HINKLEY DECISION GRINDS TO A HALT

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      On Thursday 21st July the Prime Minister dined with Francois Hollande in Paris. On the same day, EDF announced a meeting of its Board had been called for the 28th of July. A press release stated simply that the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point would […]

If we’re to win the climate struggle, we must remain in Europe

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                    Concerted EU diplomacy helped secure a landmark agreement at the Paris climate change summit. We should not leave the field just as the battle is turning. Our security and prosperity depend on a successful response to climate change, the most urgent […]

Revealed: BP’s close ties with the UK government – The Guardian

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  I was quoted extensively in a piece The Guardian wrote on the extent of BP’s influence on government policy and how their intimate relationship is at odds with UK commitments to reduce carbon emissions.     “About 1.5% of UK pension industry money was invested in BP shares, which […]

WHAT NEXT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT?

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                  One useful piece of analysis has emerged from the media froth post-election. Labour lost because they offered nothing to the ‘aspirational middle class’. This is surely right. An awful lot of people were left out of a narrative that posed the […]

How to break the political silence on the environment

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  This piece was first published in the Guardian       A YouGov poll published last week found that 40% of voters wanted to hear more about the environment. They also wanted to hear more about education, pensions, foreign affairs and Europe. They have been disappointed. It is too […]

WHOM THE GODS DESTROY

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      Despite frequent headlines suggesting otherwise, EDF has not yet agreed to buy two nuclear reactors from its sister French state-owned company Areva. The British Government has yet to sign a contract to purchase the electricity the reactors will produce. Without that contract EDF will not make the […]

‘IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID’

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                    When the debate on the Fourth Carbon Budget began in Whitehall in 2012 the Treasury had a clear view. No. Meeting its requirements would be too damaging to Britain’s economy. How did they know this? Their model of the economy […]

Why Europe matters and why the European elections matter – E3G

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FALLON’S FALLACY

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      There is a presentational trick that skilled politicians practice. It grasps that most people are more affected by the tone than the content of a speech. This is an especially important skill to have mastered when you want to want to say something controversial. Then a soft […]