As the energy debate remains a pivotal concern for Australian voters, the imperative for both major parties to present viable and legitimate policy solutions has never been more critical.
Labour, like the SNP, had promised to work in partnership with the oil and gas sectors. But, despite this, they have since confirmed their plans to bring about a cliff-edge end to North Sea production.
Britain Remade suggests we now rank 15th out of 16 countries by construction cost per megawatt-hour of generating capacity. The causes are depressingly familiar.
Fifty years on from Edward Heath, another Conservative Prime Minister faces their premiership being brought even lower by a Middle Eastern energy shock.
Developing our remaining reserves creates employment opportunities and generates much-needed tax revenues as we transition to alternatives.
All of our existing nuclear plants are scheduled to close by 2036 in the UK, so this government and the next must demonstrate urgency on this.
In the absence of a convincing change narrative, the Prime Minister fell back yesterday on trying to frighten voters with a Labour government.
The sum total of all this is that Hunt’s wiggle room for tax cuts this Autumn is shrinking even further.
The goalposts cannot be moved. We have a moral, legal, and economic duty to cut our emissions by 68 per cent of 1990 levels by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050.
I believe firmly that it is in our environmental, economic, moral, and – yes – political interests as Conservatives to make sure we lead on this issue rather than talk it down. We shouldn’t be coy about putting forward this positive vision.
“So I’ll have no truck with anyone saying we lack ambition. But there’s nothing ambitious about merely asserting a goal for a short-term headline without being honest with the public about the tough choices and sacrifices involved.”
“Can we be brave in the decisions we make, even if there is a political cost? Can we be honest when the facts change, even if it’s awkward?”
It’s time the Government saw the wood for the trees and stopped fritting away taxpayers’ hard-earned cash when so many key questions around this energy source remain unanswered.
Over-turning the ban may be a cause célèbre for the free market right. But any genuine effort to tackle our energy security problem is going to require both a massive programme of spending and the clunking fist of central government.
To their credit, ministers are trying to make some changes that will speed up the process. But there are fundamental changes needed, such as fixing environmental impact assessments.