Monday, February 18, 2013
Unpublished Letter - Reply to the Replies to My Letter in the Metro
I previously mentioned my letter being the highlighted one in the Metro. The next day they published a series of replies. The silliest one being a claim that the reason for rising fuel prices is not windmills but the "rising price of coal".
This is my reply which they didn't print. Not really upset at that since the Metro letters page is not really attuned to long debates on politics (though to-and-fros on starlets are common.
Sir,
A good range of answers on Wednesday by SNP supporters to my calling their party subsidy junkies. But no disproof.
Most relied on saying that the government has to pay for electricity stations or nobody will buy electric cars. Petrol stations never got government funding but somehow the petrol car industry prospered nonetheless. Even John Curtis, former head of low carbon vehicles and fuels at Transport Scotland, said that because recharging takes 3 hours “Honestly, no, I don’t think they will get used"
.If practical, electric cars would not need such subsidies to prosper, and in fact electric cars get several other subsidies apart from the £43,000 per car I mentioned. It is only "industries" that cannot attract real paying customers that depend on politician's hand outs.
Scottonfire may think it is "well known" that Scotland is out of recession. Less well known is that the Scottish figures are several months behind the UK ones. Several months ago Cameron was announcing the recession over, as the SNP now are. What odds that like him, in a few months they will be announcing it is back on?
"Electrical engineer" is equally wrong to say that coal prices are driving electricity price rises. In fact there is a world glut in coal and prices, after adjusting for inflation, are at a historic low. Coal and nuclear, and in America shale gas, provide reliable power at as little as 1/10th of what windmills do.
I also agree with Mobil-D that we should be building practical electricity capacity. Cockenzie power station will close in 2015 due to new EU emission standards, Peterhead has also lost some capacity for that reason. Torness and Hunterston are due to close in 2023 leaving us with no large supplier of electricity baseload (windmills being intermittent cannot provide baseload).
Economists know that nothing is as closely linked to economic growth as growth (or in our case reduction) of energy use. Scotland has enough shale gas to provide inexpensive power for at least many centuries. It is simply that we have politicians across Holyrood not just in the SNP (but none in my party UKIP) who would rather devote their time to potty subsidies than to letting us end the recession.
Neil Craig
References - low cost of coal (due to Chinese slowdown) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-04/coal-prices-to-fall-in-2013-as-china-economy-cools-ihs-says-1-.html
Known shale gas reserves for 1500 years, with map showing the Lowlands of Scotland well supplied. http://www.thegwpf.org/good-true-britain-shale-gas-1500-years/
I would understand if you felt you had to remove the reference to my party in the 2nd last line, but I hope you don't
Scottish government apparatchik, promoter of electric car power points saying "Honestly, no they won't get used" http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/fears-electric-car-charging-posts-will-go-unused-1-2778353
This is my reply which they didn't print. Not really upset at that since the Metro letters page is not really attuned to long debates on politics (though to-and-fros on starlets are common.
Sir,
A good range of answers on Wednesday by SNP supporters to my calling their party subsidy junkies. But no disproof.
Most relied on saying that the government has to pay for electricity stations or nobody will buy electric cars. Petrol stations never got government funding but somehow the petrol car industry prospered nonetheless. Even John Curtis, former head of low carbon vehicles and fuels at Transport Scotland, said that because recharging takes 3 hours “Honestly, no, I don’t think they will get used"
.If practical, electric cars would not need such subsidies to prosper, and in fact electric cars get several other subsidies apart from the £43,000 per car I mentioned. It is only "industries" that cannot attract real paying customers that depend on politician's hand outs.
Scottonfire may think it is "well known" that Scotland is out of recession. Less well known is that the Scottish figures are several months behind the UK ones. Several months ago Cameron was announcing the recession over, as the SNP now are. What odds that like him, in a few months they will be announcing it is back on?
"Electrical engineer" is equally wrong to say that coal prices are driving electricity price rises. In fact there is a world glut in coal and prices, after adjusting for inflation, are at a historic low. Coal and nuclear, and in America shale gas, provide reliable power at as little as 1/10th of what windmills do.
I also agree with Mobil-D that we should be building practical electricity capacity. Cockenzie power station will close in 2015 due to new EU emission standards, Peterhead has also lost some capacity for that reason. Torness and Hunterston are due to close in 2023 leaving us with no large supplier of electricity baseload (windmills being intermittent cannot provide baseload).
Economists know that nothing is as closely linked to economic growth as growth (or in our case reduction) of energy use. Scotland has enough shale gas to provide inexpensive power for at least many centuries. It is simply that we have politicians across Holyrood not just in the SNP (but none in my party UKIP) who would rather devote their time to potty subsidies than to letting us end the recession.
Neil Craig
References - low cost of coal (due to Chinese slowdown) http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-04/coal-prices-to-fall-in-2013-as-china-economy-cools-ihs-says-1-.html
Known shale gas reserves for 1500 years, with map showing the Lowlands of Scotland well supplied. http://www.thegwpf.org/good-true-britain-shale-gas-1500-years/
I would understand if you felt you had to remove the reference to my party in the 2nd last line, but I hope you don't
Scottish government apparatchik, promoter of electric car power points saying "Honestly, no they won't get used" http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/fears-electric-car-charging-posts-will-go-unused-1-2778353
Labels: eco-fascism, letters, Scottish politics
