What happened last time someone tried Miliband's new energy policy.

Jan. 24, 2001: Energy Crisis in Calif. | Video - ABC News


I'm told that focus groups are reporting that approval of Ed miliband's new policy is "off the scale."

I'm sure it will stay that way with some people until the moment of the first power cut.

The bizare thing is, Ed Miliband cannot possibly be unaware that Britain has for years been in serious danger of power cuts. He was secretary of state for energy in the latter years of the last decade when projections were published suggesting that power cuts in this one were not just possible but likely.

Here's what I wrote on this blog at the time, four years ago:

When the lights go out.

Grateful to Tim Walker @ThatTimWalker who posted a link to this page on the ABC news archive with an eight minute 2001 report on what happened when California capped retail energy prices while making the false assumption that wholesale energy prices would go down, which they didn't.

Instead, and partly because of the policy, wholesale energy prices rose - sometimes well above the cap on retail prices, with the result that power retailers were forced to sell electricity for a considerably lower price than they were paying for it.

Yes, they ended up with rolling power blackouts lasting up to two hours, children trapped in lifts when the power went out, cars crashing when the traffic lights went out ...

As I have said, Miliband cannot possibly be unaware that Britain was already in danger of power cuts in the next parliament. Is it possible that he doesn't expect to be in power and is merely aiming to get as close to winning as possible without actually doing it?

Comments

Jim said…
Ed "Sillybands" proposals for energy are nothing but pie in the sky. As you rightly point out black outs are inevitable under those proposals.

The problem however is that many people are not exactly wonderfully informed. They are struggling to make ends meet at home, and see huge profits to the big energy company's as reported on the BBC news. Thus, a freeze in energy prices will sound attractive to many people.

Looking at the proposals from the Labour party confrence it is clear to me that a labour term will cause rapid economic meltdown. The thing is how many people will find the offer attractive?

I know as well as you do that Ed is living in fantasy land. Those policy's would spell nothing but ruin, my only concern is many people are looking for an easy off ramp, and of course none exist. Its just to some, the promise of one sounds good.

I do hope the public will see right through this, though as i say, the promise (empty as it is) could sound attractive to many.

3:33 pm
Chris Whiteside said…
You're absolutely right. Like you I just hope people have the sense to see it.
9:19 pm
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