Thanks, Matt, for posting this. I found it a bit hard to read on the phone, so here's a transcript. It's No. 1 in Caitlin Moran's Celebrity Watch:Insulate BritainIt seems perilous to begin a conversation with “If there was one thing that would make things better in this country” — as things are so bad, in reality, the “one thing” that would make this country better is if we all woke up in the shower, like Bobby Ewing, and discovered that the past few seasons on UK plc had been a dream.Nonetheless, if there was one thing that would make things slightly less bad, it would be for people with power and authority to admit that they had got things wrong, or made a miscalculation, or had changed their mind. To this end, I would like to suggest that the hashtag #lookslikeinsulatebritainwereright might be the most instructive thing that could happen now. Because — they were?When, in November 2021, the Insulate Britain protests brought several big roads to a standstill, Insulate Britain were widely derided as being a raggle-taggle bunch of extremists who were fatally hindered by refusing to have any proper leader or chain of command. And who should be, on that basis, either ignored or arrested.Of course, now we’re in September 2022, it’s harder to dismiss them on that basis because — and forgive me for being so on the nose — that also describes the Conservative Party during the past six months, but without the arrests. Yet.However, the big difference between the Conservative Party and Insulate Britain is that Insulate Britain had noticed an oncoming problem and were suggesting the most practical and cost-effective solution to it. Britain has the oldest and least energy-efficient housing stock in Europe — one third of all heating escapes an old house, wasting £1 in every £3 of a heating bill. Insulate Britain’s suggestion was that all social housing in Britain be insulated by 2025, costing £5 billion. It was dismissed as being too costly, and also, somehow, mad.Obviously, since then, the government has announced its Energy Rebate Scheme — throwing a pitiful £350 at bills estimated to reach the price cap of £6,000 by spring — at a cost of £9.1 billion for just one year of the scheme. So Insulate Britain’s suggestion seems kind of . . . cheap? And more long-term? And better for climate change? And — not mad?Apart from the fact that £350 is a frankly useless contribution to energy bills that are going to wipe out the lifetime savings of more than six million households in a single year, even a child could see that “reducing need for heating” is a better solution than “subsidising need for heating”. It’s basically the chancellor throwing a single bag of taxpayer coal on a fire — but leaving all the doors and windows open. Cavity wall insulation costs roughly £370 for a terraced house; loft insulation, £285.Have you ever seen photos of the “eco-terrorists” Insulate Britain? They were retired teachers, nurses and vicars, and students wearing backpacks, dressed in thermal anoraks — they weren’t hypocrites: they were very well insulated themselves — peacefully suggesting that Britain lag its boilers, and maybe pop a draught-excluder on their letterbox.It’s hard to think of a more mild, sensible, thoughtful, nonthreatening bunch. They were the most British gang, staging the most British protest. IT WAS FOR INSULATION! SOMETHING INNATELY INCREDIBLY BORING! And — most important — they were right.
Richard Carter ● 1249d