Sponsored by: The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, (now replaced by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and Department for Business and Trade) and The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero
Responsibility for national security and investment policy has gone to the Cabinet Office.
All clear?
Oh, is Energy Policy a key part of our “national security and investment policy”?
So responsibility for this bill lies somewhere within … all of the above.
Helpfully the Bill has a Long Title – too long to reproduce here, but covering every conceivable aspect of energy provision distribution storage and usage.
A perusal of the intersectional prose within the Bill swiftly drove me to conclude that this task could not yield reasonable comprehension in my lifetime.
However, judging by media comments, it should probably be retitled the “Energy – Dictatorial Powers – Bill” with much being made of “reasonable force” wielded to ensure compliance.
The Bill was considered by the Commons on 6th September, giving rise to a number of amendments, such as “Clause 56, page 50, line 21, at end insert— ““eligible hydrogen storage provider” is to be interpreted in accordance with section (Direction to offer to contract with eligible hydrogen storage provider)(4); “eligible hydrogen transport provider” is to be interpreted in accordance with section (Direction to offer to contract with eligible hydrogen transport provider)(4)””
I would wager that comprehension is also beyond the endurance of the MPs who debated and voted on it. The result is nitpicking amendments such as the above, which cover for inability to address major deficiencies.
Clearly Parliament is governed by whips – and we are governed by an Artificial Intelligence – legislation for bureaucrats to govern unconcerned by individual circumstance (let alone freedoms), mechanically following the legalistic verbiage through all the intersectionalities.
Neither new nor (yet) automated – it is the Statute Book, inherently incomprehensible, inexorably expanding – Parliament’s monster, undead, uncontrolled, rampant.
Ignorance of the law is no excuse but is guaranteed – we won’t understand our non-compliance until some official turns up to forcefully install a smart meter, or to stop us selling our house until we have ripped out our gas heating (that works) for a heat pump (that may not).
This bill will forcefully impose uncosted impractical solutions that deliberately put our quality of life last behind all the imagined dangers of living our previously happy carefree lives on what may still be, despite them all, the most beautiful planet, populated by the most beautiful people, in the universe.
Would that we had a parliament to match.
Floreat Gaia!
