This is not a political blog but why do we not follow the vision sometimes? President-elect Obama has just announced his plans to stimulate the US economy through large infrastructure projects and alternative energy initiatives. The UK government goes for tax breaks on the one hand and rises on the other. Same old recipe in the UK – something exciting in the US. No wonder the Conservative Party just have to sit back and let Labour win the next general election for them. ‘Yes we can’ versus ‘No we can’t…’

I heard the BBC release news on a report from Cap Gemini today about the state of the UK’s electrical infrastructure. This latest report calculates the gap between supply and demand and states that the gap will narrow rapidly. Demand continues to rise and power stations are due to close at a faster rate than new ones can be brought on line. The gap between supply and demand is forecast to drop to just 2.2%. Will there be more power cuts this winter? Well the forecasters are predicting a cold snap but looking for some light in the gloom, they say that a shortfall in industrial output will help reduce demand for electricity. Every cloud has a silver lining – so what happens in 2009/10 when the economy picks up?