Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

Daniel Khalife pleading not guilty to escaping from prison

Regret to announce that he's now approaching national treasure status.

[HVC]

This is approaching a Monty python skit

[crazy canuck]

Others forced him to leave

[Jacob]

Some guy who escaped prison, was caught, and is not claiming he did not escape prison?

What were his prior crimes?

[Sheilbh]

Some guy who escaped prison, was caught, and is not claiming he did not escape prison?

What were his prior crimes?

On remand for spying for Iran and terrorism charges. But with his jaunts now seems mainly like a bit of a cheeky rapscallion. For now

[HVC]

"I went for a walk and got lost. Next thing I know I was in Wandsworth"

[Josquius]

I'm not sure about the branding but great news. Manchesters nationalised busses to start running this weekend. Hopefully other cities will follow sharply.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/sep/23/manchester-to-launch-revolutionary-bee-network-public-bus-system?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other



I saw a doc from the 80s the other day about the metro in Newcastle and it's integration was really talked up as absolutely key. Which when you look at the network it obvious is. We need this back.

[Admiral Yi]

Dang you guys pay a lot for a bus ride.

[Sheilbh]

They're not nationalised, just regulated like London. Fact it took six years, four of them in court (ultimately going to the CofA) resisting judicial review, plus two large public consultations (I think the technical aspect the existing bus companies based their JR claim on) to do this is crazy.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I cannot stress how much I agree with the point about empty legalism and the lack of actual change required for net zero.
So I am glad that Sunak will take the hit for effectively admitting this.
When Labour get in I hope we will see the actual policies and planning that we need if we expect to achieve net zero. I expect the current targets to slip regardless as the necessary change has not been taking place over the past few years.

[Sheilbh]

I mean Labour's plans are even more ambitious - fully decarbonise the grid by 2030 (while, targets or not, EVs are likely to increase significantly and for the second year in a row it looks like we're mainly hoping it won't be a cold winter). It is possibly doable but it would require basically suspending the planning system for energy infrastructure - I'm not opposed, but I'm not sure Labour are really prepared for that fight.

[Richard Hakluyt]

That's less than seven years away. Electricity demand will increase due to electric cars and heat pumps (assuming success on those fronts) and there is also the problem of the baseload, coverable by nuclear but that takes ages to commission. Meanwhile the recent auction of offshore wind permits was a utter failure, work has even ceased on partially constructed windfarms.

This is something that requires WW2 level of effort but we can't even get people's lofts insulated.

Are Labour fools or knaves I ask myself.

[Josquius]

Dont forget everyone won't suddenly get an electric car right away at 2030. Expect petrol cars to be the majority over the 2030s.
And then we also need to avoid falling into the trap of assuming a one for one swap of petrol for electric cars - expanding the grid is important but even more so is setting up a worthwhile public transport system and reforming planning to build more sensibly.
Whether we actually will meet the goal is unlikely. But that's no reason not to shoot for it. Especially for labour when they're inheriting it and can point to the last 13 years as reasons why it hasn't been hit.

[Sheilbh]

Except that in the last 13 years the UK has the best record on decarbonisation in the G7 and one of the best globally.

Totally take your point on not everyone immediately moving to EVs but we are likely to see (and need to see) a big increase in uptake - and with it, demand for electricity.

Also agree on the off shore CfD auction mess, which is absolutely with the government. But it also highlights the risk of a private sector, capital led approach to energy transition because, to use the WW2 analogy, I'm not sure there'd be vast sympathy for arms manufacturers withholding production because they don't like the price.

It's the general thing I keep coming back to - either it's an emergency or it's not and so far the focus is very much on declaring it one but not following up with the actions you'd expect.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The polticians remind me of the pre-reformation church tbh. Constantly buying indulgences and failing to act on the actual sin