Latest news with #WinterofDiscontent
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
If Miliband doesn't U-turn, Britain could face power cuts in months
Watching the scenes from Spain and Portugal as Iberians stumbled around wondering what to do without any electricity prompted sepia-tinted memories of the black-outs here in the 1970s. In 1972, the miners went on strike in the middle of winter, reducing supplies to the power stations and triggering power cuts. I can remember doing my school homework by candlelight. It happened again with another NUM strike starting in the autumn of 1973. On the day before the wedding of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Conservative prime minister Edward Heath declared a state of emergency. The Central Electricity Generating Board decided to switch off power on a rota basis between 7am and midnight every day, with blackouts lasting up to nine hours. Factories (remember those?) and businesses closed with more than a million workers laid off. The use of electricity for floodlighting, advertising and for the heating of shops, offices and restaurants was banned. Households were without electricity for hours every day. The areas to lose power were listed in the papers each morning and television went off the air at 10.30. Oil companies were ordered to cut deliveries to private and industrial consumers by 10 per cent, petrol coupons were issued, a 50mph speed limit introduced, a heating limit of 17C imposed on offices and commercial premises and street lighting dimmed. From Jan 1, 1974 a three-day week took effect and in February Heath called an election with the question 'Who Governs?' only to receive the answer 'Not You Ted'. Labour were returned to office but the shock of that period would continue throughout the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, with national bankruptcy, rampant inflation and economic mayhem culminating in the Winter of Discontent. But while it was difficult it was not a catastrophe. It was still possible to heat your home with coal, cook on gas, listen to a battery powered radio, pay for food in the shops with cash and make a phone call. What was apparent on Monday in Spain and Portugal was the total dependence we now have on electricity-driven devices and how vulnerable modern society is to a collapse in the grid for whatever reason. Everything stopped. Rail transport was paralysed for hours, flights diverted and the Madrid metro shut down. On the roads traffic lights failed, causing huge jams. The mobile phone and internet networks collapsed, while shops closed their doors when their electronic tills failed. We still don't know for certain what happened but the finger of scientific suspicion points to the heavy use of solar power. For those of us who have no clue how these things work, we are learning about the importance of inertia in electricity grids. In conventional power systems – fossil-fuel or nuclear – the large, heavy turbines continue to rotate at a constant speed through inertia even when power generation or demand changes. With renewables, however, there is no inertia, which makes maintaining a stable grid frequency more difficult. This phenomenon is known to the people who run the system. National Grid boffins are trying to design a new approach to keep the system running at the right frequency with renewables. In some regions like South Australia, where there is a heavy use of solar power, systems operators allow gas generators to run to deliver inertia to the grid and maintain frequency. This seems to be the most likely explanation for what happened in Iberia on Monday and applies to other renewable inputs like wind upon which we are expected increasingly to rely. Does Ed Miliband know about this potential vulnerability and if so why has he not told us about it? Britain is particularly at risk both because of its switch to renewables as part of the Government's aim to decarbonise the grid by 2030 and its heavy reliance on imported electricity. We have been close this year. In January during an anti-cyclonic period of no sun or wind which the Germans call Dunkelflaute, a black-out was only averted because of electricity from Norway through the 450-mile interconnector. But many Norwegians object to paying more for their domestic power to meet overseas demand for their power. They take issue with the poor energy decisions made by their neighbours, like Germany's ban on nuclear power. Now we can add the UK's mad dash to decarbonise the grid. Why do we assume that gas and oil will always be available from elsewhere – and why should we import it when it can be extracted from our own North Sea fields if new licences were allowed? Mr Miliband has been on a mission recently to denounce all and sundry who dare to question the breakneck speed of his decarbonising agenda, though this is a con since we will still need gas as a back-up for the foreseeable future. The next few years will see our ageing nuclear power plants phased out leaving a gap before new ones are built so wind and solar will have to take up the load. Yet we now discover that this is fraught with uncertainty. Not only are we being left exposed to any breakdown in international supplies but there are inherent issues with renewable generation that may not be resolved by 2030. The problems may be with us now. The National Grid is investigating unexplained outages that hit the UK's system hours before Spain and Portugal were plunged into blackouts. There was also an unexplained failure of the Viking Link interconnector between the UK and Denmark. A few years from now, maybe sooner, the UK will face the same problem as Spain and Portugal, only far worse. Just before the crash on Monday, solar was providing about 53 per cent of Spain's electricity with another 11 per cent from wind. Gas was providing only about 6 per cent. Ed Miliband wants Britain to be doing even more than this. At least it is usually sunny on the Iberian peninsula so if they can solve the inertia problem they are blessed with copious solar power. Here, in a cold, high pressure winter with little wind and no sun, those power cuts of 1972/3 will no longer be a distant memory but a present-day reality. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
If Miliband doesn't U-turn, Britain could face power cuts in months
Watching the scenes from Spain and Portuga l as Iberians stumbled around wondering what to do without any electricity prompted sepia-tinted memories of the black-outs here in the 1970s. In 1972, the miners went on strike in the middle of winter, reducing supplies to the power stations and triggering power cuts. I can remember doing my school homework by candlelight. It happened again with another NUM strike starting in the autumn of 1973. On the day before the wedding of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Conservative prime minister Edward Heath declared a state of emergency. The Central Electricity Generating Board decided to switch off power on a rota basis between 7am and midnight every day, with blackouts lasting up to nine hours. Factories (remember those?) and businesses closed with more than a million workers laid off. The use of electricity for floodlighting, advertising and for the heating of shops, offices and restaurants was banned. Households were without electricity for hours every day. The areas to lose power were listed in the papers each morning and television went off the air at 10.30. Oil companies were ordered to cut deliveries to private and industrial consumers by 10 per cent, petrol coupons were issued, a 50mph speed limit introduced, a heating limit of 17C imposed on offices and commercial premises and street lighting dimmed. From Jan 1, 1974 a three-day week took effect and in February Heath called an election with the question 'Who Governs?' only to receive the answer 'Not You Ted'. Labour were returned to office but the shock of that period would continue throughout the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, with national bankruptcy, rampant inflation and economic mayhem culminating in the Winter of Discontent. But while it was difficult it was not a catastrophe. It was still possible to heat your home with coal, cook on gas, listen to a battery powered radio, pay for food in the shops with cash and make a phone call. What was apparent on Monday in Spain and Portugal was the total dependence we now have on electricity-driven devices and how vulnerable modern society is to a collapse in the grid for whatever reason. Everything stopped. Rail transport was paralysed for hours, flights diverted and the Madrid metro shut down. On the roads traffic lights failed, causing huge jams. The mobile phone and internet networks collapsed, while shops closed their doors when their electronic tills failed. We still don't know for certain what happened but the finger of scientific suspicion points to the heavy use of solar power. For those of us who have no clue how these things work, we are learning about the importance of inertia in electricity grids. In conventional power systems – fossil-fuel or nuclear – the large, heavy turbines continue to rotate at a constant speed through inertia even when power generation or demand changes. With renewables, however, there is no inertia, which makes maintaining a stable grid frequency more difficult. This phenomenon is known to the people who run the system. National Grid boffins are trying to design a new approach to keep the system running at the right frequency with renewables. In some regions like South Australia, where there is a heavy use of solar power, systems operators allow gas generators to run to deliver inertia to the grid and maintain frequency. This seems to be the most likely explanation for what happened in Iberia on Monday and applies to other renewable inputs like wind upon which we are expected increasingly to rely. Does Ed Miliband know about this potential vulnerability and if so why has he not told us about it? Britain is particularly at risk both because of its switch to renewables as part of the Government's aim to decarbonise the grid by 2030 and its heavy reliance on imported electricity. We have been close this year. In January during an anti-cyclonic period of no sun or wind which the Germans call Dunkelflaute, a black-out was only averted because of electricity from Norway through the 450-mile interconnector. But many Norwegians object to paying more for their domestic power to meet overseas demand for their power. They take issue with the poor energy decisions made by their neighbours, like Germany's ban on nuclear power. Now we can add the UK's mad dash to decarbonise the grid. Why do we assume that gas and oil will always be available from elsewhere – and why should we import it when it can be extracted from our own North Sea fields if new licences were allowed? Mr Miliband has been on a mission recently to denounce all and sundry who dare to question the breakneck speed of his decarbonising agenda, though this is a con since we will still need gas as a back-up for the foreseeable future. The next few years will see our ageing nuclear power plants phased out leaving a gap before new ones are built so wind and solar will have to take up the load. Yet we now discover that this is fraught with uncertainty. Not only are we being left exposed to any breakdown in international supplies but there are inherent issues with renewable generation that may not be resolved by 2030. The problems may be with us now. The National Grid is investigating unexplained outages that hit the UK's system hours before Spain and Portugal were plunged into blackouts. There was also an unexplained failure of the Viking Link interconnector between the UK and Denmark. A few years from now, maybe sooner, the UK will face the same problem as Spain and Portugal, only far worse. Just before the crash on Monday, solar was providing about 53 per cent of Spain's electricity with another 11 per cent from wind. Gas was providing only about 6 per cent. Ed Miliband wants Britain to be doing even more than this. At least it is usually sunny on the Iberian peninsula so if they can solve the inertia problem they are blessed with copious solar power. Here, in a cold, high pressure winter with little wind and no sun, those power cuts of 1972/3 will no longer be a distant memory but a present-day reality.
The Independent
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Birmingham bin strike talks to resume as minister calls for union to accept ‘fair deal'
Birmingham 's protracted bin strike could finally be nearing its end as union leaders and city council officials prepare to resume talks on Wednesday. These renewed discussions offer a glimmer of hope for residents facing mounting piles of rubbish on their streets after more than a month of industrial action by Unite union members. The dispute, centered on pay and job security, has seen both sides locked in a bitter standoff. Although a meeting last week suggested a willingness to negotiate over the Easter period, those talks failed to materialise. Since then, the council has focused its efforts on clearing the backlog of refuse, while the government has applied pressure for a resolution, urging both parties to return to the negotiating table. Despite this external pressure, the situation remains tense, with no clear indication of a breakthrough. Wednesday's meeting will be crucial in determining whether a compromise can be reached and an end to the disruptive strike is in sight. Communities minister Jim McMahon said at least 26,000 tonnes of rubbish have been removed from Birmingham's streets as he claimed 'significant progress' is being made to help the city. Jim McMahon added 'regular bin collections have resumed' before renewing calls for Unite to call off the strikes and accept the 'fair deal' on the table. Logistics advisers from the military have provided help and the Conservatives pressed Mr McMahon to 'rule out the humiliation of service personnel ever having to collect refuse'. Responding to an urgent question from the Tories, Mr McMahon told the Commons: 'We've been providing intensive support to the council in its efforts to address the backlog of waste that has been building up on the city's streets and significant progress has been made in the last fortnight. 'Through a concerted effort, and with the assistance of other councils, private operators and the endeavour of many hundreds of determined workers who have worked extremely long hours, the resulting 26,000 tonnes of excess waste have been removed and the levels are now approaching normal. 'More than 100 bin trucks are out every day and regular bin collections have resumed. The council continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure that waste does not build up again.' Shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake accused Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner of 'failing to stand up to the unions, failing to protect the residents of the UK's second city'. He added: 'Failing to protect the reputation of our nation and now resorting to being bailed out by our brave armed forces.' Mr Hollinrake described the situation as a 'national embarrassment' before claiming the Government risked a return to the Winter of Discontent in the 1970s. He said: 'It's clear with this Government that we risk going back to those days.'
The Herald Scotland
22-04-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Minister: Significant progress made to clear rubbish from Birmingham's streets
Hundreds of bin workers have been on all-out strike for more than a month in a dispute over pay and jobs, leading to rubbish piling up in the streets. Logistics advisers from the military have provided help and the Conservatives pressed Mr McMahon to 'rule out the humiliation of service personnel ever having to collect refuse'. Responding to an urgent question from the Tories, Mr McMahon told the Commons: 'We've been providing intensive support to the council in its efforts to address the backlog of waste that has been building up on the city's streets and significant progress has been made in the last fortnight. 'Through a concerted effort, and with the assistance of other councils, private operators and the endeavour of many hundreds of determined workers who have worked extremely long hours, the resulting 26,000 tonnes of excess waste have been removed and the levels are now approaching normal. 'More than 100 bin trucks are out every day and regular bin collections have resumed. The council continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure that waste does not build up again.' Shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake accused Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner of 'failing to stand up to the unions, failing to protect the residents of the UK's second city'. He added: 'Failing to protect the reputation of our nation and now resorting to being bailed out by our brave armed forces.' Mr Hollinrake described the situation as a 'national embarrassment' before claiming the Government risked a return to the Winter of Discontent in the 1970s. He said: 'It's clear with this Government that we risk going back to those days.' Mr McMahon said the three logistics advisers provided by the Ministry of Defence 'have made a difference', adding: 'They themselves said that Birmingham is more than capable of making sure that the rounds are collected and the trucks are on the road as of this week. 'I need to pull him up on a comment he made – when he talks about the humiliation of collecting waste from the streets. The 'humiliation' of decent working-class people going out to provide a public service to millions of people across England is not a humiliation, it's a public service, it's one that is critical to our nation's interests. 'To say it's a job of humiliation, I would say that working-class people, the bin collectors across this country take pride in their work and they deserve more respect than the bloody Opposition.' Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell (Beresford Hodge/PA) Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell called on ministers to 'convene the meetings' between Birmingham City Council and union officials in order to 'secure progress' in the negotiations over the bin strike. In response, Mr McMahon said: 'The Government is not the employer of the workforce in Birmingham, the council is the employer of the workforce in Birmingham, and it's for the employer and the employees to reach an agreement that both can can accept. 'Of course, we urge both parties to negotiate in good faith. We believe that the deal on the table is a good deal.'
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minister: Significant progress made to clear rubbish from Birmingham's streets
At least 26,000 tonnes of rubbish have been removed from Birmingham's streets, a minister said as he claimed 'significant progress' is being made to help the city. Communities minister Jim McMahon added 'regular bin collections have resumed' before renewing calls for Unite to call off the strikes and accept the 'fair deal' on the table. Hundreds of bin workers have been on all-out strike for more than a month in a dispute over pay and jobs, leading to rubbish piling up in the streets. Logistics advisers from the military have provided help and the Conservatives pressed Mr McMahon to 'rule out the humiliation of service personnel ever having to collect refuse'. Responding to an urgent question from the Tories, Mr McMahon told the Commons: 'We've been providing intensive support to the council in its efforts to address the backlog of waste that has been building up on the city's streets and significant progress has been made in the last fortnight. 'Through a concerted effort, and with the assistance of other councils, private operators and the endeavour of many hundreds of determined workers who have worked extremely long hours, the resulting 26,000 tonnes of excess waste have been removed and the levels are now approaching normal. 'More than 100 bin trucks are out every day and regular bin collections have resumed. The council continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure that waste does not build up again.' Shadow communities secretary Kevin Hollinrake accused Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner of 'failing to stand up to the unions, failing to protect the residents of the UK's second city'. He added: 'Failing to protect the reputation of our nation and now resorting to being bailed out by our brave armed forces.' Mr Hollinrake described the situation as a 'national embarrassment' before claiming the Government risked a return to the Winter of Discontent in the 1970s. He said: 'It's clear with this Government that we risk going back to those days.' Mr McMahon said the three logistics advisers provided by the Ministry of Defence 'have made a difference', adding: 'They themselves said that Birmingham is more than capable of making sure that the rounds are collected and the trucks are on the road as of this week. 'I need to pull him up on a comment he made – when he talks about the humiliation of collecting waste from the streets. The 'humiliation' of decent working-class people going out to provide a public service to millions of people across England is not a humiliation, it's a public service, it's one that is critical to our nation's interests. 'To say it's a job of humiliation, I would say that working-class people, the bin collectors across this country take pride in their work and they deserve more respect than the bloody Opposition.' Former Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell called on ministers to 'convene the meetings' between Birmingham City Council and union officials in order to 'secure progress' in the negotiations over the bin strike. In response, Mr McMahon said: 'The Government is not the employer of the workforce in Birmingham, the council is the employer of the workforce in Birmingham, and it's for the employer and the employees to reach an agreement that both can can accept. 'Of course, we urge both parties to negotiate in good faith. We believe that the deal on the table is a good deal.'
