The Cheviot, the Stag and Scottish Gas

It is ironic that consumers in the North of Scotland are facing higher energy price rises than those in the South, while, at the same time, large swathes of the Highlands are being turned into an industrial landscape with the construction of the Beauly-Denny power line and a large number of windfarms. It is also ironic when several rural areas on the Scottish mainland are now being considered for fuel discounts, including some in the Highlands. Someone, somewhere is not joining up the dots. Petrol is currently 10p per litre higher in Wester Ross than it is in the central belt and the proposed extension of the discount scheme is too late to save petrol stations such as Achnasheen from closure. Rural communities are being disproportionately hard-hit in these times of austerity - they need a helping hand with fuel bills both for transport and heating if we are not to see another Highland clearance, this time with wind turbines replacing people. If the European Commission does not agree with the extension of the fuel discount, we should tell them where to go. The same goes for Scottish Gas.

SNP energy policy - getting warmer

Well! They say a week is a long time in politics. It's less than a week since Calton said don't hold your breath for the SNP to remove unfair subsidies from consumer fuel bills. Now Nicola Sturgeon has announced just that, at the SNP's conference in Perth. Perhaps they've been reading this blog. Whatever the reason for today's announcement, it is very welcome in Calton's opinion. It is manifestly unfair that poor people should be paying more on their fuel bills in order to help even poorer people, especially now that we know that children of working parents are more likely to suffer poverty than those of unemployed parents. Some of the people struggling the most to pay their bills are now people who earn just enough to stop them receiving benefits but not enough to cover the rising cost of living. Calton is not against helping those in fuel poverty but the help should come out of general taxation, not through our fuel bills. Subsidies for home insulation should also be means-tested. In this respect, Nicola is thinking what Calton is thinking. Now all we need is for Westminster to take a lead from the SNP and the SNP to remove subsidies for windfarm builders. Calton is still not holding his breath.

SNP energy policy - turning folk blue?

So, let's just see if Calton has got this right - not only are hard-pressed consumers paying 9% of their energy bills to subsidise green energy, the taxpayer is paying £725,000 to councils up and down Scotland to help them cope with the avalanche of wind farm planning applications which is threatening to bury them alive. More than 2500 in the last 18 months. If building windfarms is so popular, why are we subsidising it? You only subsidise things which need encouragement. It's time this scam scheme was stopped, before it pushes even more families and pensioners into fuel poverty. If removing the subsidies results in fewer planning applications, so much the better because then councils will be able to cope with them. Councils should also be left to make the decisions on individual planning applications without Scottish Government interference - Calton does not believe that the Scottish Government is able to strike the right balance between providing green energy and the need to satisfactorily address the impacts on communities and the environment, due to its over-ambitious green energy targets. If the SNP/Greens have their way, you won't be able to see Scotland for a forest of turbines and we can wave bye-bye to our tourism industry. Forcing price freezes is not the way to go - governments can't rig the market - but removing unfair subsidies is within the control of the Westminster Government and would be within the control of an independent Scottish Government. Don't hold your breath if it's SNP. Your face will turn as blue as your frozen extremities.

SNP - changing direction with the wind?

Well that was quick. No sooner has the First Minister told us that oil and gas are important to the Scottish economy when a leaked Scottish Government document says that we need to move away from "price volatile fossil fuels". Calton tends to think that the leak is more trustworthy, since it is more in line with the SNP's policy of covering the countryside and coastline with windfarms, subsidised by the Scottish consumer. If the SNP are serious about tackling fuel poverty in an independent Scotland they can start by removing this subsidy, which hits the poorest hardest, and telling windfarm developers to stand on their own two feet financially. That's exactly what English consumers will be telling us to do if we vote for independence but expect them to continue subsidising our renewables industry! And just where is the evidence that Scots are more pro-windfarms than the English? Is this just another 'wishful assertion' by the SNP? Or, to put it another way, yet more hot air from a government which does not listen to the electorate? (And, while we are on the subject of renewables, the link Calton put for the tidal project at Kylerhea in an earlier post ceased to function shortly after he linked to it but it seems to be back up again and can be viewed here.)

Some things are irreplaceable

Does anyone seriously believe the Scottish Government when it says that “We are committed to protecting wild land in Scotland"? Seriously? When every trip up north which Calton makes reveals yet more turbines dotting our hillsides, not to mention the construction site that is the Beauly-Denny power line? There is almost as much windfarm capacity in the planning pipeline as we have already built and almost four times as much is in the process of being scoped at the moment. If all is approved, we will go from the 4.4GW currently installed to nearly 30GW. How many more turbines will that be? More to the point, where will they be situated? Current proposals drawn up by SNH designate pockets of protected wild land but many truly wild areas have been left out and windfarms will be visible from many of the protected areas because the pockets are so small in size. It is a patchwork approach designed to satisfy the SNP's energy policy, not protect Scotland's scenery and related tourism industry. It's time the Scottish Government called a halt to large-scale windfarm development in Scotland's wild areas and looked instead at unobtrusive schemes such as the underground hydro generator at Inverlael near Ullapool. Because if we trash our countryside, we won't get it back.

Endangered species of the political kind

At time of writing, the Times vote on whether we should be in or out of the EU was 56% OUT to 44% IN. Calton voted OUT. That should come as no surprise to his regular readers. If we left the EU our farmers would at least be able to bury their dead sheep instead of paying the knacker to take them away. We would be able to manage our own fish stocks. We wouldn't be forced into an unaffordable energy policy by EU directives. We would be our own boss again. Unfortunately Alex Salmond is so wedded to the European ideal that even UKIP's tremendous gains in last week's English elections fail to warn him of his impending doom if he carries on down the EU path. For far too long our political elite have not been listening to voters and have not given them a choice on Europe (or gay marriage). It's therefore no surprise that UKIP are cleaning up - no the EU, no to gay marriage, no to windfarms. What's not to like? (Unless you are a Libdem, in which case you are an endangered species.) If the SNP don't start listening to the electorate, they too will be on the endangered list.

Paying through the nose every time the wind blows

Our energy policy is a mess. New rules by Ofgem have forced all domestic energy suppliers to apply a standing charge for electricity and gas, in addition to the cost per unit used. It doesn't take a maths degree to realise that this penalises low users, the very sort of behaviour we should be encouraging. What's the point of insulating your house to cut your bills when you get hammered by a big standing charge regardless of your usage? The poor consumer is now also paying for wind turbines to be switched off when it gets too windy and the grid is at risk of being overloaded. This is absolute nonsense. Thousands of people are now living in fuel poverty and what do our governments do? Increase our bills! If the SNP succeed in covering Scotland with windfarms, how much money will have to be paid out every time a gale blows? Why is Ofgem not forcing suppliers to do away with standing charges altogether and just charge a flat rate per unit? That would encourage people to turn off the lights and turn down the thermostat. Ultimately, we need to reduce our energy usage, not keep building expensive, inefficient windfarms which only profit energy companies and landowners.

Good week, bad week

Calton has just had an email informing him that his energy bill will be increased by 27.5% as of next month. How much of this, he wonders, is going to fund wind turbines like the one in Hatton, Aberdeenshire which blew down in a gale recently? If, instead of subsidising windfarms, our government subsidised clean coal power stations, perhaps Scottish Coal would not now be in administration with the loss of nearly 600 jobs. Miners facing redundancy will hardly be cheered by the sight of turbines popping up all over the countryside, as windfarms do not bring much long-term employment, although there may be some jobs going in clearing up the fallen ones after every storm. There's no such thing as an ill wind......That was the bad week. The good week is that this blog will not be affected by the new press regulation, seeing as how the turnover is zilch and the number of employees is zero, Calton being the sole, self-employed author. Also, those who, like Calton, are feeling somewhat disenfranchised by the main Scottish political parties now have a new one to vote for - The Alliance Party of Scotland. About time too.

Cheap and dirty - the way to go

Not only are American households seeing lower energy bills thanks to fracking, it now transpires that the US is dumping coal they no longer want on to the international market with the result that Scottish coal miners now face redundancy because the price has dropped. Good news for the US but bad news for Scotland. Our energy policy is in a mess - we are desecrating our wild land with windfarms and yet a wave power facility in Inverness is closing, coal is cheap and plentiful and yet we are converting Cockenzie to run on gas instead. We really need to get our act together and formulate an energy policy that keeps the lights on and the bills down while sustaining Scottish jobs -  just building windfarms is not going to do it. Time for the Scottish Government to recognise that clean and green is all very well but cheap and dirty is better. Otherwise the First Minister's words today about providing support to miners facing redundancy will be pretty cold comfort.

The Scottish Tories get it

Labour won back control of Fife Council last year on a manifesto which, among other things, included a moratorium on all planning applications for land-based wind turbines pending a consultation. When they tried to fulfil their manifesto pledge, the Scottish Government blocked it. Yet more evidence, as far as Calton is concerned, that the SNP are not interested in the democratic will of the people. He therefore welcomes the new energy policy review paper produced by the Scottish Conservatives which majors on shifting control over energy policy away from central government and back to local communities. Their proposal to cut the current £350 million a year onshore wind farm subsidy is also welcome because it is manifestly unfair to expect people to subsidise this inefficient method of power generation from their pockets, particularly in a time of rising prices and fuel poverty. Nice to see that at least one of the major political parties has their head screwed on right and has seen through the windfarm scam.

PS. If you want to see a nice picture of Scotland's mountains sans windfarms, see @CaltonHillEagle on twitter.

Less hot air and more action!

When, oh when, are our Governments going to do something about rising energy bills? Calton highlighted the issue 3 months ago and we don't seem to be any further forward, with new warnings today from the Chief of Ofgem about price rises. Domestic energy bills are crippling many families and forcing them into debt. Yes, steps are being taken to insulate homes and make them more energy-efficient but we also need to keep prices down, and the lights on, by sensible planning for the future, which probably includes new nuclear. Westminster seems at least to understand that, unlike Alex Salmond. Unfortunately, both Governments have sat on their hands for far too long, given that you can't build a power station in a day. Time for less hot air and more action guys!

Great expectations

It's obviously good news that Statoil are to invest £billions in the Mariner North Sea oil field with hundreds of new jobs. Looks like the black gold will keep flowing a while yet, contrary to what Calton said a couple of days ago. The contradictory news stories of the past week do, however, demonstrate the unwisdom of relying on oil to gain us entry into the EU and support things like free tuition and free personal care for the elderly. It's just too volatile, not unlike another energy source currently popular with the Scottish Government, namely wind. Is Calton just being mischievous in seeing a link between slippery Salmond with his hot air and the forms of energy he and his party favour? Perhaps. Anyway you can't beat a roaring log fire at this time of year and Calton already has his stocking hanging up by the mantelpiece!

Turning tables on the loan sharks

Calton is very pleased to see that the Westminster Government has agreed to restrict the amount of interest which can be charged on payday loans. In an ideal world this sort of finance would not be needed. As it is, at least some sort of limit will now be imposed on the hitherto eye-watering interest rates charged by payday loan firms, which just served to keep people enslaved to short-term, high-interest credit. All praise to those who have worked hard to bring this legislation into being, including the incoming Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. It would be nice if he now turned his attention to the soaring energy bills which are forcing people to take payday loans in the first place.

Coal - the answer to fuel poverty

The coalition government in Westminster obviously hasn't a clue about how ordinary people are struggling to pay their energy bills, otherwise they wouldn't have just voted for a £100 rise in our annual bills by 2020! Their energy policy is a shambles, and the Scottish Government's one is even worse. There is no ideal way of generating electricity and the sooner our politicians grasp that nettle and start thinking about their constituents, the better. In the years following WW2 this country invested hugely in building steam locomotives when the rest of Europe was going electric. The reason? We had massive reserves of coal and didn't want to be dependent on any other nation. Would that today's governments had the same sense. We still have large reserves of coal, which could produce cheap energy without us being dependent on any other nation, and Calton doesn't see why we shouldn't be using it, especially when China is building coal-fired power stations like there is no tomorrow. The Greens will answer that there will be no tomorrow if we keep burning fossil fuels, however a couple of coal-fired power stations in Scotland is a drop in the ocean, especially if we invest in carbon capture. The real answer is to put money into improving our housing stock so that it takes less energy to heat it. That way, we all win.

A waste of hot air

A lot of heat was generated during FMQs yesterday but unfortunately the hot air did not reach as far as Calton's eyrie high above Holyrood. There is also a distinct lack of politicians wanting to cosy up to Calton at the moment. Might be something to do with the beak. Or the talons. Or maybe politicians are learning that it is not a good idea to be too friendly with the media. Or maybe Calton isn't rich enough to be invited round to Bute House for a nice hot cuppa. Anyway, the net result is that he is having to turn the central heating up these cold Edinburgh nights, other more environmentally friendly methods of keeping warm having failed!

Tree power

Calton presumes that the article about wiring children up to harness the power of their movements on Business Scotland on Sunday was an April Fool, however someone should take the idea of wiring trees up for the same purpose seriously. After all, if we could use the movement of trees in the wind to produce electricity we would not have to build lots of windfarms - we could just use the existing forests in Scotland. Alternatively, if someone could figure out a way of collecting and utilising the hot air which will be generated in the run-up to the council elections next month we could probably power Scotland for the next 10 years on it. And it is renewable!

Too much green tape

On one of his forays south of Edinburgh yesterday, Calton spotted yet another former industrial site being redeveloped for housing - the old Curtis papermill at Dalmore, Auchendinny. Granted, there are new industrial developments at the Bush but Calton doubts if they employ as many people as the mining and mills used to employ in years gone by. Penicuik has become yet another Edinburgh commuter town. The Scotsman on Saturday had an excellent article on the need for us to do something about our manufacturing industry. Scrapping some of the red tape imposed on us by the EU would be a good start. It is EU legislation that is shutting down Cockenzie coal-fired powerstation, in spite of the fact that it is one of the cheapest ways of generating power that we have right now. It's all very well being green when you're in the black. We're in the red and the emissions from Cockenzie are a drop in the ocean compared to all China's coal-fired stations. Time to stop this nonsense and look after our own interests for once.

Cash for tidal power at a low ebb

The tourist industry in Scotland accounts for 10% of our GDP and employs over 200,000 people. Why then is Alex Salmond determined to jeopardise this vital industry by covering the coastline and countryside with windfarms? Does this make sense? Calton thinks not. Investment in renewable energy would be better spent in the wave and tidal sector which is struggling at the moment for lack of cash up front to allow development to continue. At a time when fuel poverty is increasing rapidly it is also criminal to be adding to household fuel bills in order to line the pockets of windfarm landowners. If the Scottish and Westminster Governments are serious about helping the hard-up (and industry) they should start by cutting windfarm subsidies and lowering electricity bills.

Trump waxes hysterical

You've got to hand it to Trump - he doesn't mince his words. He's now talking of the First Minister becoming known as 'Mad Alex - the man who destroyed Scotland' because of Salmond's insistence on wind power being our salvation. It's hysterical, although not in the way that Willie Rennie meant. What is not so funny is the way in which the Libdem leader insists on playing sidekick to Alex in the latter's aim to cover the Highlands, Islands and Everywhere Else with turbines. Is Calton not right in thinking that, of the four Libdem MSPs Willie has left with him in Holyrood, two have constituencies in the Highlands and Islands? If the windfarms don't bring the 'tens of thousands of jobs' which the Scottish Government is promising, those MSPs had better start planning an alternative career, otherwise they may end up 'spending more time with their families'.

Something fishy off the coast of Fife

As if Scotland's fishermen didn't already have enough problems to contend with, their livelihood is now also being threatened by windfarm developments. Instead of learning from the plight of fishermen in Holderness, Yorkshire, the Scottish Government is going ahead with plans which will directly impact fishing off the East Neuk of Fife. This, in turn, will affect an area which has already suffered the decline and death of the mining industry. It may also have a negative effect on the tourist industry in East Fife. Are the East Neuk villages going to be quite as quaint and attractive with huge turbines just offshore? It would be a different matter if the windfarms were going to provide local jobs. Instead, the subsidies paid for by an extra premium on our fuel bills will go to line the pockets of foreign companies. The Dutch have realised this and cut subsidies to windfarms. Time for the SNP to do the same.