I watched the government’s gas and electricity press conference on Sky news yesterday. It’s a massively important subject that’s blighting the lives of many across the UK, so the prime minister and cabinet ministers were there to answer for their strategy. As I listened to the announcement, I was met by a raft of good and bad, with many serious issues that needed addressing (for an example see my last blog, ‘Does the PM understand Direct Debits?’).
The first reporter to ask a question was the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson who asked “how quickly will these measures take effect and will there be a windfall tax?” Perfectly reasonable stuff…
Then the next two said:
“Do you regret not calling an election last year?”
“On the anniversary of 9-11 what do you think of terrorist measures?”
While I know these are valid questions in the right context, there were potentially more holes in the Govt’s energy policy than swiss cheese, and this was the chance to tackle an issue affecting millions of homes across the UK. Surely a little more research into the actual issues of energy rather than sticking within the navel-gazing Westminster agenda would’ve been better?