How China could switch off Britain's lights in a crisis

[cronus]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08 ... if-we-let/

How China could switch off Britain's lights in a crisis if we let them build Hinkley C
MALCOLM RIFKIND

It is the winter of 2027 and tensions over the South China Sea have come to a boiling point. Chinese island-building across Philippine territory has reached a climax and Philippine fisherman have blocked the harbour of one of China’s newest military outposts in South East Asia. Tempers are raised, and in a fit of nationalist anger, the Chinese military commander fires upon the fishing boats, sinking one and wounding many others. Manila’s gung-ho president (Rodrigo Duterte’s hand-picked successor) lobbies Washington to send a military show of force, and, obliged by its defence treaty and strategic interests to protect one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the US complies.

Within days, two of the world’s greatest navies are close to conflict. As Whitehall considers its options, the Chinese Embassy quietly warns the Prime Minister not to interfere. As if on cue, the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant suffers technical problems, which threaten to take it offline. Beijing’s point is clear. If the UK attempts to defend the rules-based order, or even make a statement of solidarity to its long-standing ally, the United States, China will shut down Hinkley Point. For the first time in living memory, Britons may find the lights going out – in the dead of winter…

It may sound like fantasy. It may be fantasy. But it is a worst case scenario that some security experts predict could occur if the Government proceeds with the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor with Chinese involvement.

(continued)

[pErvinalia]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08 ... if-we-let/

How China could switch off Britain's lights in a crisis if we let them build Hinkley C
MALCOLM RIFKIND

It is the winter of 2027 and tensions over the South China Sea have come to a boiling point. Chinese island-building across Philippine territory has reached a climax and Philippine fisherman have blocked the harbour of one of China’s newest military outposts in South East Asia. Tempers are raised, and in a fit of nationalist anger, the Chinese military commander fires upon the fishing boats, sinking one and wounding many others. Manila’s gung-ho president (Rodrigo Duterte’s hand-picked successor) lobbies Washington to send a military show of force, and, obliged by its defence treaty and strategic interests to protect one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the US complies.

The US would likely tell him to go suck cock, if he's anything like Duterte. That guy is a looser cannon than Donald Trump. I hope the US tells him to pull his head in or they will scale back their defence treaty actions.

[Brian Peacock]

Normally I say "Ebola", but effectively handing over the implementation of energy policy to a foreign power is a foolish thing.

[pErvinalia]

Yeah. We've been knocking back Chinese bids for major strategic companies here for a while now. They are having their perennial whinge. China is basically an adult country with the temperament of a child.

[Brian Peacock]

Where the US has the temperament of a hormonal teenager.

[JimC]

...and Oz has the temperament of a happy drunk...

[Meekychuppet]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/08 ... if-we-let/

How China could switch off Britain's lights in a crisis if we let them build Hinkley C
MALCOLM RIFKIND

It is the winter of 2027 and tensions over the South China Sea have come to a boiling point. Chinese island-building across Philippine territory has reached a climax and Philippine fisherman have blocked the harbour of one of China’s newest military outposts in South East Asia. Tempers are raised, and in a fit of nationalist anger, the Chinese military commander fires upon the fishing boats, sinking one and wounding many others. Manila’s gung-ho president (Rodrigo Duterte’s hand-picked successor) lobbies Washington to send a military show of force, and, obliged by its defence treaty and strategic interests to protect one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the US complies.

Within days, two of the world’s greatest navies are close to conflict. As Whitehall considers its options, the Chinese Embassy quietly warns the Prime Minister not to interfere. As if on cue, the Hinkley Point nuclear power plant suffers technical problems, which threaten to take it offline. Beijing’s point is clear. If the UK attempts to defend the rules-based order, or even make a statement of solidarity to its long-standing ally, the United States, China will shut down Hinkley Point. For the first time in living memory, Britons may find the lights going out – in the dead of winter…

It may sound like fantasy. It may be fantasy. But it is a worst case scenario that some security experts predict could occur if the Government proceeds with the Hinkley Point C nuclear reactor with Chinese involvement.

(continued)

It doesn't sound like fantasy, it sounds like the paranoid, hysterical bollocks that it is.

[Tyrannical]

2027? China collapsed into civil war and over threw their communist government in 2020 after thousands of Chinese factories closed and mass unemployment after the Trump led policy of bringing manufacturing back home became wide spread in the US and Europe

[Feck]

You seem to missing the point about Hinckley, it will be at least 1/3 French owned, EDF a company that's already been shown to be unrepentantly dishonest in the UK
....... "For the first time in living memory, Britons may find the lights going out – in the dead of winter…" Yeah because nobody alive can remember 1978

[cronus]

You seem to missing the point about Hinckley, it will be at least 1/3 French owned, EDF a company that's already been shown to be unrepentantly dishonest in the UK
....... "For the first time in living memory, Britons may find the lights going out – in the dead of winter…" Yeah because nobody alive can remember 1978

Electricity is like sugar. Unhealthy, think you can't live without it but you can. Have a high tog duvet, thermal long johns and in a real emergency wood burns....any sort of wood burns.

[Hermit]

Think you can manufacture your own tog duvet, thermal long johns and bring in wood into your town without the use of electricity somewhere along the line. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavour.

Then multiply by the number of people living in the UK.

[cronus]

Think you can manufacture your own tog duvet, thermal long johns and bring in wood into your town without the use of electricity somewhere along the line. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavour.

Then multiply by the number of people living in the UK.

I'm not talking about the entire UK. The chosen few have prepper genes. Every civilization crash the same, only a few got what it takes to match their times. Most will freeze dead in their stupidity making the need for more power stations mute.

[Hermit]

Think you can manufacture your own tog duvet, thermal long johns and bring in wood into your town without the use of electricity somewhere along the line. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavour.

Then multiply by the number of people living in the UK.

I'm not talking about the entire UK. The chosen few have prepper genes. Every civilization crash the same, only a few got what it takes to match their times. Most will freeze dead in their stupidity making the need for more power stations mute.

So, in short, electricity production is essential for the UK. It cannot survive as a nation without it. As for the few preppers, good luck acquiring and maintaining their tog duvet, thermal long johns, axes and whatnots when the rest of the nation has disintegrated.

[JimC]

Think you can manufacture your own tog duvet, thermal long johns and bring in wood into your town without the use of electricity somewhere along the line. I wish you the best of luck with your endeavour.

Then multiply by the number of people living in the UK.

I'm not talking about the entire UK. The chosen few have prepper genes. Every civilization crash the same, only a few got what it takes to match their times. Most will freeze dead in their stupidity making the need for more power stations mute.

So, in short, electricity production is essential for the UK. It cannot survive as a nation without it. As for the few preppers, good luck acquiring and maintaining their tog duvet, thermal long johns, axes and whatnots when the rest of the nation has disintegrated.

You forgot the guns and vast amounts of ammo!

[cronus]

I've long believed arts degree types are not fit for running a modern state. Yet they are all that keep getting thrown into the pilots seat for a long time. It is the false belief they have some sort of higher take on morality that boosts them into orbit. But power stations are pretty well essential for everything modern. We need a new sort of politician, a technocrat in the true sense of the word - knowing about engineering, science etc....it'll take a civil war to change things because established power is not given up lightly....wait until prince Charles ascends the thrown and it should all come to a head pretty quickly.