The one quality that Napoleon Bonaparte valued in his generals was that they had to be “lucky”!
Looking at the weather forecast, it can be said that Boris has this quality for as long as the wind keeps blowing and the temperature is mild (for winter) the large number of wind turbines will keep sending electricity to the grid. This combined with increased supplies of liquefied gas reaching UK ports reduces the risk of power cuts.
That we have the situation where Her Majesty’s Government has caused the UK’s electricity supply to be dependent on the vagaries of the British weather is a predicament that if foretold by a fairground fortune teller to a visiting cabinet minister in the 1970s or before, would have been dismissed as ridiculous. The minister receiving the prediction would doubtless have told the fortune teller to try making her predictions a little more realistic!
NB: I realise that I have just made a sexist statement by using the feminine “her” and not the gender neutral “their”. Do I care? Err, no.
It is truly depressing to note that there are groups of flat owners who are seriously considering the installation of a shared back-up diesel/propane generator to safeguard their welfare despite none being in the ordinary course of events of the income level where such is routinely considered.
The cause of all of these difficulties is of course the ridiculous notion that CO2 is somehow a problem and as a result consideration of the construction of new coal fired power stations is ruled out completely!
Any civil servant or businessman proposing such will be told by the politicians from all the three main GB wide parties that consideration of any new coal fired power station is completely out of the question! They will point out the UK’s need to meet “Net Zero”!
These politicians appear to be reckless idiots.
You will note Dear reader that we prefix “reckless idiots” with the words “appear to be”.
This is NOT because we thing that CO2 is a problem. It is because of the possibility that these politicians are aware of something that will solve the problem of trying to supply the grid with power without emitting any CO2!
I have NO IDEA what such a solution would be. IF such exists!
Presumably I will involve the use of technology that currently humanity DOES NOT HAVE!
IF so, it begs the obvious question: “What is the source of such?”
Again, I have NO IDEA!
All I can do at this stage is to compare the stupidity of the present government’s policy with the common sense policy adopted by the post war Atlee Government to cancel the construction of the new Lion class battleships shown in the image at the top of this post (click on the image for a full size rendition).
The Lion class started out in the 1930s as an addition to the KGVs freed from the tonnage limitations of the inter-war naval treaties mounting 16 inch guns in place of the 14 inch guns of the KGVs. As the war progressed the design was progressively updated to take into consideration the growing effectiveness of air power. By 1944 the Lion design far exceeded the capability of the USN’s Iowas.
In 1946 however it was clear that the UK did not have the money to embark of such an expensive programme and furthermore, given the growing capability of air power, the age of the battleship was clearly reaching an end.
Strangely enough however, IF the government has persisted with the programme and the ships had been commissioned and IF successive governments hadn’t scrapped them, these ships would today prove quite useful!
Not that they could or would be deployed in the original role of capital ship killer but what today is called “fire support”.
The 16 inch guns – which were of a new and powerful design – would be able to fire guided sub-munitions. Such would be guided shells being 7 feet in length and 9.2 inches in diameter that would be fired using a sabot. Such a missile with a 380 lb HE warhead, would have a hypersonic speed and could be guided onto it’s target with an accuracy of around a yard.
The problem – for the Royal Navy – would be finding the large crews that such ships required. Much could be done by automation. More could be done by replacing the original machinery of Admiralty 3-drum boilers and parsons geared steam turbines with diesel electric machinery. Thirty three knots would no longer be necessary and the speed could be reduced to 28 or 30 knots. The space and weight made available could be used to improve crew conditions, provide air conditioning and make space for modern electronics.
What would NOT be provided would be guided missiles! This because the delicate radars would be damaged by a full salvo from these powerful guns! Instead the numbers of twin Mark 6 4.5 inch DP mounts would be replaced with CIWS. This would further reduce the drew numbers required.
Such modernised ships would actually prove most useful insofar as the US led military adventures UK politicians like to have Her Majesty’s armed services take part in! This because the ability to “take out” terrorists hundreds of miles inland would be greatly appreciated – by all apart from those unfortunates who would be the targets!
I finish this blog-post by including yet another image which will infuriate the 2021 PC Brigade! An image of Linda Lusardi taken during a time when the idea of a new coal fired power station would have not been dismissed due to the danger to the environment!
