On June 23rd last year the MP for Selby and Ainsty, Nigel Adams, had a full page advert in The Selby Times urging us to vote leave, partly because of “the destruction of highly skilled, well paid jobs in our area caused by EU regulations in the power and coal industries”. These by the way are presumably the same regulations under which Germany is currently building 23 new coal-fired power stations.
A few weeks afterwards, on 20th July, his own government approved a Statutory Instrument (No 785:2016) for the fifth carbon budget with a 57% reduction in carbon emissions, 40% greater than the EU required. The green lobby applauded this. Later in the year via a Parliamentary briefing note we learned that Brexit would not change these much higher UK legal limits for carbon emissions.
The reason why Brexit won’t have the slightest effect on the coal and power industries is that the carbon reduction targets are primarily from the UN and not the EU at all. They are international agreements arising out of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from 1994. The EU is simply coordinating Europe's response or in the words of Aaron Banks, is really just a middleman between the UN and us. But in effect also a very convenient Aunt Sally. In December 2016 it was suggested after Brexit the UK would even remain in the EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) that works to make coal fired power more expensive.
Earlier in the year, on April 27th 2016, during a debate on coal fired power stations, with quite a lengthy contribution, Mr Adams talked about the government's intended "orderly transition away from coal", praised biomass as the "quickest and most cost effective method of getting coal off the grid" and failed to mention even once those awful job destroying EU regulations (Hansard column 614WH). He has described as tragic that, “we have sped up the demise of coal in this country” (Hansard 18th January Column 1164). Note the use of the word “we”.
So, here’s how it works if you're an MP. Your government introduces legislation, which has both benefits and costs. It goes far beyond what the EU has asked for. You support it. When the benefits come along in the way of cleaner air or whatever it is, you get your picture in the newspapers and claim the credit. Any downsides, perhaps involving job losses, you blame on your old Aunt Sally, the EU. It’s all so easy. You don't even need to bother connecting the job losses to the benefits or explaining anything at all, the Daily Mail has done your work for you over the past twenty years. The EU must be at the bottom of every ill mustn't it?
So you explain nothing, whip up the mob and send them off in completely the wrong direction while retaining popular support even after getting a 10% pay increase in 2015. It’s known as having your cake and eating it. I assume to be both logical and consistent Mr Adams, after 2019 when he has taken back control, will begin campaigning for Britain to leave the UN, re-open mines, build more coal fired power plants and strike trading agreements with other planets. That or admit the EU was blameless.
