New Atlantic Array

All three main political parties have pushed through ruinous green policies, notably ineffective wind farms, which may benefit wealthy landowners and overseas companies, but impoverish the consumer i.e. Joe Public. On the basis, climate change MAY happen.

The New Atlantic Array will despoil an outstanding area of England’s scenic coastline. To what end? Simply to line the pockets of an over subsidised ‘green’ power supplier.

Even Germany is now committed to a new generation of coal driven electricity power stations, because the Germans wish to phase out nuclear power stations and wind power is too unreliable to stand alone as a primary source of power.

In contrast, Air Pollution causes 30,000 death per year, according to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, and needs addressing urgently - but where are all the 'green' cheerleaders in Parliament?

Air Pollution is estimated to cost NHS £20 billion a year - it would cost a fraction of this per year to put into infrastructure programmes, which would help kick start the economy, and solve the problem.

Relatively few places in the UK have been designated Air Quality Management Areas (AQMAs), which means air pollution is already above the limits set by the EC (agreed by the UK). Clean Air for London, the leaders in this field, published the following:

"The European Commission (Commission) has objected to the UK’s application to delay compliance with one or both of the nitrogen dioxide (NO2) annual mean and hourly limit values in 12 of 24 zones from 1 January 2010 to 1 January 2015. In four of the 24 zones, the Commission has set shorter deadlines than the 2015 deadline requested. Only three of the UK’s 43 zones complied with both NO2 limit values by January 2010. These legal standards were introduced in 1999 to be complied with by 1 January 2010. Time extensions are subject to strict conditions including demonstrating that compliance will be achieved by the new deadline which cannot be later than 1 January 2015.

"The Commission’s decision noted, as Clean Air in London (CAL) had highlighted to the Commission in January 2012 and the Government clarified to the Commission in a letter dated 2 April 2012, the UK had not applied in September 2011 for a time extension for 16 further zones, for which compliance was expected by 2020 and in London’s case by 2025, despite the Commission initially considering it had done so. In a ground breaking legal case, brought against the Government by ClientEarth, the Court of Appeal confirmed on 30 May 2012 that the Commission can take infringement action against the UK for breaches of NO2 limit values in 2010 (or thereafter) unless a time extension is obtained."

Botley's case is made stronger than most of these cases, because both (Tory) Hampshire County Council and (LibDem) Eastleigh Borough Council have already indicated they will be rapidly pushing ahead with new housing developments in close proximity to Botley High Street AQMA. Their reason for doing so is to start (and finish) building houses before they are stopped in their tracks by the Commission.

What hypocrites some politicians are, wringing their hands at the need for a massive expansion of wind power, when they know the technology does not work when the wind stops blowing, and without massive on-going subsidies schemes like the new Atlantic Array would be shelved.

Is it any wonder when Tim Yeo, Chair of the House of Commons Climate Change Committee earns an additional £140K a year from ‘green’ posts; Nick Clegg’s wife Miriam is apparently a well-paid advisor to ‘green’ companies; and David Cameron’s father-in-law pockets £400K+ for wind farms on his estate. 

Today's Guardian, http://bit.ly/OInoxB, contains news of Prince Charles's ability to amend new legislation, if he considers his private Duchy of Cornwall interests could be affected.

As you are probably aware, the Civil List is being scrapped, instead the Royal Household will receive a percentage of income from The Crown Estate (which, incidentally, was sold off by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert to the taxpayer in return for - you guessed it! - the Civil List).

The Crown Estate will claim for leasing the seabed, under dubious ancient royal prerogative, for wind farms.

Given the New Atlantic Array revised proposal was initially for 417 turbines, now reduced to between 188 and 278, this still creates a considerable source of annual income for the Crown Estate.

It begs the question whether Prince Charles's private interests (i.e. the Duchy of Cornwall) outweigh the public interest, notably objections to the New Atlantic Array?

More importantly, it is essential the wall of secrecy is removed, via a Freedom of Information request (or should that be battle?), from Prince Charles to see how much he has influenced 

a) the proposed switch to The Crown Estate; 

b) any influence he may have had on legislation claiming the income for The Crown Estate, rather than to HM Treasury; and 

c) the contents of any correspondence on the New Atlantic Array.

Remember Nick Clegg professing outrage over unelected peers exercising power over the democratically elected House of Commons? Not a peep, however, on the unique, unaccountable, influence Prince Charles is in a position to exert to his own personal benefit. 

It's frankly bizarre to allow royal prerogatives such as these to exist in a democracy in the 21st century.

Once upon a time, schemes like the new Atlantic Array, with the massive indirect benefits to individuals, would, especially in another country, have engendered moral outrage, and a lecture on corruption, in the Mother of Parliaments. 

The message from the Coalition Government is people can carry on dying from air pollution, as there is no profit to be made from this truly ‘green’ issue, now termed the “Greatest Health Scandal of the 21st Century”.

In the meantime, Boris Johnson will continue spraying roads in front of air pollution monitoring stations in London to artificially reduce emissions levels.