Why is the Government in the United Kingdom so poor on Climate Change and Energy ?
Why have they signed the Climate Change Act without a clue as to how to implement it, and are delaying any obvious low-cost actions, kicking it all into the long grass ?
It’s not a mean scheme, it’s just the effect of deference between men, who form the large bulk of the governing authorities.
Other people find dealing information and advice to the Government akin to knocking their heads against a diamond-studded brick wall, or trying to climb a Teflon-coated pole, and conclude that there is some kind of invisible web of control, perhaps with secret players.
I make a more pragmatic analysis. It is, in my view, networked chaos.
Male people hold various “positions” in Government and other public offices. They know people “officially” in their role in their organisation, but they also know people “unofficially” from their schools, their universities, their associations, their clubs and so on.
It’s all an Old Boys’ network, held together with decorum and sensibility and self-restraint about how the other chap would take it if anyone ruffled a feather or two.
Pandering to others’ professional or personal viewpoints leads us to this sorry mess where people can’t change things very easily, as to do so would knock down so many, many dominoes, and the other chaps would be riled, and if Daddy gets angry, we have to back down.
All it takes is one or two individuals who are pro-Nuclear Power, who dine and chat with everyone they can get their paws on, and pretty soon the whole Government is pro-Nuclear.
Not only that, but people who are public commentators also roll with it. (I’m thinking of, who, do you think ?)
All for the sake of not upsetting the other chap, giving him some kind of recognition.
If we could only stand back from this politeness for just one flipping second we could see that bad administration and bad systems are self-perpetuating, and bad ideas travel in synchronised waves.
Looking at it with a bird’s eye view, one can see the flip-flop of positions in accordance with social/political deference to “mentors” and “respected” persons.
One can see chaos looming, as untenable decisions come face to face with unspinnable realities…
For now though, difficult voices can be segregated into units and teams and committees and commissions, where they cannot make the headlines.
Much like a Ministry for Women cannot help women, neither can the Sustainable Development Commission bring us Sustainable Development :-
https://danielsimpson.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/irrational-exuberance/