All In The Family

This is an amazing tidbit. British PM Gordon Brown's brother, Andrew, is a media flack for EdF (Electricite de France). Curiouser and curiouser.

The Powerful Business of Promoting a Nuclear Future - Guardian (UK) - 11 July 06

"Those involved in a huge lobbying campaign for a new generation of nuclear power stations will declare victory today when the government's energy review finally gives the plants the green light.

Among those celebrating will be industry leaders, including the chancellor of the exchequer's brother. Andrew Brown is head of media relations at EDF Energy, which operates 58 atomic reactors in France and has been pressing the British government to renew its fleet of power stations here."

"Interest in the nuclear lobbying business has spawned the NuclearSpin website. Its editor, Andy Rowell, says that a huge campaign has been running using targeted third parties to sell nuclear to politicians and the public."

All In The Family

This is an amazing tidbit. British PM Gordon Brown's brother, Andrew, is a media flack for EdF (Electricite de France). Curiouser and curiouser.

The Powerful Business of Promoting a Nuclear Future - Guardian (UK) - 11 July 06

"Those involved in a huge lobbying campaign for a new generation of nuclear power stations will declare victory today when the government's energy review finally gives the plants the green light.

Among those celebrating will be industry leaders, including the chancellor of the exchequer's brother. Andrew Brown is head of media relations at EDF Energy, which operates 58 atomic reactors in France and has been pressing the British government to renew its fleet of power stations here."

"Interest in the nuclear lobbying business has spawned the NuclearSpin website. Its editor, Andy Rowell, says that a huge campaign has been running using targeted third parties to sell nuclear to politicians and the public."

"Math is Hard" - Barbie...or Politicians?

Polly Toynbee takin' names and kickin' behinds as always.

Presenting Nuclear as the Grown-Up Option is Deceptive and Delaying - Guardian (UK) - 11 Jan 08

"David Cameron's once healthy nuclear doubts around the time he appointed Zac Goldsmith melted into solid nuclear support yesterday in the Commons, as the Tories - minus Goldsmith, who should resign - have been tied into the same nuclear straitjacket. Back in 1997, the nuclearists were losing the argument, but now they have turned nuclear into the grown-up choice, the one serious men agree is the must-have ingredient in the 'energy mix'. The rest is tree-hugging.

This must rank as one of the great PR triumphs of all time. What genius masterminded its selling to the very same government that picked up the still rising £5.3bn bill for the gigantic failure of British Energy? The cost of storing nuclear waste and decommissioning decaying stations will be about £70bn. This is like a conned householder buying another new roof from the same cowboy who destroyed the last one.

No voice in cabinet queried this decision - and it's easy to see why. Under heavy bombardment from both sides, it takes time to wade through detailed arguments. How are ordinary politicians (or journalists) to know which group of distinguished professors bearing statistics is right?"

"Math is Hard" - Barbie...or Politicians?

Polly Toynbee takin' names and kickin' behinds as always.

Presenting Nuclear as the Grown-Up Option is Deceptive and Delaying - Guardian (UK) - 11 Jan 08

"David Cameron's once healthy nuclear doubts around the time he appointed Zac Goldsmith melted into solid nuclear support yesterday in the Commons, as the Tories - minus Goldsmith, who should resign - have been tied into the same nuclear straitjacket. Back in 1997, the nuclearists were losing the argument, but now they have turned nuclear into the grown-up choice, the one serious men agree is the must-have ingredient in the 'energy mix'. The rest is tree-hugging.

This must rank as one of the great PR triumphs of all time. What genius masterminded its selling to the very same government that picked up the still rising £5.3bn bill for the gigantic failure of British Energy? The cost of storing nuclear waste and decommissioning decaying stations will be about £70bn. This is like a conned householder buying another new roof from the same cowboy who destroyed the last one.

No voice in cabinet queried this decision - and it's easy to see why. Under heavy bombardment from both sides, it takes time to wade through detailed arguments. How are ordinary politicians (or journalists) to know which group of distinguished professors bearing statistics is right?"

Let the Legal Games Begin

Looks like lawyers are arming themselves on both sides of the pond.

Legal Battles Threaten Nuclear Power Programme - New Scientist - 12 Jan 08

"Public consultations relied on 'preordained solutions based on problematic information', says lead author Paul Dorfman of the University of Warwick. 'The government has an insufficient democratic mandate for nuclear new build in the UK.' Greenpeace, which took legal action last year to force the government to rerun the consultations, is now considering returning to court.

In the US, a coalition of anti-nuclear groups has filed a petition aiming to prevent the government's Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) from extending the operating life of reactors. The groups claim that safety reviews drawn up by NRC staff routinely include chunks of text 'cut and pasted' from reactor operators' literature. The NRC insists that its staff make conclusions by 'independent, objective review'."

Let the Legal Games Begin

Looks like lawyers are arming themselves on both sides of the pond.

Legal Battles Threaten Nuclear Power Programme - New Scientist - 12 Jan 08

"Public consultations relied on 'preordained solutions based on problematic information', says lead author Paul Dorfman of the University of Warwick. 'The government has an insufficient democratic mandate for nuclear new build in the UK.' Greenpeace, which took legal action last year to force the government to rerun the consultations, is now considering returning to court.

In the US, a coalition of anti-nuclear groups has filed a petition aiming to prevent the government's Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) from extending the operating life of reactors. The groups claim that safety reviews drawn up by NRC staff routinely include chunks of text 'cut and pasted' from reactor operators' literature. The NRC insists that its staff make conclusions by 'independent, objective review'."