Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[The Larch]

A new nuclear power plant in 10 years won't really change anything. If it gets made at all, that is.

[Sheilbh]

A new nuclear power plant in 10 years won't really change anything. If it gets made at all, that is.

Not immediately no - but we're shutting down I think 5 nuclear power plants and replacing them with 1 new one so far so I feel like it's probably a good idea to get started on at least one other

My bigger point was we would be in an easier position in relation to gas/energy if we'd perhaps started building a replacement ten years ago when it was first proposed rather than spending a decade quibbling about financial arrangements and not building anything to replace it

[Duque de Bragança]

My bigger point was we would be in an easier position in relation to gas/energy if we'd perhaps started building a replacement ten years ago when it was first proposed rather than spending a decade quibbling about financial arrangements and not building anything to replace it

That would not be the British Way. 

In France, closing the oldest nuclear power plant caused some problems but the real problem is the delays and overcosts of the new nuclear power plant generation. Worst part seems behind though in Flamanville as in I have not heard in a while of problems there.

[Zanza]

To show its not a British problem, the first German gas trading company just went bankrupt.

[Zanza]

Is there any nuclear plant project in the Western world in the last decade or so that was not over budget and late?

[Josquius]

Is there any nuclear plant project in the Western world in the last decade or so that was not over budget and late?

Doubt it, what with fukushima a decade ago making everyone go loopy.

[Syt]

That said, I saw articles in German and Austrian media recently bemoaning a lack of drivers coming up. More and more retire, and not enough young ones wanting to work the job.

[Josquius]

That said, I saw articles in German and Austrian media recently bemoaning a lack of drivers coming up. More and more retire, and not enough young ones wanting to work the job.

Yeah. Lots in the US too. There definitely is a global problem. I can't find them right now but the numbers are starkly different between the UK and others. Only some countries in  Eastern Europe (who have a brain drain issue) Compare.

[Richard Hakluyt]

The Economist has been going on about the truck driver shortage for at least ten years, same story as the UK gas storage shortage. Nothing has been done.

I think that part of the problem is the lack of relevant people in the legislature. 30m people work in the UK, if we have 0.5m truckers that would imply 11 MPs with a haulage background; I wonder how many there are? Wankers like Shapps have never given a moment's thought about life as a truck driver....and it shows in the conditions that have made it an unattractive business to work in.

[Syt]

How many working class background MPs are there in the UK, anyways? Roughly?

[Richard Hakluyt]

This report has the details https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7483/CBP-7483.pdf

So in 1979 15.8% of MPs were from manual trades, this had fallen to 3% by 2015. There used to be a lot of miners, electricians and so on in the Labour ranks.

[Syt]

I assume this would be similar in Germany, too. Current parliament has 82% academics (vs 18% academics in the population), but I couldn't find numbers for a working class background (because you could for example be an entrepreneur without a degree who took over a family business, or you could be an academic from a blue collar family).

That said, there is some concern that members of parliament and the life reality of the vast majority of people living in the country have little to no overlap. As a Tweet I saw the other day about some planned cut back in the UK stated: MPs can't imagine a life where 20 GBP makes a difference.

EDIT: found the quote:

[The Brain]

Kind of weird info in the UK pamphlet. The only thing that's of interest when it comes to education is if people went to Oxbridge or not. Not what they studied. And when you look at professions scientists and engineers are lumped together with God knows what in some general group, but heaven forbid you don't distinguish between barristers and solicitors.

I think I see one of the problems with British politics.

[Josquius]

How many working class background MPs are there in the UK, anyways? Roughly?

It's not a thing with a precise definition but it's hard to say for sure. We can eliminate people however.

82% of MPs elected at the 2017 General Election were graduates and
24% attended Oxford or Cambridge. 29% of MPs attended fee-paying
schools, a 1% point decrease compared to 2015.8 The Conservatives
were also more likely to be Oxford or Cambridge graduates (34%). SNP
MPs were least likely to have attended a private or selective school
(88% attended a comprehensive school). None of the SNP MPs
attended Oxford or Cambridge.

I'd argue we want MPs who have been to university and this is no bar to being working class. Though private school educated almost certainly eliminates that and oxbridge heavily points against it.

This suggests just 5%
https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/the-rise-of-middle-class-politicians-and-the-decline-of-class-voting-in-britain/
Which seems much too low

[Richard Hakluyt]

I assume this would be similar in Germany, too. Current parliament has 82% academics (vs 18% academics in the population), but I couldn't find numbers for a working class background (because you could for example be an entrepreneur without a degree who took over a family business, or you could be an academic from a blue collar family).

That said, there is some concern that members of parliament and the life reality of the vast majority of people living in the country have little to no overlap. As a Tweet I saw the other day about some planned cut back in the UK stated: MPs can't imagine a life where 20 GBP makes a difference.

EDIT: found the quote:

Yes, that is essentially my point. It is not that working class people have superior economic nous; but they do understand that for many people losing £20 per week is crippling. The current crop of MPs have no visceral understanding of what low incomes and high rents actually mean.