Nuclear Consultation
Ministers spent £2.9m ($5.9m) on “listening” events this autumn, including £1.3m on a one-day public consultation on nuclear power, according to analysis by the Financial Times. The price tag for the nuclear consultation – nine “citizen deliberative events” held on September 8 – will fuel controversy over the exercise and raise questions about Gordon Brown’s “new type of politics”. Officials told the FT the £1.3m bill included venue hire, transport and accommodation for the 1,000 people consulted, plus a £772,626 contract to Opinion Leader Research, a polling company with links to Labour that was commissioned to carry out the work.
FT 13th Nov 2007 more >>
Companies
Atomic energy will play a vital role in tackling climate change and the challenge for the world is to maintain even current levels of nuclear generation, but whether Germany could be persuaded to overcome its opposition to nuclear power remained to be seen, E.ON’s Chief Operating Officer Johannes Teyssen told Reuters in an interview.
Reuters 12th Nov 2007 more >>
Iran
Gordon Brown has stepped up the pressure on Iran by warning that sanctions would soon be placed on oil and gas companies and financiers wanting to invest there.
Telegraph 13th Nov 2007 more >>
Daily Mail 13th Nov 2007 more >>
Times 13th Nov 2007 more >>
Interactive Investor 12th Nov 2007 more >>
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad yesterday described critics of his nuclear policies as “traitors” and accused them of spying for Iran’s enemies. His comments appeared to be aimed at silencing calls for him to compromise with the West over Iran’s nuclear programme, at a time of increasingly high-level criticism of his policies within the country’s ruling establishment.
Herald 13th Nov 2007 more >>
FT 13th Nov 2007 more >>
Terror
Members of Congress have warned about the dangers of suitcase nuclear weapons. Hollywood has made television shows and movies about them. Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency has alerted Americans to a threat – information the White House includes on its Web site. But government experts and intelligence officials say such a threat gets vastly more attention than it deserves. These officials said a true suitcase nuke would be highly complex to produce, require significant upkeep and cost a small fortune.
Guardian website 12th Nov 2007 more >>
Nuclear weapons
What were the reasons, how far were they were justified and are they applicable to policymaking now? A book published last week, Cabinets and the Bomb, by the historian Peter Hennessy, provides a remarkable documentary record of these deliberations. The story is told through declassified Cabinet and Cabinet committee papers, and is supplemented by expert annotations and references to other contemporary sources.
Times 13th Nov 2007 more >>
A ROW over nuclear weapons has broken out between the Liberal Democrat leadership contenders, with favourite Nick Clegg accusing rival Chris Huhne of backing “unilateral rearmament”. Mr Huhne won loud applause from party members at a hustings in Edinburgh at the weekend when he attacked plans to spend £20 billion replacing Trident.
But in an online article he has argued some “minimum nuclear deterrent” may be necessary as an alternative.
Edinburgh Evening News 12th Nov 2007 more >>
