General UK politics

[ohms]

Originally Posted by catsmate

That should be fun given the diffusion habits of molecular hydrogen. Who'll be paying for the charges to the distribution network I wonder.

There's a trial going on in the UK currently for a 20% Hydrogen blend, currently in phase 2 of the process

https://hydeploy.co.uk/winlaton/

ETA:

From that link

Quote:

Since 1996, the Gas Appliance Directive has required all gas appliances to be tested on a blend of 23% hydrogen before they can be approved for market

So no infrastructure changes needed....yet.

[catsmate]

Originally Posted by ohms

There's a trial going on in the UK currently for a 20% Hydrogen blend, currently in phase 2 of the process

https://hydeploy.co.uk/winlaton/

ETA:

From that link



So no infrastructure changes needed....yet.

Large parts of the distribution network are not rated for hydrogen and the small molecules, compared to methane, will escape old pipework. Rather like butane versus methane.

[Captain_Swoop]

Tory lead down to four points from 10 in this week's YouGov poll for The Times

CON 37 (-4)
LAB 33 (+2)
LIB DEM 9 (nc)
GREEN 10 (+2)
REF UK 4 (nc)

Modest advantage over Labour is similar to that shown by other big pollsters – suggests last few big leads may have been outliers

[Captain_Swoop]

Boris Johnson used £2.6m Downing Street briefing room to watch new Bond film
Costs were said to have been met by companies involved and similar screenings have happened previously

It was understood the prime minister attended the screening of No Time To Die at No 9 Downing Street after work hours on Thursday.
Lobby briefings with Westminster’s political journalists instead took place in a room in No 10 that day, as well as on Friday.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister met with Pinewood Studios, Universal Pictures, Eon Productions and the BFI to congratulate them on the success of the latest James Bond instalment – a testament to the talent of the British creative industry.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...-new-bond-film

[Captain_Swoop]

Former M16 officer on Sky, Christopher Steele, says Russia did interfere with Brexit and Scottish referendum, that Russia is a big threat to UK & that UK leaders are not taking threats seriously.

What did it say about it in the Russia Report ?

Oops, it was never released was it and now it's conveniently forgotten in all the new scandal and corruption.

[Garrison]

And of course in the midst of all the other chaos COVID hasn't gone away:

Covid: Labour calls for Plan B measures in England

Quote:

Labour is calling on the government to bring in its Plan B measures to tackle Covid in England, including advice to work from home and compulsory masks.

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves also told the BBC the vaccine programme was "stalling" and needed to work better.

Of course the Chancellor sees things differently:

Quote:

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the data did not currently suggest "immediately moving to Plan B".

I assume the data in question is the latest polling numbers showing declining support for the Conservatives.

[Captain_Swoop]

Here’s a list of every MP who just voted to ALLOW water companies to continue dumping RAW SEWAGE in our rivers

Yesterday evening, 265 Tory MPs voted down an amendment to stop private water companies from dumping raw sewage into the UK’s rivers and coastlines.

“Lords Amendment 45 to the Environment Bill would have placed a legal duty on water companies in England and Wales “to make improvements to their sewerage systems and demonstrate progressive reductions in the harm caused by discharges of untreated sewage.”

“Despite the horrendous environmental impact of the disgusting practice, shortly before the vote, the Conservative Environment Secretary George Eustice recommended to his fellow MPs that they should reject it.”

“And, owing largely to the government’s 80 seat majority, the amendment was indeed defeated – by a margin of 268 MPs to 204.”

20 Tories voted for the amendment.

For your convenience, Evolve has collated a list of every single MP who voted to allow water companies to continue the horrendous practice of dumping raw sewage into our waterways


https://evolvepolitics.com/heres-a-l...in-our-rivers/

[Captain_Swoop]

George Eustace the Secretary for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs voted against the amendment. He recommended to his fellow MPs that they should reject it.

Bob Seely MP for the Isle of Wight-literally surrounded by water. Has been challenged and has today advised islanders he had to vote that way as voting against the government would put other funding for the island in jeopardy.

Helen Whately, who has been in the papers campaigning to stop Southern Water from discharging raw sewage into Faversham creek voted down the amendment.

Sir Graham Brady, the newly appointed VP of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health voted the amendment down. Why would an Environmental Health Officer think it acceptable to dump raw sewage into water courses?

[Captain_Swoop]

Southern Water recently fined for dumping sewage in the sea will now be doing it legally.

[Captain_Swoop]

Meanwhile in our newest city!

DEAD seagulls have been spotted along Southend seafront following a sewage spillage which has moved experts to warn beach-goers from entering the water.

Sewage has spilled onto Jubilee Beach and residents have been advised against swimming at Jubilee, Three Shells and Thorpe Bay beaches.

Last weekend Anglian Water teams discovered a ‘significant blockage’ in a sewer pipe that feeds Southend Water Recycling Centre, causing sewage to spill from one of the outfalls near Camper Road.

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/196...s-beach-water/

[Captain_Swoop]

Facebook

The Lefties are getting there nickers in a twist about human faeces in the rivers. It’s always been done!!!

We bathed in raw diarrhoea when we were kids and did us no harm etc.

[zooterkin]

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

Southern Water recently fined for dumping sewage in the sea will now be doing it legally.

How come? Has the law under which they were prosecuted changed?

[ohms]

Sort of. The Environment Agency released a statement that basically says that if water companies can't get water treatment chemicals then they can release untreated effluent into the rivers, subject to certain conditions:

https://www.gov.uk/government/public...-failure-rps-b

[Architect]

Can I just point out that the above refers only to England and, I think, Wales?

[Captain_Swoop]

Recycling plastics does not work, says Boris Johnson

Recycling plastic materials "doesn't work" and "is not the answer" to threats to global oceans and marine wildlife, Boris Johnson has said.
Answering children's questions ahead of the COP26 climate change summit, the prime minister said reusing plastics "doesn't begin to address the problem".
Instead, he said, "we've all got to cut down our use of plastic".

The Recycling Association said the PM had "completely lost the plastic plot".
The association's Simon Ellin told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme Mr Johnson's comments were "very disappointing" and seemed to conflict with government policy.

But some anti-plastic campaigners praised the prime minister's stance and urged him to follow it up with measures to dramatically reduce plastic at source.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59039155

[Captain_Swoop]

Water companies discharged raw sewage into rivers in England more than 400,000 times last year, according to figures published by the Environment Agency.

Untreated effluent, including human waste, wet wipes and condoms, was released into waterways for more than three million hours in 2020.

Apparently safeguards already exist and new measures would cost billions.

Yet the govt are quite happy to see billions go in profits to water companies shareholders.

How does the saying go? "Privatise the profits and socialise the losses"

[Captain_Swoop]

More news from our newest city

Southend-on-Sea: Fireworks display cancelled due to sewage leak

A seaside town fireworks display has been cancelled following a major sewage leak.
Anglian Water said sewage spilled after a "significant blockage" in a pipe in Southend-on-Sea, leaving one business owner calling the smell "rancid".
The Environment Agency has been investigating and told people to avoid the water at three beaches.

The leader of Southend Borough Council said the decision to cancel Saturday's fireworks had "not been taken lightly".

Earlier this week, Martin Richardson, the owner of the Happidrome Arcade on the seafront, said: "It stinks down there like you cannot imagine."
He said his business and others were forced to close and "it's just not right".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-59021420

[Carrot Flower King]

Am I the only one who recalls that, during the run up to the privatisation of the water companies, we were told that it was far, far easier for the private sector to raise the necessary funds for the necessary infrastructure works which would be necessary in order to keep up with and then improve standards than it was for publicly owned water authorities?

How's that one worked?

[Mojo]

Originally Posted by Carrot Flower King

Am I the only one who recalls that, during the run up to the privatisation of the water companies, we were told that it was far, far easier for the private sector to raise the necessary funds for the necessary infrastructure works which would be necessary in order to keep up with and then improve standards than it was for publicly owned water authorities?

How's that one worked?

I also remember that one of the reasons for privatising gas was that the government wanted gas prices to be reduced, but as long as it was in public ownership the Treasury wouldn’t allow it.

[Captain_Swoop]

They raised the funds but the shareholders got them.

[Captain_Swoop]

When your Tory MP tells you to that they voted against the amendment to protect us from soaring costs, remind them about the £57 billion of the water charges that got paid to shareholders since 91

[sphenisc]

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

Untreated effluent, including human waste, wet wipes and condoms, was released into waterways for more than three million hours in 2020.

I think at most it was 8784 hours.

[Mojo]

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

They raised the funds but the shareholders got them.

Something from the Brexit thread:

Originally Posted by The Don

tbh the only way that Brexit could be made to work is to reduce standards (if anyone believed it when the Government said we wanted to raise standards is only fooling themselves) in a race to the bottom to allow companies to maximise profits at the expense of the public and the environment.

The same applies to privatisation.

[Captain_Swoop]

In 2020 none of England’s rivers passed legal overall water quality standards.

https://www.newstatesman.com/comment...a-broken-model

[Carrot Flower King]

Oh, look - https://www.theguardian.com/politics...lobbying-rules - yet another of those "hard-working" MPs is suspended for not being able to read and/or being a corrupt ****!

Constituency work and representing your electorate not hard enough, eh, Owen? Left you with too much free time on your hands? Reading proposed legislature you are going to vote on too easy peasy? Turning up to vote just too simplistic for a man of your "talents"?

Finding it hard to live on £80+k a year? Not enough expenses to bolster that?

No local food banks to volunteer at? No local charities which could do with some help fund raising? No local hospitals taking on volunteers?

That must be a rare constituency, that Shropshire North...

I just don't understand where all these MPs get the time and energy for second, third, whatever jobs. They must be superhuman...I mean, we keep being told how hard they work for their constituents (see the hagiographyof Amess recently, of whom I can most certainly believe it) and how demanding all that legislating and holding to account is...And yet, I was totally screwed by my 37-40 hours of mere nursing and not fit for any second job. Truly we should be grateful to these superhumans...I mean, my MP manages to conduct invisible surgeries...

[Darat]

Tories will be Tories*.

Don't think we'll hit the peak Tory scandal years of the 90s but I'm sure they will be giving it the good old school try!


*Yes of course other parties have corrupted and greedy MPs, but in those parties it isn't the default behaviour!

[gypsyjackson]

Originally Posted by Carrot Flower King

Oh, look - https://www.theguardian.com/politics...lobbying-rules - yet another of those "hard-working" MPs is suspended for not being able to read and/or being a corrupt ****!

Constituency work and representing your electorate not hard enough, eh, Owen? Left you with too much free time on your hands? Reading proposed legislature you are going to vote on too easy peasy? Turning up to vote just too simplistic for a man of your "talents"?

Finding it hard to live on £80+k a year? Not enough expenses to bolster that?

No local food banks to volunteer at? No local charities which could do with some help fund raising? No local hospitals taking on volunteers?

That must be a rare constituency, that Shropshire North...

I just don't understand where all these MPs get the time and energy for second, third, whatever jobs. They must be superhuman...I mean, we keep being told how hard they work for their constituents (see the hagiographyof Amess recently, of whom I can most certainly believe it) and how demanding all that legislating and holding to account is...And yet, I was totally screwed by my 37-40 hours of mere nursing and not fit for any second job. Truly we should be grateful to these superhumans...I mean, my MP manages to conduct invisible surgeries...

I worked with Paterson for a couple of years when he was Defra Secretary. I won’t comment on his ability, but I am sad to hear of his wife’s death. I missed that last year.

Not sure it’s worth a recall election, given the constituency has only ever been Tory.

[Captain_Swoop]

Next week our government is in charge of one final effort to save the planet and our environment.

In unrelated news


BBC Breakfast tweeted

@BBCBreakfast
WATCH: Untreated sewage was released into Langstone Harbour, Hampshire for 49 hours.
Photographer Chris Pearsal, who captured the footage, tells #BBCBreakfast ‘it needs to stop’. https://bbc.in/3mcMo5O

Video in link
https://twitter.com/BBCBreakfast/sta...82664206311429

[Captain_Swoop]

Langstone Harbour is an SSSI & nature reserve. It's also almost entirely enclosed by Portsea Island and Hayling Island, as the map attached shows you. This sewage, therefore, is not going to disperse easily.

[Carrot Flower King]

Oooooh, wait, hang on a mo!

It's all OK! Paterson was merely trying to draw attention to possible naughty chemicals in some stuff!

Of course one needs to be taking consultancy fees from 2 (that we know of so far) different companies to be able to do that. Can't possibly speak out about possible dangers without being paid to do so over and above the salary and expenses from your main gig, no sir! My speaking and writing is Valuable and Imprtant, so pay me, mf!

[Carrot Flower King]

And the ******* despicable **** is trying to pin his wife's suicide on him being investigated for being a corrupt ****! (Just heard on R4.)

Try not being a corrupt, lying ****, you ****!

[Darat]

Originally Posted by Carrot Flower King

And the ******* despicable **** is trying to pin his wife's suicide on him being investigated for being a corrupt ****! (Just heard on R4.)

Try not being a corrupt, lying ****, you ****!

And what is this crap about wanting to prove his “innocence” in a court - does he know he’s done something criminal?

[Captain_Swoop]

All this sewage nonsense should play well with the floating voters

[gypsyjackson]

Originally Posted by Captain_Swoop

All this sewage nonsense should play well with the floating voters

Ban this man.

[Captain_Swoop]

The healthcare firm that kept Tory MP Owen Paterson on a six-figure retainer won a £133m contract to produce Covid testing kits without any other company getting the opportunity to bid.

[Carrot Flower King]

^ So no corruption to see here, nosirree, nothing at all iffy, nothing dodgy and definitely nothing dishonest.

[The Don]

Originally Posted by Carrot Flower King

^ So no corruption to see here, nosirree, nothing at all iffy, nothing dodgy and definitely nothing dishonest.

Aha, but the fact that it's so blatant demonstrates his basic honesty. If he were dishonest then he'd have tried to hide it more effectively.

[jimbob]

Originally Posted by The Don

Aha, but the fact that it's so blatant demonstrates his basic honesty. If he were dishonest then he'd have tried to hide it more effectively.

Are you Actually Jacob Rees-Mogg? Or does he just read your sarcastic posts and decide to use them as his own arguments?

[Captain_Swoop]

Paul Dacre will get second chance to apply for Ofcom chair, ministers confirm

Interviews for TV regulator to be rerun despite panel saying former Daily Mail editor was ‘not appointable’

Paul Dacre will “imminently” be offered another chance to become chair of the media regulator, Ofcom, ministers have confirmed.

Ministers have been attempting to appoint the former Daily Mail editor to run the watchdog since last summer. They had thought in May that this had been achieved, only for Dacre unexpectedly to flunk his final interview, with the interview panel saying he was “not appointable”.
Individuals with knowledge of the recruitment process say this was despite Dacre being offered guidance on what to say in the interview and how to meet the job description criteria.
Rather than appoint one of the candidates who had been successfully vetted, ministers instead decided to rerun the hiring process to give Dacre another shot.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...isters-confirm

[Captain_Swoop]

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has announced a new Beatles museum for Liverpool in his Budget.

I thought they already had one?