Subscribe to this blog's feedIf the Reverend Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness can bury the hatchet (and not in each other) and serve in the same administration, Disconnector supposes there must be hope for the dynamic duo of ministers at Chris (sorry DBERR), Malcolm Wicks and Lord Jones of Birmingham.
The latter is now a government minister in the Lords. However, when he was just plain Sir Digby and chief cheerleader for the CBI, he was wont to criticise the government for putting our energy security at risk. Famously, Sir Digby (as was) once suggested the UK was heading to hell in a handcart and a re-run of the three-day week of the 1970s, which saw rolling power cuts as the country coped with an all-out strike by
the miners.
Sir Digby made his remarks when Wicksy was energy minister number seven (he’s number nine now). The then-CBI chief became all but the nemesis of our Malcolm.
To say they were at loggerheads would be the understatement of the decade. They were spitting blood at each other (metaphorically, that is). Now they must sing from the same hymn sheet (ditto on the metaphor front).
Disconnector was pleased to see that both are quipping for Britain.
The Croydon funster (a.k.a. the energy minister) was asked recently if he would review the noise limits for onshore windfarms after a backbench Tory MP suggested there was evidence of adverse effects thanks to the noise of the new breed of super-turbines.
Wicksy did not recognise the problem. “We are aware that there are myths and concerns, and we have established a noise working group which I have asked to meet quietly along the corridor.” This produced some laughter in the chamber. Wicks added: “I cannot do Digby jokes, but I can do that one.”
Meanwhile, the new peer has delivered his maiden speech in the Lords. He prefaced his remarks with the observation that “I have so much to learn, not just the ‘Red Flag’, as the gentlemen of the press have been quick to point out, but also the art of brevity, to which I am often informed I am a total stranger. Especially, I really do have to learn the distinction between travelling the world for my country, and eating and drinking for it.”
Bless.
Oh, and apropos of not a lot, apparently the cost of changing the DTI to DBERR (or Chris) was the princely sum of £16,000. As rebranding goes, that was fairly cheap. Money well spent, I think we’ll all agree.
