Rees-Mogg seeking to evade scrutiny of new fracking projects, email shows
Ministers are actively examining ways to evade legal, environmental and public scrutiny of new oil and gas projects including fracking, the Guardian has learned, sparking a furious reaction from green groups and opposition parties.
Senior staff working on energy projects in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) have been instructed to look into ideas raised by Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, to escape potential judicial review of policies or public consultation.
7 comments:
Looking at the mess Truss and her "government" are in, I get the sense that transparency and accountability have been taken to such extremes that government is almost impossible. Whatever she does, dozens of special interest groups are waiting to pile on and prevent her, or force a U-turn.
In a way, that's great. The internet, instantaneous media, and people being taught that their view is important has meant that politicians can no longer fool us like they used to. But is it a choice between bowling along in ignorance and being paralysed by knowledge?
One of my bosses's favourite phrases was 'paralysis of analysis'. Not only could a decision (and action) be put off indefinitely but no-one could be blamed for a poor decision.
In my opinion the world is in too much of a mess to let things stagger on as the same old same old. Truss started well (as did Boris) but the swamp/blob has dragged them down. Time to drain the swamp or burst the blob; it will be disruptive but the paralysis of analysis will be more harmful in the long run.
Sam - I see it as being paralysed by the status quo, comfort zones, fear of risk and doctrinal politics. It doesn't feel rational to me. The top rate tax move was politically unwise to put it mildly, unless there was an intention to defend it vigorously from a position that tax is already excessive and much of it is wasted. The Tories don't really seem to have the stomach for being conservative though.
DJ - I agree, the swamp/blob has dragged them down and the job of the whole Tory party was to prevent that from happening. Their moment has gone already unless they find some backbone from somewhere and manage a remarkable turnaround.
Seems fair enough Rees Mogg's idea, to me. After all sauce for the goose and all that, isn't the whole man made CO2 argument that has lead to all this, a result of lack of proper public scrutiny?
Tammly - yes that's the irony, isn't it? Decades of avoiding proper public scrutiny is why we are where we are.
"...Decades of avoiding proper public scrutiny is why we are where we are."
That and fourteen years of using QE to depress the cost of borrowing money. Government allowed itself to pretend that debt was cheap (for ever). Government forgot its own lies and embraced The Lockdown. Well, the day of judgement has arrived. Enjoy the white knuckle ride.
decnine - and at the moment, voters say they are prepared to vote for a government which is unlikely to resolve anything and could be even worse.
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