Crippling new taxes proposed by Chris Huhne to subsidise green energy could force key employers out of business. Until now, the main controversy about electricity prices has been to do with consumers. Last week, new figures showed that rising bills have driven another 700,000 people into “fuel poverty”. But the impact on manufacturing could deliver a double whammy: not only costing you money, but also costing you your job. –-
Andrew Gilligan, The Sunday Telegraph, 17 July 2011
Employment in the sectors that are most directly affected by rising green taxes is 225,000. And if you look at the UK Government’s projections, their CO2 proposals will hit even firms that are less electro-intensive – paper, glass, ceramics – with a further 600,000 jobs. Factories may not close immediately, but investment won’t come here. This is a major threat to the UK. I sometimes think that the Department for Climate Change doesn’t care if we de-industrialise Britain, so long as we meet our climate targets. --
Jeremy Nicholson, The Sunday Telegraph, 17 July 2011
We could have started the shale gas revolution here, as we started the fossil fuel revolution itself. We could still start the underground-coal gasification revolution here. We could push thorium reactors. But starting a business in Britain’s regulated economy and planning system is like swimming in treacle. The future belongs to countries that can get their electricity, heat and fuel supplied as cheaply and reliably as possible. That is the priority, not the carbon fetish. —
Matt Ridley, The Times, 11 July 2011
