Sheliveswell retweetledi
Dear Prime Minister & Energy Secretary,
We hope this finds you warm. Not metaphorically warm — actually warm. As in, central heating on without having to remortgage the house.
Because out here in the wilds of Ordinary Britain™, we’ve developed a new hobby: staring at the thermostat like it’s a slot machine.
Will it go up?
Will it bankrupt us?
Who knows. Spin again.
Now, forgive us simple folk, but we’re slightly confused.
We’re sat on North Sea oil and gas. It’s there. Under the sea. Not imaginary. Not theoretical. Not powered by positive thinking and recycled conference lanyards.
And yet the national strategy appears to be:
1.Don’t drill it.
2.Import it.
3.Pay more for it.
4.Look surprised when bills explode.
It’s a bold plan. Very avant-garde. Almost performance art.
Meanwhile, every time fuel prices twitch, petrol stations react like someone’s shouted “fire” in a theatre. Prices up faster than a minister’s expenses claim. Oddly, they never drop with the same Olympic enthusiasm. Must be gravity working differently in Britain.
We’re told another wind farm will fix it. Another turbine. Another “long-term strategy.”
Now don’t get us wrong — wind is lovely. Very breezy. Excellent for drying washing. But when it’s minus three and the grid’s wobbling like a jelly at a church raffle, we’d quite like something a bit more… reliable.
Energy policy shouldn’t feel like we’re betting the house on a weather app.
Here’s the uncomfortable bit: ordinary people are cutting back. Pensioners choosing between heating and eating. Families watching fuel costs creep up while wages politely stay seated.
And from Westminster we get speeches. Targets. Pledges. Strongly worded enthusiasm.
We don’t need enthusiasm.
We need affordable energy.
Preferably sourced from the resources we already have.
It’s not radical. It’s not extremist. It’s not anti-planet to acknowledge that until storage technology catches up and renewables can carry the load alone, turning off domestic supply while importing foreign supply at a premium is… financially acrobatic.
The North Sea isn’t a moral failing. It’s an asset.
Using it sensibly while transitioning responsibly isn’t betrayal. It’s common sense.
Ordinary taxpayers aren’t asking for miracles.
We’re just asking not to be collateral damage in a PowerPoint presentation.
So here’s a humble suggestion:
Warm homes first.
Affordable fuel first.
Energy security first.
Then — by all means — save the world.
Yours in mild hypothermia and rising direct debits,
The People Who Actually Pay The Bills
English
