Coalition backs nuclear option

The plain truth of the matter is that this country is now paying a heavy financial price for the failure of successive governments to invest in new power supplies. The consequence is that Britain, once a self-sufficient nation when it came to energy, is now totally dependent on signing deals with French firm EDF Energy which will build the new nuclear plant in Somerset with financial backing from Chinese investors.

It remains to be seen whether Energy Secretary Ed Davey secured the best possible deal for taxpayers – Britain will pay double the current market rate for electricity produced at Hinkley Point – but this price will fall if EDF Energy builds two new nuclear reactors at Sizewell in Suffolk.

Yet the uncertainty about current, and future, energy bills is the primary reason why this issue is proving so difficult for David Cameron’s government – and why it is being exploited by Ed Miliband’s proposed price freeze – even though the legacy of green taxes stems from the Doncaster MP’s stint as Energy and Climate Change Secretary.

In many respects, Mr Cameron is in an invidious position as he wrestles 
with three competing demands – national security, the need to provide sufficient supplies in future and a desire to keep a lid 
on spiralling costs at a 
time when economic growth is failing to catch up with steep rises in the cost of living that have hit the finances of so many households.

The Prime Minister could shed some light on this triple whammy by compelling fuel suppliers to produce a financial breakdown on each bill that reveals how much money is being spent on green taxes – and how much is going towards new projects like Hinkley Point.

If people can then see the extent to which their benevolence is being exploited by the “Big Six”, and the lack of correlations between bills and fluctuations in wholesale prices, they might be more inclined to take the trouble to shop around for a cheaper deal – the very objective of Margaret Thatcher’s privatisation policy 30 years ago.

Pulling together

THE reason that Professor Paul Johnstone’s enlightened new initiative on improving the health of this area deserves to prosper is that the Public Health England regional supremo has the ability to think outside the box when it comes to making policy.

Unlike the blinkered approach of so many public sector officials who are reluctant to stray outside the confines of their brief, whether it be the NHS, education or jobs, Prof Johnstone believes experts from these spheres need to come together if the North-South health divide is to be narrowed.

He’s right to speak out. Individuals, particularly those living in some of the more deprived parts of Yorkshire, will have a far greater chance of securing regular employment if they enjoy sound health. However this will not happen if they live in rented accommodation which is riddled by damp, for example, or if they do not possess the skills that most employers expect of recruits.

The challenge now is converting this vision into a reality at a time when NHS trusts across the region cannot keep pace with the demands of an ageing population, and when so many other public bodies are struggling to balance their budgets.

Yet, as Prof Johnstone has shown, there is a greater likelihood of them making a lasting difference if they’re prepared to challenge existing orthodoxies and look to the future.

A new ball game

AFTER their shock warm-up defeat, England’s rugby league stars will be hoping that it is a whole new ball game when they kick off their World Cup campaign this Saturday against their old foes from Australia.

A successful campaign will be the best way for harnessing the one-off publicity that will be generated by terrestrial television coverage – rugby league was one of Grandstand’s staple diets for decades – and promoting the sport beyond its M62 heartlands.

This, after all, is a sport which was transformed by the advent of the Super League in 1996, and introduction of summer rugby. It no longer revolves around the “up and under” tactics that saw BBC commentator Eddie Waring become a household name before being succeeded by Ray French who will hang up his TV microphone at the end of this tournament; it is now one of the fastest and most dynamic team sports, with workaholic England skipper Kevin Sinfield – the pride of Leeds Rhinos – epitomising the determination of the current crop of players.

Yet, with the RFL struggling, for whatever reason, to attract much-needed sponsors, it is even more important that Sinfield’s side, coached by Steve McNamara, hits the ground running and make the most of this opportunity to convert a whole new generation of rugby league devotees.