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Yeah, it's little to do with Brexit. This current crisis is mostly about Ukraine. America wants a war in Ukraine and the UK are, as always, its ride or die pupp
by pydry 4y ago
Yeah, it's little to do with Brexit. This current crisis is mostly about Ukraine. America wants a war in Ukraine and the UK are, as always, its ride or die puppets. The whole of Europe is now reeling from energy insecurity as a result of this proxy war.
A different energy policy over the last decade could have made the crisis slightly better or worse but it was in essence as unavoidable in the UK as it is in France or Germany. France, with its aging fleet of expensive nuclear reactors may even suffer more.
The only way to absolutely avoid the energy crisis would have been to avoid getting embroiled in the proxy war.
- mytailorisrich 4y agoThe UK produces half its gas and has the potential to be more or less self-sufficient. At the same time they did not invest in other sources, especially nuclear. It's not that the crisis could have been made slightly better: The UK could have been pretty much insulated from the energy crisis. Yes, hindsight is great but the UK's energy policy has really been awful for decades and disaster was coming one way or another (for instance because of EVs taking the grid down...)
- pydry 4y agoThe UK produces less than half in the north sea and can produce maybe a bit more than half. They are now trying to use the current crisis to push for fracking because the north sea cant produce nearly enough. The deep unpopularity of this move even in the context of an energy crisis is partly why this government lasted a few months. If this is what you mean by "potential that should be exercised" then you're basically politically on the same page as the shortest reigning PM in history.
- mytailorisrich 4y agoThe majority of the UK's electricity production uses gas. Had they invested in nuclear (and wind) instead they could be self-sufficient in gas. But on the other hand the ban on fracking in Europe is ideological and does not make sense, either. Of course impact should be assessed on a case by case basis but domestic production trumps imports for such a strategic commodity. In the meantime the US are now the largest gas exporter.
- pydry 4y agoThey did invest in nuclear and wind.
- archagon 4y agoCalling it a proxy war is buying into Russian propaganda. Europe would have likely reacted largely the same way without US involvement. The war is between Ukraine and Russia, period.