this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
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UK Politics

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

It’s almost as though the government of the last decade were so busy giving their mates handouts, asset stripping the public sector and privatising whatever they could, that they forgot to invest in britain’s old and inflexible energy infrastructure and now that every successive winter brings the UK to almost-blackouts they blame the only entity they can think of besides themselves - the regulator they have deliberately hamstrung with budget cuts and a revolving door of nepotistic appointees at the top the whole time they’ve been in power.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I love a good Tory bashing. It's jolly good fun. But this is Daily Mail rant level of absurdity.

every successive winter brings the UK to almost-blackouts

Improving public debate should surely start with representing fact?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Good point. As we head into a risky 2023, here is my counter query: how many times in a row does it need to be a risk before we can say “every winter”?

Great Britain faces rising risk of winter blackouts, system operator warns - Guardian, 2021 - https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jul/22/great-britain-faces-risk-of-winter-blackouts-system-operator-warns

What will happen if Britain has winter blackouts? - BBC, 2022 - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63170747

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Again, language matters. You're talking about every winter there are risks. And you've posted articles to support that. Great.

The poster I replied to specifically said this:

every successive winter brings the UK to almost-blackouts

That's very different. That's saying every winter the UK is almost entirely at a loss for power so much so that all or most of it are blacked out.... every year! That's patently not the case but this inflammatory rhetoric sounds good because it lays the blame on the feet of the Tories and draws a direct line between a near total lack of electricity in the UK and them. It's not unfair to point out that this isn't accurate.

I don't think should associate your reasonable view that risks aren't being mitigated year on year with the unreasonable and hyperbolic one the poster was making. It does your point a disservice.

Here's how I would have put it:

every successive winter brings the risk that certain parts of the UK might suffer temporary blackouts for a short period of time

Again, still totally unacceptable that that might be the case. No part of the UK should be without power. But a lot less over the top than the original comment.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 years ago

Fair. No further argument from me.