Originally Posted by Mick Fisher (Post 34929437)

Nothing the Idiot will do to try to buy himself a favourable mention in History with our money surprises me.

But, like the rest of our cash he has squandered, I fear it is all wasted and History, if he gets a mention at all, will remember him for the Pompous Idiot he is.

Originally Posted by Doughnut (Post 34929542)

use their cars less and also stop eating animals.

Originally Posted by Doughnut (Post 34929542)

I think it's good that he is taking climate change seriously. I wish everyone else would and use their cars less and also stop eating animals.

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929558)

I'd rather watch the planet drown and then burn than never have another Kobe Steak or another Fry....

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929558)

I don't have a car, because at this time I don't need one, but I'm not stopping eating meat. I'm an omnivore, and I'd rather watch the planet drown and then burn than never have another Kobe Steak or another Fry....

Originally Posted by Doughnut (Post 34929542)

.. and also stop eating animals.

Originally Posted by danielf (Post 34929574)

The best thing anyone can do to save the planet is to have no children or just one child. The cumulative effects of having children dwarf whatever bad habits a person may have, so by not having children you can drive an SUV to the shops, take a plane into work, not recycle any of your rubbish, and eat however many steaks you want everyday, and still have better eco-credentials than a vegetarian cyclist that recycles all his rubbish and powers his house using solar energy.

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929684)

Nor do I have any children, and I sincerely doubt I ever will.

TBH, I'd have had more respect for Gordo if he'd put a couple of billion less into a fund for the third world, and instead put the balance to help fund the research into Nuclear Fusion being carried out in the UK. IMHO, all the other technologies being pushed on the worlds public are merely sticking plasters on an arterial bleeder.

If politicians where really sincere about wanting to tackle the human infulence on climate change, we'd be having a new Manhattan Program for Nuclear Fusion.... The fact that this is not on the cards means that we are screwed....

Originally Posted by Horace (Post 34929707)

6 Billion? Feh. You know the cost of bailing the banks out was £850 Billion right?

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929684)

Nor do I have any children, and I sincerely doubt I ever will.

TBH, I'd have had more respect for Gordo if he'd put a couple of billion less into a fund for the third world, and instead put the balance to help fund the research into Nuclear Fusion being carried out in the UK. IMHO, all the other technologies being pushed on the worlds public are merely sticking plasters on an arterial bleeder.

If politicians where really sincere about wanting to tackle the human infulence on climate change, we'd be having a new Manhattan Program for Nuclear Fusion.... The fact that this is not on the cards means that we are screwed....

Originally Posted by danielf (Post 34929718)

Personally, I think solar energy is the way to go. The sun is an (almost) endless supply of energy, that is more than sufficient to cater to the energy needs of the planet. A couple of solar panels on your roof won't do the job though.

I read in New Scientist a while ago about plans to harvest solar energy in space and then beam it back down to earth. Apparently, it was feasible, but not cost effective (yet). And if I recall correctly, it could potentially generate massive amounts of energy.

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929722)

Yes, and I read that there is enough heavy matter to make three micro-singularities, and place then in orbit about the earth, and then use those to provide endless energy for human consumption.... Thats about as likely to happen as solar pannels and giant orbital mirrors/solar collectors....

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929760)

Any sensible government would ensure that it can meet its own minimal energy needs. Rather than relying on "the market" to meet national energy needs from a purely profit driven motive... You only have to go back a couple of weeks to see EDF (I think it was) deciding not to build a new power station in the UK as its profits wouldn't be high enough at current prices.... Nice.... Lets let the lights go out, and have the country slip into anarchy (small possibility ofc), rather than the country ensuring we have secure energy supplies beyond 2014.... Politicians in the UK have this mantra running through their heads that market forces will always ensure that the needs of any and all markets will be met by the players in those markets. Given the last couple of years as an example, I'd say thats as utterly wrong as the self-regulatory nature of the internationl financial services sector....

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929775)

maybe it's time to revisit nationalisation ? lessons learned and all that

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929785)

Well.... If Norway, with a population of 5.5 million of so can run a nationalised oil industry, which thus far has made the Norwegian people an operating profit of mort than NK 2.5 trillion, I'd suggest that its more that possible to make to work....

Unfortunately in the UK, the moronic ass-hats in Westminister can't and wont run nationalised industries properly. They end up being political footballs to be screwed with for party political reasons. Run into the ground, and then sold off in bits, while the publics taxes continue to underwrite them. What a joke our leaders are....

Personally if I was running the country, I'd be throwing money, scientists, engineers and all sorts of technicians at Nuclear Fusion so that the UK would have total energy security. I'd ensure that once the technology was proven to be reliable and safe, that there would be the industrial infrastructure already in place that the fusion reactors could be fabricated in the UK. And we as a nation would be beholding to no-one else for the single most important glue that allows any 21st century nation to function (namely electricity). This new nationalised industry, that would be responsible for the construction, instillation and running of the Fusion Reactors would br run on the same model at Norways Statoil. With profits (once profits are made given the massive investment setting up this company/companies would cost) would all be directed into a "Fusion Fund", which would be similar to Norways "Oil Fund". Profit accumulates in the Fund, and the interest on those profits can then be used to pay for other things.... The important thing with the "Oil Fund" in Norway, is that by an act of the Norwegian Parliment, no government can skim off the underlying *profits* made by Statoil, unless Parliment itself votes to allow its use. Otherwise only the interest on the profits can be spent on social programs....

Ofc the above will never happen in the UK, because the politicians can't and won't allow it....

Originally Posted by danielf (Post 34929718)

Personally, I think solar energy is the way to go. The sun is an (almost) endless supply of energy, that is more than sufficient to cater to the energy needs of the planet.

Originally Posted by DaiNasty (Post 34929667)

I'm doing the planet a favour by eating animals. After all they produce all that nasty methane.

Originally Posted by Sparkle (Post 34929788)

I certainly agree with you there. All energy we use with the exception of nuclear (which includes geothermal), originated from the sun. Just think of all the tens of square thousands of miles of desert around the world that could be harnessed to provide all the energy we ever needed.
The problem isn't technology, its whether the generated energy would be cheaper than that supplied from oil or nuclear sources.
In a nut shell, cheap oil is preventing most other sources of energy which we could be using, from gaining a foothold in our energy economy.
There has never been an energy crisis, just an oil crisis.

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929787)

so you're saying our leaders haven't learned any lessons :rolleyes:

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929804)

Dude, you couldn't beat the most simple of lessons into our politicians with a length of 2 x 4.... :(

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929811)

Can I add another option to your list ?

d). Shoot the current generation of politicians as crooks and idiots, and then make a government and society based on truely democratic principles. Give the British people a Bill of Rights and written Constitution (similar to the ones America has), and then actually ensure that the politicians and government work to improve and protect the lives of citizens. Rather than pander to industry/market forces/institutionalised greed, corruption and incompitence. ;)

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929819)

I'm sorry but that was considered so far removed from reality that if any one suggested anything along those lines they are to be instantly comitted to the nearest asylum for the rest of their natural :nutter:

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929821)

So I should go grab my back-to-front coat then ? :p:

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929828)

the lads will be round in 10 :D

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929831)

Too late by then. I'll be cammed up and hiding in the dark by then. ;)

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929843)

Originally Posted by danielf (Post 34929851)

That's a nice bit of spam you've got there :erm: :D

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929794)

the problem i see with solar is a it's not that efficient and b it's no good in places like britain .We would still be held over a barrel by countries that it does work in

Earl of Bronze has got the right idea ,massive investment in nuclear fusion ,this would give us self sufficiency

Originally Posted by Sparkle (Post 34929856)

Not quite mate. Solar power is efficient, in fact it can be extremely efficient. Its merely the photo-voltaic cells which convert blue light into electric voltage, which are inefficient. Usually only a few percent. Stirling engines have been used successfully for solar power, and they are the most efficient engines ever devised by man (65+% efficiency).

.

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929865)

still aint gonna work in this country though is it

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929865)

still aint gonna work in this country though is it

Originally Posted by danielf (Post 34929867)

It will if you harvest it in space (24/7) and beam it down to earth. :)

Originally Posted by danielf (Post 34929867)

It will if you harvest it in space (24/7) and beam it down to earth. :)

Originally Posted by Sparkle (Post 34929868)

No, but then neither is fusion power any time soon.
Though, it shouldn't have to. If humans could just get along with one another, the solar power generating countries could supply us with all the hydrogen we would ever need (hydrogen could be produced from on-site electrolysers). Perhaps by then, fresh water will be in such demand that we could trade water for hydrogen or something along those lines?

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929808)

agreed ,i was just under the misguided impression that our glorious leaders actually had a clue :dunce:


anywho ..what happens if our leaders don't reach an agreement , will they

a) stay and sacrifice their Christmas to reach an agreement for the betterment of mankind because they are so committed to the cause as stated by Brown and Obamah repeatedly on sky news

b)go back to their respective countries think long and hard and return next year with the solution

c)forget it and just have a big shindig on the tax payer and think of more "conferences" that can cost us millions

answers on a self addressed envelope to mr G Brown 10 Downing street

Originally Posted by Earl of Bronze (Post 34929870)

Sparkle.... Surely the reactor only needs to maintain the 150 million degree temperature to start the fusion reaction ? Unless I picked up the info wrong ofc....

Originally Posted by martyh (Post 34929843)

ah well you see Mr G Brown has that one covered ...because of his intelligence and foresight he made it legal for council officials to rummage through your bins looking for recyclable rubbish in the wrong bin and if found (and i'm sure there will be some )they have the power to burst into your home on trumped up terrorist charges and shoot you ...so there


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