Is it possible, given that 'experts' fall out all the time, for any government to get their energy policy right?

Which begs the question: "Right for whom?"

Even on the scale of this forum, the thread (started by Jim Ingram) now known as "the biomass thread" took off following Keith's disagreement with the AECB article authors.

And even Tony's profile shows:

"Wood burning: VERY Anti; Global warming: no proof that this is caused by human activity."

And that's coming from a much-respected guy - to do more with his "Builder for 28 yrs now a sustainability consultant" than his BSc chemistry with physics; PhD organic chemistry.

Put Tony and Keith in a room and two guys who otherwise have so much in common in the shape of this forum and what shape of energy policy would you get?

So what chance have the politicians got?

The problem is that every single politician I have ever met (and I've met and worked with a few up to ministerial level over the years) has already got an opinion and will use experts selectively to present it in the best light. They didn't go into politics to listen to other people, they went in to it to transmit their views to others, with the intent to get what they want.

There is a myth, started by the Blair government, that policy decisions would be supported and shaped by consultation, both with subject matter experts and the public. Anyone who has been part of that process, in any government department, will know that at best lip service is paid to consultation; more often than not it is ignored. Perhaps a better analogy for this building forum is to liken public consultation to the notice planning committees take of letters of objection - we all know that these rarely have any effect at all on whether permission is granted, as pretty much every on line planning correspondence file will show.

The really big problem is presenting balanced information to the public, in a form that they can readily understand, before commercial interests wheel out their bamboozling PR machine. It isn't government that directly influences public opinion about energy and green issues, it's the commercial entities trying to exploit the market that do this. At best all government does is get swayed by commercial pressure to give industry things it can exploit.

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: Joiner</cite>Sounds as if you and John have a lot in common, at least where politicians are concerned.</blockquote>

I think you're right, much as suspect he wouldn't want to accept it................

<blockquote><cite>Posted By: fostertom</cite>Politicians do have special powers, whose magic the rest of us can only defer to;

1) special powers of hindsight (re the opposition);

2) the special determination not to (be seen to) U-turn.</blockquote>

They are often not as bright as they may seem. I once had to answer a parliamentary question from a well-known and infamous anti-defence MP. The question related to a large weapons range I was responsible for at the time, one that had a historical problem with contamination from dumped munitions. It hadn't been used for that purpose for around 40 years, but the MP wanted to know the "quantity of ordnance deposited in or on area **** from 1970 to the present day". Civil Servants are obliged to always tell the truth to MPs, you cannot cover up anything that you believe might be embarrassing to the government of the day, even if you wanted to. I knew that this question was potentially dodgy in how the information was going to be used, probably in the press and probably misrepresented at that. I had to answer it perfectly honestly and precisely, so asked my weapons expert for the definition of "ordnance". He confirmed that the work that had been going on in the area in question didn't involve "ordnance" as such, but other military materiel of a different category. With a clear conscience I wrote a reply to the PQ saying that no ordnance had been deposited in this area during the time in question. A couple of days later I had a brief call from my minister thanking me for giving such a precise and accurate answer to a difficult question. It's at times like that you get the uncomfortable feeling that you have Sir Humphrey Appleby sitting on your shoulder, guiding your every word................