UK ‘Need Not Fear Electricity Blackouts’ Says Ex-National Grid Boss
This is the title of another article on the BBC.
This is said.
The UK has enough energy capacity to meet demand – even on the coldest days when demand is highest, says Steve Holliday, the man who ran National Grid for a decade.
He said news stories raising fears about blackouts should stop.
The article goes on to say how gas and coal-fired plants that would have been scrapped will fill any gaps.
They may do, but I have this feeling that energy users and especially big ones are much more savvy than they used to be and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the UK manage next winter without using coal, which produces a lot more CO2 and pollution, than natural gas.
I also think that after 2018, we’ll start to see new technologies and projects generating electricity or bringing it to the UK.
We might even have seen a start on the ICElik or Atlantic Superconnector, which will bring green electricity from Iceland to the UK.
Trump’s Executive Order: Amateur Hour At The White House?
The title of this post is the title of this article on the BBC.
The article compares President Bush’s reaction to Hurricane Katrina, with Trummkopf’s immigration executive order.
It says this.
History will judge the long-term impact of Mr Trump’s Friday afternoon immigration order, but his early praise for its implementation will not easily be forgotten.
I don’t think we’ll even need to wait until the history is long enough to judge.
I suspect the BBC article will be denounced as fake news.
But I do wonder, if his immigration policy will be good for the nice holiday places to visit in the rest of the world.
If say, you were thinking of going to Florida for a holiday, will you now be thinking about Greece or Spain?
Trump And Charles In Climate Row
This is the headline on the front page of today’s Sunday Times.
Trump is not necessarily wrong about climate change, but cutting CO2 and other polluting emissions is prudent.
If a man met a gorgeous young lady on the back streets of say Marseilles or any other port city and she offers him flavours, then he would take precautions.
Trump said as much, when Putin was accusing him of various things, when he said he was paranoid about germs or something similar.
So it’s alright for him to take personal precautions, but the rest of the world can go get fucked.
There are some things we shouldn’t do, because they may be dangerous to the planet.
Burning coal is one of them, which Trump has said he will promote.
But then, if the United States continues to mine and burn coal, the pristine air of some parts of the country will disappear, just like it has in China.
I do wonder if President Trumkokf has even been to Beijing!
What Is Happening At Old Oak Common?
I ask this question as I have just read this article on the New Civil Engineer web site which is entitled Old Oak Common Megadeck Momentum Slows.
This is said.
Momentum for the 7ha deck to be built over the Crossrail depot in the new Old Oak and Park Royal development in west London has slowed according to the chief executive of the regeneration body in charge of the work.
Sadiq Khan is blaming Boris, as any politician would.
It is truly a massive site, as this Google Map shows.
The two stations at the top of the map is Willesden Junction station.
Running across the map is the Great Western Main Line, with the various depots and Cargiant to the North.
This map from carto.metro.free.fr shows the lines in the area.
This aerial view of the area is from Crossrail.
The megadeck is needed to go over much of this area, so that housing and other developments can be built.
The Globalisation Of Health Care
This article on the BBC is entitled World’s smallest MRI helps tiny babies.
It shows how healthcare is becoming an increasingly global collaboration.
The idea for the machine was developed in the University of Sheffield and the machine was built by the American company; GE Healthcare.
Medical research is like this, with often more than two companies and countries playing their parts in producing a successful breakthrough, often many years after the original idea.
I just wonder how Trump’s America First and tax policies will affect developments like this.
Will his new tax rules, mean that if an American company is involved in a development like this, that the device will have to be manufactured in the United States, when perhaps to manufacture it in the country, that owns the IPR might be better?
I can see researchers not wanting to get involved with American companies, when other countries can offer deals with no nasty strings attached.
There’s only going to be two winners with some of Trumps tax ideas; lawyers and accountants.
Comedy Is Universal
‘Allo ‘Allo! was shown in many countries around the world.
With the sad death of one of the show’s stars; Gordon Kaye, today, I typed his name in quotes into Google.
I found entries from all over the world. But a lot more than I would have expected.
It just shows the universal reach of comedy.
The PM Can Make Trump Begin To Face Reality
This is the title of a comment in The Times by Justin Webb.
It is a good comment and if you get a chance read it.
But it made me think!
Trump is a difficult person to read, as in several times in the last few months, he’s changed his mind. So will Theresa be able to make him change his mind again?
I don’t know!
But I just wonder, if Trump has ever been in negotiation with a determined, intelligent woman!
This will be one meeting, where the flies will learn a lot.
Stonehenge Is Unique
Stonehenge is unique and at the age of ten, I was able to walk amongst the stones in a party from my Primary School.
That was much better than the limited access you get now.
But then in the mid-1950s, Stonehenge didn’t get the visitors it does now.
In The Times today, there are reports of an Almighty row about how traffic is hidden from the monument.
This article on the BBC, which is entitled Stonehenge tunnel ‘should be longer’, puts forward a shorter view of the arguments in The Times.
The real problem with the traffic around Stonehenge, is that something should have been done about it years ago. As with so many problems, successive governments have just ignored the unique site.
I think that any solution to the future of Stonehenge should do the following.
- Remove all passing traffic as far away as is practical.
- All visitors to the monument should probably come by electric bus from the a nearby railway station or Park-and-Ride.
- Improve the rail service on the South Western Main Line, which is not electrified and needs more capacity.
I also feel that modern technology could be used to provide a better view of the stones.
Certainly, what we have at present is totally unacceptable to both road traffic passing the site and visitors.
There is even a proposal for a Wilton Parkway station, which would be on the Wessex Main Line and linked to Stonehenge by bus, that I wrote about in A Station For Stonehenge?
This would provide a Tourist Route from Bristol to Portsmouth via Bath Spa, Stomnehenge, Salisbury and Southampton.
Surrey Has A Budget Crisis
This article on the BBC is entitled Conservative-led Surrey County Council plans 15% council tax hike.
This is said.
A Conservative-run council wants to raise its tax by 15% in the next financial year, blaming government cuts and increased demand for social care.
Surrey County Council leader David Hodge said the government had cut its annual grant by £170m since 2010.
Surrey definitely has a budget crisis.
An old friend of mine was a senior executive in a FTSE-listed mining and resources company.
We were having lunch and he said that of all the areas in the UK, Surrey was the most likely to find a sizeable oil-field.
He also said, that Oil Exploration would be transformed if there was a Local Extraction Tax.
So why aren’t Surrey encouraging the Oil Companies to foind the black gold to pay for all those services that the County needs?
In fact, if you type “fracking Surrey” into Google, you’ll find nothing but hostility..
After all they’ve already found one sizeable field recently at Horse Hill, as I wrote about inThe Oil Find That Will Settle The Result Of The Election.
I’m afraid, you can’t have your cake and eat it!
From St. Leonard’s To Hastings
I walked along the sea-front in the sun to Hastings.
It was colder than it looked and I was pleased, I had got a lot of layers on.
I finished my walk, in the cafe at the surprisingly large Marks and Spencer, which was just a short walk from the station.
About fifteen years ago, I went to Hastings and was distinctly unimpressed. It has certainly improved and it was a good walk along the front.
The Anonymous Widower 