“This nuclear power deal with China is one of the maddest ever struck” So says Polly Toynbee in the Guardian and I agree with her!
Not much keeps me awake at night, (it’s currently 4.48 am – and this has nothing to do with politics), but the sheer stupidity and arrogance of our current bunch of buffoons beggars belief.
Why do we need a Chinese company to build a nuclear power plant in England? Are we so hopelessly incapable of designing and building such a plant? If so we should be ashamed. When I was a 16 year old kid we went on a trip to Trawsfynydd nuclear power plant in Wales.
According to Wikipedia The power station was designed by Sir Basil Spence, and built by a consortium involving Crompton Parkinson, Fairey Engineering and Richardsons Westgarth. It began in July 1959, and both of the reactors were in operation by March 1965, with the station opening fully in October 1968, at a cost of £103 million. The civil engineering work was undertaken by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts and Trollope & Colls.
All good British names and no foreign investment in sight!
So, why some 50 years later do we need the Chinese, or anyone else for that matter, to come and show us how to build nuclear power plants.
Why do we need the Chinese to build it when our Government’s says (see Construction 2025) :
“Construction is a sector where Britain has a strong competitive edge. We have world-class expertise in architecture, design and engineering, and British companies are leading the way in sustainable construction solutions.
Changes in the international economy are creating new opportunities for Britain. To help boost the economic recovery, Government is doing all it can to help British businesses grow and have the aspiration, confidence and drive to compete in the global race.”
Oh yeah that’s why its slashed the renewable subsidy by 87% sending solar and wind companies crashing, onshore wind is destroyed by the government’s refusal to grant planning permission, and thousands of jobs are lost at steel plants due to the flood of cheap Chinese steel.
Apart from the security concerns of having a Chinese nuclear bomb embedded in our back yard (don’t snigger read what our security service says), what does all this say about our once great construction and engineering industries? What does it say about us as a nation that we put up with this!
No wonder I can’t sleep!
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