DB Watson refers to a House of Lords report possibly providing a means of rousing Downing Street from its slumbers in order to get involved in remedying the unsatisfactory condition of the UK energy market (Letters, February 28). One might well wonder, with Brexit and a possible second independence referendum, how high up Downing Street’s reading list this particular document is.
Unfortunately, emanations such as this from the unelected and discredited House of Lords and activity by Downing Street is really unlikely to have much effect. Privatisation of the industry, by the Thatcher government over 25 years ago, has left it in the hands of the boards of and shareholders in companies, the majority of which are headquartered abroad. The national interest of the UK, insofar as that is a factor for such companies, will come after the generation of profits and the distribution of dividends to shareholders.
The influence of the House of Lords on such matters is negligible and that of Downing Street and the Scottish Government is limited to exhortation and maybe the provision of subsidies from the taxpayer to encourage new generation and infrastructure being put in place.
The salutary effects of planning and installing new power stations and grid infrastructure in a timely manner and on a national basis are well and truly gone with the end of the industry resting in public hands. Indeed one is entitled to ask what the public, with greatly increased bills and considerable uncertainty over security of supply, has gained from privatisation.
Ian W Thomson,
38 Kirkintilloch Road, Lenzie.
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