Joined up thinking....

You really do have to give total respect to this government, don't you? Their single-minded Stalinist vindictiveness knows no bounds in their obssession to do what they think is right for 'the country'- no matter what the cost to its people...

Take yesterday's Cabinet decision to build 20 new nuclear power stations 'across the country in order to meet the energy needs of the UK well into the century', for instance.

It's the end-game in a long line of cynical manouveuring and mis-information designed to make the little inconveniences that are the nimby awkward-squads of England go away forever. Obviously Alex and Rhodri have robustly declared to the people who elected them that no new nuclear installations will be built on their hallowed celtic sods - so Ministers have gone into England default mode. - 'The country' needs them, so 'the country' will have to have them built, no matter what the cost...... And as we all know, 'the country' = England.

How to get your power stations built - an easy step by step guide to nuclear delivery.

1) Instigate an Energy Review - ensure that it comes up with the 'right result'. And if a Judge cries "foul" - 'Nuclear Review was misleading. 'A judge ruled that the consultation process before the decision last year had been "misleading", "seriously flawed" and "procedurally unfair". simply ignore it and plough ahead.

2) Having ignored the nosy Judge and the interfering hippies at Greenpeace, Darling, the then Minister responsible proclaimed - "The government had reached a preliminary view that it would be in the public interest to allow energy companies to invest in nuclear power".

3) Bring in a 'Planning Reform Bill' (England only, obviously) As the Parliamentary blurb puts it - Calls for the establishment of a new separate planning system for major infrastructure projects and simplifying the planning system for minor home improvements. In many cases formal planning permission will no longer be required. Applies to England.

For all you lovers of the language, the 3 key words here are 'Seperate' (it won't be), 'Simplifying' (projects will be railroaded through) and 'England' (dustbin of the UK).

4) Announce your new nukes. Job done.

5) Oh, and finally - make sure that the people of England have other things to think about.

But just hang on a mo' there matey boy, there's a hell of a lot of nuclear waste languishing around already, isn't there? So where the hell are we going to shove the tonnes of glowing stuff that we already have? Where should it go..... well where do you think? Obviously, it's got to go somewhere in 'the country', hasn't it?

In 2006, David Miliband the then Minister responsible, loftily proclaimed that he would invited councils to bid for the bright green poisoned chalice. If they agreed to take it; you know, that's the stuff that will remain radioactive for the next 100,000 years, then they would be hansomely rewarded with a bribe of a few million quid. As the Daily Telegraph reported at the time,

Around a third of the land in the UK is thought to be geologically suitable for this purpose. Most experts believe that a single repository could only be sited in England, as Scottish and Welsh communities would be likely to resent English waste being dumped on them.

Good job Scotland and Wales are not in 'the country' then.

And after 'much searching' the usual supine suspects at Copeland Council have taken the 30 pieces of glowing silver. 75 million quid to be precise, for nearly a 100,000 lifetimes of hot potato stewardship..... to say they have been bought cheaply is a bit of an understatement. For anyone who doesn't know, Copeland is amazingly within England..... what a surprise.

And what of our fine elected body of over 500 English MPs. What are they doing to try and stop the unfettered desecration of the jewel in a silver sea that is England? Well, obviously, they're too busy filling in their expenses claims, voting through nice gold-plated pensions for themselves and sitting on their superannuated arses to be bothered.