The planet is warming at record rates, yet the Tories’ reckless loyalty to its shire heartlands takes precedence over policy, science and economics
Today, the government fulfils one of its most perverse manifesto pledges – to end the subsidy for onshore wind turbines a year early, in April 2016. This is cavalier and contrary policy-making, designed to please the nimbys in its shire heartlands, regardless of wider energy policy, regardless of climate change.
As the Tories plunge ahead with far more expensive, disruptive and unpopular fracking, onshore wind energy is the cheapest of all renewables, and Britain one of the most wind-rich spots on earth. What a long journey Cameron has travelled since the days when he fixed a symbolic turbine on his own roof.
Related: David Cameron at centre of ‘get rid of all the green crap’ storm
In his last year, Pickles blocked 85% of windfarm projects, which lost over £500m in income and 2,000 scarce rural jobs