Blank Screens Loom Nearer

By Christopher Booker

Last week, several of the electricity generating companies issued a joint warning that Britain faced severe power cuts in the not-too-distant future. This brought a little nearer the time when people wake up to the energy crisis looming over this country - just as the government seems prepared to hand over control of energy policy to the European Union.

It was revealed that all our large, coal - fired power stations are likely to be closed by the cost of complying with the EU's Large Combustion Plant directive. This comes on top of fears that, as North Sea gas runs out and the nuclear plants, which provide 23 per cent of our electricity, are closed, within seven years we shall be largely dependent on imported energy. Meanwhile, the government seems so hypnotised by its EU "renewables obligation" that it pins all its hopes on expensive and inefficient wind farms.

Last Monday, at a meeting of EU foreign ministers, Jack Straw was so keen to see the draft EU constitution agreed in time for December's summit in Rome , that he raised no objection to the proposed "common energy policy", which will prevent us from making bilateral deals with countries such as Norway to ensure our energy supplies. Instead, we shall be at the mercy of EU negotiators with no particular concern for British interests.

When those power cuts strike havoc at our computer-based economy, leaving us staring into blank screens in the dark, we shall certainly have a few more "benefits" of EU membership for which to thank Tony Blair.
Sunday Telegraph, 2nd November 2003