Tag: energy

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New radiation exposure limits ‘catastrophic’ for women and girls likely to be meekly accepted by Scottish Labour

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists yesterday: In a May executive order, aimed at ushering in what he described as an “American nuclear renaissance,” President Donald Trump declared moot the science underpinning decades-old radiation exposure standards set by the federal government. Executive Order 14300 directed the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to conduct a “wholesale revision” of half-a-century of guidance and regulations. In doing so, it considers throwing out the foundational model used by the government to determine exposure limits, and investigates the possibility of loosening the standard on what is considered a “safe” level of radiation exposure for the general public. In … Continue reading New radiation exposure limits ‘catastrophic’ for women and girls likely to be meekly accepted by Scottish Labour

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10 to 1 in favour and the 1 ‘buried’ and key concerns left out, the BBC’s ‘balance’ on Labour’s nuclear plans in Wales is exposed as just another example of biased reporting

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Professor John Robertson OBA Before the recent surges by Plaid Cymru and Reform UK, we used to be able to contrast BBC Wales reporting, favourably with the horribly one-sided and dishonest coverage by BBC Scotland. With Labour now at risk, they are moving quickly to behave in the same manner. In a 980-word report on the Westminster plans for a new small nuclear power station as far away from London as they can manage without trying to put it in Scotland, on the farthest edge of North Wales, there are only 90 words casting doubt and, even then, avoiding sensitive … Continue reading 10 to 1 in favour and the 1 ‘buried’ and key concerns left out, the BBC’s ‘balance’ on Labour’s nuclear plans in Wales is exposed as just another example of biased reporting

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Further delays in English nuclear power station project owned by France hammers home huge costs and inefficiency of Labour’s plans for Scotland to spend THREE times as much to generate electricity

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Frances McKie for alerting me to this. From Bloomberg UK, two days ago, the above. Readers may remember repeated comments from Labour’s Anas Sarwar, UK Energy Minister Ed Miliband and Junior Energy Minister, Michael Shanks that on day one of a Labour administration in Edinburgh (;-)), they will begin planning to return nuclear energy to Scotland. Polls suggest that the media coverage in Scotland has persuaded a small majority that we need this so getting the evidence out there is hugely important. The above news from Bloomberg comes on top of endless publications telling … Continue reading Further delays in English nuclear power station project owned by France hammers home huge costs and inefficiency of Labour’s plans for Scotland to spend THREE times as much to generate electricity

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Why Scots have a ‘critically low’ democratic well-being score – the 50 years theft of their energy supplies for one thing?

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Professor John Robertson OBA Carnegie UK today have reported (previous TuS post) that Scots have a ‘critically low‘ democratic well-being score of only 40%. Who is surprised? I’m surprised it’s not zero, same as mine. If you are at all aware of Scotland’s 300 year plus and current predicament in the Union, how could you get anywhere near 40%. Given their many problems with crap governance but at least their own crap government, 40% would be a fair guess for Ireland. I asked the document’s built in AI why this might be. It just listed all the wee parts leading … Continue reading Why Scots have a ‘critically low’ democratic well-being score – the 50 years theft of their energy supplies for one thing?

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The case for or against approval of Western Link 2 from Ayrshire to Wales and the West Midlands

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Professor John Robertson OBA In the map above you can see the full range of networks transferring electricity from wind farms in Scottish waters, across the border into England & Wales. It’s a dramatic illustration of the UK’s increasing dependency on Scotland’s electricity generation. Just how much? From Energy Statistics for Scotland – Q2 2025 published today: In the second quarter of 2025, 8.1 TWh of renewable electricity was generated in Scotland. This is the most renewable electricity generated in the second quarter of any year in Scotland Scotland’s capacity for electricity generation from renewable sources has continued to increase and currently stands … Continue reading The case for or against approval of Western Link 2 from Ayrshire to Wales and the West Midlands

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UK MoD plan to decommission at least 7 nuclear subs in Fife, with houses less than 1 mile away and downwind by methods 1 000 times more dangerous than US methods

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Professor John Robertson OBA From Brian Goodall, three days ago on Facebook: Babcock’s and MOD asked to think again on nuclear submarine dismantling process at Rosyth Dockyard. This morning at a meeting of the Rosyth Dockyard Local Liaison Committee in the Dockyard I repeated my long held view that the proposed second stage of the nuclear submarine dismantling demonstrator project, that is about to start, is a stage too far, and I ask for a rethink. The next step will see Babcock cutting out the reactor pressure vessel from the reactor compartment of the decommissioned nuclear submarine Swiftsure, in an … Continue reading UK MoD plan to decommission at least 7 nuclear subs in Fife, with houses less than 1 mile away and downwind by methods 1 000 times more dangerous than US methods

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Scottish Labour’s nuclear energy policy shattered by latest estimate for one half-mile deep (!) waste storage facility costing nearly £70 BILLION 40 years after a Scottish Labour council rejected the idea

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Professor John Robertson OBA Thanks to Frances McKie, once more, for this alert. When I arrived in Ayr in 1984 and began hillwalking in the nearby hills, I heard of the local community’s recent campaign of resistance to plans to bury nuclear waste under the granite 2 270ft mountain, Mullwharchar, 30 miles away but visible from the town,  in the Dungeon Hills, a sub-range of the Galloway Hills range. From No2NuclearPower: The first planning application was made in January 1978 to Kyle and Carrick District Council (South-west Scotland) by the UKAEA to test drill on Mullwharchar Hill near Loch Doon on the border … Continue reading Scottish Labour’s nuclear energy policy shattered by latest estimate for one half-mile deep (!) waste storage facility costing nearly £70 BILLION 40 years after a Scottish Labour council rejected the idea

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US research finds cancer mortality rate over 40% higher than the national rate and life expectancy almost a decade less than national average near nuclear facility comparable to Sellafield only miles from Scotland

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Professor John Robertson OBA In TCD (Ohio USA) yesterday: Residents of US town near nuclear facility face alarming crisis: ‘So many people are suffering’ “Our community shouldn’t be put at an increased risk.” https://www.thecooldown.com/green-business/piketon-nuclear-plant-ohio-radiation-exposure/ Their report relies heavily on these comments in a UK Guardian piece on 23 September 2025: Reports have emerged that 10 tons of uranium were released from a now-closed uranium enrichment facility almost nightly into the air between 1955 to 1993, an activity known by people who worked there at the time as ‘midnight rockets’. “This plant has a vast signature of contamination, mostly from an airborne … Continue reading US research finds cancer mortality rate over 40% higher than the national rate and life expectancy almost a decade less than national average near nuclear facility comparable to Sellafield only miles from Scotland

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Trump to ape Starmer in scrapping ‘red tape’ for new nuclear power and putting all our lives at risk

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Professor John Robertson OBA From the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, yesterday, the above headline and: In May, President Donald Trump issued a series of executive orders that, in part, require the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to consider dramatically weakening its radiation protection standard. If federal radiation limits are gutted in the manner urged by the president, the new standard could allow four out of five people exposed over a 70-year lifetime to develop a cancer they would not otherwise get. Contesting the scientific consensus. Section 5(b) of the executive order—formally titled “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission”—directs the NRC … Continue reading Trump to ape Starmer in scrapping ‘red tape’ for new nuclear power and putting all our lives at risk

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Correcting the BBC – UK Government is not paying to build warships on the Clyde, Norway is

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By Liz S MSM Monitor posted this on ‘X’ on 12/10/25 in respect to a Laura Kuenssberg interview with John Swinney on her Sunday Politics programme……. “Laura Kuenssberg twice claimed the UK Govt was supplying £10bn to build warships on the Clyde. This is false. The £10bn will come from Norway after it signed a deal with BAE systems. The UK Govt isn’t supplying any cash” . Meanwhile the same BBC in August 2025 on their website wrote…. “UK secures £10bn deal to supply Norway with warships” So let’s break that BBC website headline down. “UK secures £10bn” not as Kuenssberg was stating “ UK Govt was supplying £10bn”. Big difference is there not in both statements…….as in both cannot be … Continue reading Correcting the BBC – UK Government is not paying to build warships on the Clyde, Norway is