, the economy, immigration, the NHS, crime etc. regarded as more important. Moreover, support for 'climate action' falls away when it's seen to affect respondents' own cost of living and lifestyle.
Not for much longer if the best that the Met Office can come up with to sell this insane destruction of society, the economy and our environment and wildlife is the promise that we won't have to avoid opening doors during scary summer storms!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/08/02/storm-floris-do-not-open-doors-needlessly-met-office-warns/
I have a good example of the Trolly Problem just 5 miles from where I live. The company Haventus is spending £400 million developing the former oil rig fabrication yard at Ardersier Port as an Energy Transition Facility for deploying and servicing offshore windfarms.
The Uniparty politicians and most local people think it is great but the sad reality is that it will facilitate the installation of ruinously expensive offshore wind projects, both fixed (AR7 £113) and floating (AR7 £271). They are gearing up for the 1GW 300 turbine Aspen project an absurd 52 miles east of Peterhead with two others, Beach and Cedar to follow: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre9z5xwvq5o#:~:text=A%20former%20oil%20and%20gas,farm%20off%20the%20Aberdeenshire%20coast.
Here’s a comment I posted elsewhere following the recent approval of the massive Berwick Bank offshore windfarm just days after President Trump described wind power as a con:
President Trump uses the word windmill as a derogatory term, quite rightly as modern wind turbines are an economic and ecological disaster: expensive, only commercially viable by being granted never-justified massive taxpayer-funded subsidies, short lifespan exacerbating capital costs, resource depleting and not at all “green” (dependency on rare earth minerals, copper, steel and reinforced concrete, land and sea real estate, etc), un-recyclable toxic carbon fibre blades and concrete and steel foundations, landscape and seascape despoiling including all the pylons, death-dealing to birds, bats and whales, intermittent and wholly dependent on duplicate supplies from fossil fuels (including Drax biomass) for grid backup and balancing, unstable due to lack of inherent inertia (ref. the recent pan-Iberian power blackout) and totally incompatible with the way the national grid was designed to operate.
Meanwhile, the UK’s dependency on fossil fuels for our primary energy supply was 75.2% in 2024, still a million miles away from Net Zero after 17 years of Climate Change Act striving and that’s including the cheat of not counting “thermal renewables” as fossil fuels, including Drax biomass woodchips from clean-felled North American forests with CO2 emissions higher than the local coal it replaced, see Page 5 of the latest Dukes report: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/688b52e67b28774ca0437f09/DUKES_2025_Chapters_1-7.pdf.
As we foolishly run down our North Sea oil and gas production capabilities and continue to maintain a short-sighted ban on fracking, our fossil fuel supplies increasingly come from expensive imports.
10 miles across the firth from Ardersier is the Port of Nigg, another site of green blob malinvestments hoping to be “a major global hub for green energy”, mainly hydrogen, “leading the way in supporting the country’s energy transition”: https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/16757/highland_council_hails_the_importance_of_nigg_as_port_changes_hands.
100 miles to the east lies Peterhead with a CCGT gas power station which the green blob desperately wants to fit with a hugely-expensive and pointless carbon capture and storage facility. To the chagrin of the Scottish Uniparty, Miliband seems to be favouring Teesside and Merseyside: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4301n3771o.
The only “canny Scots” among this lot are the green blob grifters who are making a fortune at the expense of hard-pressed taxpayers and electricity users.
As an Engineer, this is music to my eyes. The question is will the next government with vigour put all these common sense matters into action. Will the next cohort of our representatives in Parliament have the right knowledge and skills to convince the public of the need for such a revolution.
Indeed, the obstacles will be huge, particularly those that will be created by the civil service and the second chamber.
I feel I am able to answer your question with a very high degree of certainty: NO.
The politicians are still more interested in what other politicians think of them and not being delisted from the dinner party circuit than in understanding the reality of NetZero.
Then, most people are totally ignorant of electrical generation and so keen to virtue signal that they accept the nonsense of Netzero without question.
I fear the lights need to go out, and for a while, in order to get the majority to pay sufficient attention. Then a lot longer to get around to fixing the problem.
Thank you for your thoughts on this, and I must agree with those in terms of the here and now. But I do detect that ordinary people are now questioning the net zero policy as being highly detrimental to our personal as well as national well being, with more recognising its association with the noun scam as well. By the time the next General Election is most likely to be held it is quite likely Milliband’s madness will reflect much more on electricity prices, and adversely at that despite what Ofgen may have to say (yet another body designed to protect customers now predominantly to ease in government dictat). The state’s interference with ordinary people as part of the net zero roll out as well in many other matters will become unsustainable at the present rate of travel. One party has declared repeal of the Net Zero law, in recognition of the benefits that will accrue. But before then more will need to be done to overcome the media’s grip in support of net zero - the propaganda war in effect.
There is no doubt what is being reported on the rapid changes within the USA, with a complete renewed accent on nation first and cheap energy second, will not have gone unnoticed in this country. The globalist agenda is being pricked, and the reaction is taking place.
As for Starmer, well he is really being confronted with reality, in his recent facings with national leaders to the west and recently the east. His goose is being burned!
The first blackout with focus a few minds.
(I must fix the oil leak on me old Petter Diesel generator...)
I purchased a small Honda generator a couple of years back that enabled me to have a reasonable level of comfort when the power last went off, owing to damage to overhead lines.
I think that there is a good chance that the answer will be no, but with an important caveat: they are likely to employ people who do, including as ministers and replacements for civil servants.
Thank you David for another excellent article and a further reminder of the convergence of British governance and economic sabotage.
One of the great remaining glories of England is its medieval cathedrals, started by men certain they would never live to see them finished. Shouldn't we similarly be trying to peer through the mists into the far future? As far as I can see, that would be a nuclear future.
To close, I assert that had our modern government system existed in medieval times, none of those cathedrals would have been built - they would still be awaiting planning permission after hundreds of costly inquiries.
David spot and a great strategy but I don't believe even Reform have got the balls to put all this in a manifesto and even if they did that's fours years away although I do get the threat will act as a dissuader. The reality is we've got what we've what and it should be how do we stop any further deterioration in our position.
Labour had an opportunity to just blame the Torys for creating the mess (yeah i know the Blair administration laid the foundations) and say we need to look at what is the best strategy to ensure costs don't increase any further balanced by reconfirming the Net Zero goal is 2050 so still in the spirit of the Climate Change Act. This would have immediately suspended AR6 and any future allocation rounds. I would have also gone as far as revoking any AR5 contracts where the developer hadn't taken FID although may have had to pay compensation for the costs incurred on environmental reports eta al. This would have then closed down the grid expansion programme. They should also kept the N.Sea option on the table and let O&G companies decide if they want to take the risk or not in exploring and developing any new finds.
Then going forward the REMA remit should have been revisited to ensure that the outcome required was for a least cost price whilst preserving security of supply standards. In parallel with this a 25yr strategy to get to Net Zero should have been set that made sure price was the main driver and in all reality we would find that a more measured approach would have seen prospective costs of kit drop anyhow. I would have also mandated a 50% local content for any new project.
Of course the problem with any of this doesn't flatter Milibrain with any Kudos with his desired employer the UN. So until Starmer/Reeves realise that he's only interested in upstaging his brother and the rest of us are just pawns in that game down and down the UK economy will go. Mind you in reality our energy/capita is much higher its just not counted in all the imports.
The architects of the climate and energy scam in the UN Environmental Program, including Maurice Strong, were quite clear, to save the planet they had to destroy the western economic system.
Warming driven by CO2 was the problem and the net zero program is the solution. It plan is clearly working in Britain and Germany.
There are several layers of lunacy here, it is lunacy all the way down (like the series of elephants holding up the world.)
Starting with the foundation – dangerous warming. Climate realists need to reframe the terms of the debate which the alarmists have won so far by establishing the view that climate realists deny climate change.
In fact climate realists don’t deny climate change, we study it and we find that the warming in the last 200 years or so since the Little Ice Age has been unequivocally beneficial, like the increase in airborne plant food (CO2.)
The last Assessment Report from the IPCC clearly refuted alarmism, as Steve Koonin explained clearly for anyone who is seriously interested, after he read the 4000 pages of scientific papers.
Climate alarmism started as a political movement in the US and it will die there since President Trump recruited genuine climate scientists to rewrite the script.
So warming is not a problem, we are still short of the prime times for life on earth during the Roman and Medieval warm periods.
The next level of absurdity is blaming warming on CO2, in fact it is a minor driver and its effect is exhausted due to the diminishing returns from increasing the level since the Little Ice Age when it was barely sufficient to maintain life on earth. The plants would be pleased to have three times as much.
The next level is the effect of emissions in Britain and Australia. Both of our countries could stop emissions completely without making a measurable difference to the amount of plant food in the air.
Moving on to net zero. Trillions of dollars have been spent around the world rolling out wind and solar infrastructure and in return we have more expensive and less reliable power with catastrophic environmental impacts.
The elephant in the net zero room is the wind droughts or dunkelflautes that Australian investigators documented over a decade ago.
When competent commentators explain the wind drought problem, the credibility of the push for net zero will collapse like a punctured balloon.
Wind droughts render the wind and solar power system unfit for a modern industrial civilization. Have a look at Germany and Britain.
Heroic efforts and buckets of money are being applied to prop up the grids that are contaminated by intermittent energy but it will not work, any more than making steam engines more efficient will enable them to drive a rocket to the moon.
The two major threats to the power supply are windless nights (Texas Feb 2021) and grids with no inertia that collapse during the day due to fluctuations in the solar and wind input (Spain.) The solution in each case is to stop the subsidies and mandates for solar and wind, and get them off the grid.
Sources, starting with the failure of the meteorologists to issue wind drought warnings. [They were foundation members of the alarmists’ club in the UN.]
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/the-late-discovery-of-wind-droughts
Dirt farmers are alert to the threat of rain droughts, but the wind farmers never checked the reliability of the wind supply to become aware of wind droughts, wind lulls, known as Dunkelflautes in Europe.
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/we-have-to-talk-about-wind-droughts
Wind droughts become an existential threat to thousands or tens of thousands of people when the wind drought trap closes on a windless night during extreme weather conditions coinciding with outages of conventional power.
https://rafechampion.substack.com/p/defusing-the-wind-drought-trap
I see Spain and Portugal have been using a lot more gas since their experiment failed them. The UK could do with a system wide blackout as thats about the only thing that going to move the dial before its too late. trouble is for all its faults NESO control engineers are very likely to prevent this happening anytime soon as the grid being so under resourced in Scotland means they have to keep more CCGTs spinning than they really need under their reduced inertia levels.
I did a retrospective going back to 2000 and going forward from there. https://open.substack.com/pub/scouch1/p/back-to-2000-what-if-the-uk-had-chosen
For sure the next GE isn't going to be won over Net Zero
On the present course it will be a landslide.
I'd suggest that cancelling net zero is a key enabler for reversing the imposition of taxes and poverty under Labour/Uniparty and becomes essential if we are to have the strength to resist the immigration invasion.
I agree with you regarding the folly of net zero, which cannot be achieved with the current government's approach and that in any case what the UK does will make little if any difference.
The "sums" by NESO, CCC, etc. around renewable energy in the UK are totally flawed and ludicrous.
However, the biggest existential threat is the planet's changing climate. Global warming is real and its many but complex consequences are also real.
Just keep watching what is really happening.
We are more likely to have to face global cooling than global warming. The sudden warming spike caused by the Hunga Tonga volcanic eruption has confused the issue since 2023 but it now seems to be dissipating rapidly: https://clivebest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/June-2005-scaled.png.
The corrupt UN IPCC pulls the wool over the eyes of the general public by not disclosing that they only take into account supposed human influences on the climate. Hence they concentrate their scam on man-made CO2 emissions, ignoring solar variations, planetary orbital and gravitational variations, solar/ocean-driven ENSO, PDO and AMO cycles and much more.
According to Professor Valentina Zharkova (and others) the modern Grand Solar Minimum, a repeat of the Maunder Minimum of 400 years ago, is already underway and will kick off in earnest in 2030: https://iainhunter.substack.com/p/the-grand-solar-minimum-is-here.
This will coincide with the pending cold phase of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, a repeat of the freezing 1960s-70s some of us remember only too well.
Getting through these events having to rely on electricity supplies based largely on inertia-less (ref. the recent pan-Iberian power blackout), weather-dependent (ref. Dunkelflautes in cold, dark midwinter) so-called renewables could be a challenge.
In the very long term you are likely correct. The next major ice age is likely to heavily restrict habitable areas. Eventually as the sun starts to change into a red giant we will move to the other extreme. In the mean time the real trends are not particularly alarming.
Of course, there is potential for random events to change things. Some argue that the Hunga Tonga eruption projecting water into the statosphere has caused some short term warming for instance, and the reduction in marine SO2 emissions under IMO2020 is also considered a warming factor. Volcanic eruptions and large meteors have potential for significant cooling, as would a major nuclear war.
The reality is that climate is a complex chaotic system, that even absent random events is not properly predictable, whose interactions we fail to capture adequately in rudimentary models. It is also the case that we have far more pressing concerns: civil or global war, impoverishment through net zero policies, totalitarian dictatorship, attempts at genocide through biowarfare or migratory invasion.
These are things we could control far more effectively than puny attempts at terraforming. Doing so would make us richer, and far more able to adapt or take advantage of such changes in climates as do occur.
Toby,
existential, really?
I have no doubt that in time the planet will cool again, which suppresses man’s comfort. Warmer times help, not hinder us.
Man has come through much hotter times and much colder with fewer resources than we now have.
When will it stop warming and instead cool, and why?
When was it globally warmer than it is now, and how many humans were on Earth then?
I suggest you take time to learn about complex chaotic systems. These are mathematical terms, not plain English, and they mean that such systems cannot be predicted. That's before you start introducing random disturbances.
Although geologists can show that the Minoan Warm Period was warmer than current conditions there were no censuses at the time. The census was confined to the Roman Empire during the Roman Warm Period.
I suggest you restrict yourself to making statements you can support with evidence.
forget about any industries..
Abandon NetZero …
oh please please … pretty please with sugar on
Now
cancel f****** NetZero
Apologies to Tarantino
Energy always has been either the jewel in the economy or the cancer wrecking it, so I agree with the piece you’ve written. It is proof that successive governments embracing NetZero are most likely under instruction to push nonsense windmills, push nonsense solar & demolish coal fired power stations cutting off vital ‘emergency’ infrastructure that could be used in a crisis. Germany took all their coal stations offline but didn’t demolish them. We did - which makes us even more self destructive than our German cousins. We no longer have a democracy - we have a technocracy - where it’s aims are to restrict, constrain & regulate growth so we have a submissive majority with an (eventual) population who have a very low expectation of what life will give them - and a minority of autocrats who do exactly what they like. Just like Russia between 1920 & 1970. Personally - I’d recommend taking any ‘ministers’ & senior civil service mandarins pushing NetZero & put them on Rockall (as a gulag) with a windmill & solar panels.
There are few coal stations still intact and they should at least be protected for power generation well new CCGTs. Planning permission shouldn't be allowed for anything else. The main reason for this is they are grid nodes and this is the fundamental problem with renewables the grid isn't where the intermittent power is being offered.
Are there? I think that all the cooling towers and chimneys have been destroyed and the generating equipment sold off abroad.
West Burton was still intact 12mths ago when i went past but i see its been largely demolished a few weeks ago as has Cottam. Ratcliffe still there. My point is these are grid nodes and should be restricted to generation only in reuse. A few of the larger BESS developers are using former power stn sites as grid connections ready made. However should be used for new breed of CCGTs but all the while they have to be CCUS compliant aint going to happen.
https://www.uniper.energy/united-kingdom/news/the-end-of-an-era---ratcliffe-on-soar-power-station-ends-coal-generation/
They've just got PP for demolition of the towers and chimney. I suspect thd main electrical kit is already gone.