I am so bloody sick of Boris et al. so last night, I watched this to redress the balance and I thought you might like to redress your balance too.

Ever so faintly upbeat interview with epidemiologist Larry Brilliant - signs are you are immune after infection - sees no reason why vaccine can't be found wired.com/story/coronavi…

Why didn't the government protect us earlier from coronavirus? itv.com/news/2020-05-1…

The latest ScotGov (SHCS) stats show that 1 in 3 households who rely on electric heating are living in EXTREME fuel poverty, compared to 9% who use mains gas. Unsurprising when electricity costs 4 to 5 times more than mains gas per unit - why? - but still deeply shocking.

The latest ScotGov (SHCS) stats also show that 1 in 3 of all households in REMOTE RURAL AREAS (like the Highlands & Islands) are now living in EXTREME fuel poverty compared to 11% in urban areas. SG's FP Strategy - pending - must deal with this properly.

THREAD: Something curious turns up in the gas statistics released this morning by government

Congratulations to Drew Hendry MP and all fellow sponsors of the Energy Pricing (Off Gas Households) Bill which he successfully introduced in Parliament today and which will now get its 2nd Reading on March 18th. A key step taken in righting a massive unfairness.

We already have: check out the tax benefits of forestry - free from IHT, CGT (on growing timber), and tax free timber sales too. And why? No longer tenable to argue that the tax advantages are needed to secure investment, it's just enriching the already wealthy #JustTransition

In recent weeks, I've often talked with lyse doucet early evening in Kyiv. And I've wanted to know about the beautiful dome that's always behind her. Just now I asked and Lyse's answer captured how this war competes with the rhythm of life as it was. bbc.co.uk/news

BREAKING: Ofgem threatened with legal action over energy price cap rise glplive.org/fuel_poverty_1…

There is much talk happening on how to solve the so-called cost-of-living crisis. Most of it fails to recognise that the problem is much bigger than that: the whole economy is in meltdown. None seems to address the cost of energy itself. A thread on the last, vital, point….

James O'Brien exposes the 'almighty lie' behind trickle-down economics. James O'Brien

“The poorest fifth of the population are now much poorer [in the UK] than most of the poorest countries in central and eastern Europe,” says Stephanie Flanders. “They would be better off in quite poor countries in the European Union.”

Standing charges! I know they drive many of you up the wall. I believe they're an unfair energy poll tax and a moral hazard that disincentivises people from cutting bills. I tweeted the other day how I've long been campaigning on this, and that it's Ofgem who sets them. Many of

Quite a few people saying to me 'Ofgem are in charge of standing charges, not the govt'. Yes and no. It is under the current regs as it is responsible for setting the price cap, and that sets most firms standing charges. Yet govt, via parliament is omnicompetent, it could eg -

Blowy day on the north coast with onshore wind generation being curtailed. Caithness and north Sutherland produces around 1,300% of its electricity demand from large onshore wind. Annual curtailed wind generation here would power 200% of the area’s domestic and industry needs.

It means the grid is constrained and we can't make use of those wind farms, so they have turned off (curtailed). The bad news is that we pay to turn them off, and then we pay again (usually a lot more) to turn on gas power plants further south to replace that lost energy.

Track today's wind curtailment costs here: wastedwind.energy/2024-12-18