>Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng does not appear to have sought any advice from government officials on the possibility of rationing energy – a BBC Freedom of Information request found he had not done so before the end of June.
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>Energy experts have expressed surprise, particularly as other countries are working on such plans.
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>Government sources said this was because the UK had one of the most “reliable and diverse energy systems in the world” thanks to its investment in renewables, nuclear and the North Sea oil and gas industry.
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>Downing Street has insisted households and businesses will not face blackouts this winter, telling them not to feel they should cut down on energy use.
Genuine questions. If there’s no shortage here why is the price so high? And if we did use less, would that bring the price down? I mean, one of the major justifications behind using markets rather than central planning is that prices provide information about scarcity. If we’re going to ignore price signals we might as well have rationing.
We tend not to prepare for potential problems, our government prefers to react once they’re already happening. See the pandemic for reference.
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>Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng does not appear to have sought any advice from government officials on the possibility of rationing energy – a BBC Freedom of Information request found he had not done so before the end of June.
>
>Energy experts have expressed surprise, particularly as other countries are working on such plans.
>
>Government sources said this was because the UK had one of the most “reliable and diverse energy systems in the world” thanks to its investment in renewables, nuclear and the North Sea oil and gas industry.
>
>Downing Street has insisted households and businesses will not face blackouts this winter, telling them not to feel they should cut down on energy use.
Genuine questions. If there’s no shortage here why is the price so high? And if we did use less, would that bring the price down? I mean, one of the major justifications behind using markets rather than central planning is that prices provide information about scarcity. If we’re going to ignore price signals we might as well have rationing.
We tend not to prepare for potential problems, our government prefers to react once they’re already happening. See the pandemic for reference.