| End of coal 06:55 - Sep 30 with 3116 views | AnotherJohn |
Today sees the closure of both Port Talbot's last blast furnace and the power station at Ratcliffe-on-Soar, which will effectively end coal-fired heavy industry in the UK when Scunthorpe's blast furnace goes imminently. To mark this "milestone", Radio 4 spoke to Baroness Worthington, the Powys-born architect of the Climate Change Act, in what was one of the most smarmy interviews I have ever heard. She is taking a break in California and basking in the reflected glory of having helped the UK become the first G7 country to end coal-fired energy generation. She spoke with delight at being congratulated by Al Gore. She talked of how wonderful it is that Port Talbot will now have a plant with modern, clean technology, omitting to mention that this signals the end of the UK strategic industry of primary steel production (and the importation of plenty of dirty steel). When pushed about the many thousands of workers who will lose their present jobs, she said that change happens, and the same has happened to bank staff and supermarket checkout assistants - many more she said if one took numbers across the UK. She said this was sad, but that as somebody who drives through Port Talbot from time to time witnessing the pollution, she feels the population will be better off with the change. She did not seem convinced by the BBC interviewer's question suggesting that the pace of change could have been somewhat slowed in line with what is happening in Germany and the USA. It is hard to escape the conclusion that, along with genuine concern for the climate, there is a big dollop of virtue signalling here. I hope Baroness Worthington will get a warm welcome whenever she returns to Wales. [Post edited 30 Sep 8:55]
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| End of coal on 06:44 - Oct 1 with 814 views | SullutaCreturned |
| End of coal on 00:45 - Oct 1 by Robbie |
Irrelevant of all this carbon neutral nonsense , lets all go green policy and we are all tree huggers now the bottom line is TATA will now open another blast furnace in India with no regard for their lawmaking over emissions , has China also pledged to reduce air pollution .
Tata has taken the UK Governments money , put a recycling drop off point in Port Talbot .
India and their industries wlll be rubbing their hands , bring it on .
Bigger picture is Steel and Coal history are now lost from South Wales forever .
Some will applauded and cheer this news , but for me a sad day , our heritage gone .
Nice to see Stephen Kinnock resurface yesterday , mutter some small talk then disappear again . [Post edited 1 Oct 0:50]
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I'm not really concerned about the heritage aspect, it's the loss of jobs, the damage to the economy and what the future holds that worries me. | | | |
| End of coal on 08:08 - Oct 1 with 767 views | magicdaps10 |
Still something to come with the PT steelworks.
Most people I have spoken to or heard from a 3rd party reckon their job is safe and/or been told they are OK.
A lot of people in the steelworks are still spending money on the basis they have been told they are OK.
I think come the new year there is going to be a daily news....there isn't much caution at the moment. |  |
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| End of coal on 08:21 - Oct 1 with 760 views | Scotia |
| End of coal on 08:08 - Oct 1 by magicdaps10 |
Still something to come with the PT steelworks.
Most people I have spoken to or heard from a 3rd party reckon their job is safe and/or been told they are OK.
A lot of people in the steelworks are still spending money on the basis they have been told they are OK.
I think come the new year there is going to be a daily news....there isn't much caution at the moment. |
There is huge investment planned in Port Talbot - IF it happens it will see an increase in the number of well paid jobs available. | | | |
| End of coal on 08:36 - Oct 1 with 751 views | AnotherJohn |
| End of coal on 08:21 - Oct 1 by Scotia |
There is huge investment planned in Port Talbot - IF it happens it will see an increase in the number of well paid jobs available. |
It would be good to know how. The EAF on its own would not bring those jobs. The Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, recently talked about keeping the idea of virgin steel production on the table, and indeed I started an earlier thread on this saying I was encouraged by that statement, which now seems over-optimistic. If there was a route to build a hydrogen powered direct reduced iron (DRI) front end to process iron ore that would be great, but it seems an outside chance now. Even then a modern plant, like the Dutch Tata plant in IJmuident, won't bring back two and a half thousand jobs. [Post edited 1 Oct 14:00]
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| End of coal on 09:03 - Oct 1 with 727 views | Scotia |
| End of coal on 08:36 - Oct 1 by AnotherJohn |
It would be good to know how. The EAF on its own would not bring those jobs. The Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, recently talked about keeping the idea of virgin steel production on the table, and indeed I started an earlier thread on this saying I was encouraged by that statement, which now seems over-optimistic. If there was a route to build a hydrogen powered direct reduced iron (DRI) front end to process iron ore that would be great, but it seems an outside chance now. Even then a modern plant, like the Dutch Tata plant in IJmuident, won't bring back two and a half thousand jobs. [Post edited 1 Oct 14:00]
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No the EAF wouldn't.
But there are also advanced plans for a sustainable aviation fuel plant on the current TATA site and a manufacturing / maintenance hub for floating offshore wind turbines. And on top of this the entire area is designated a Freeport.
A lot of this is still up in the air, but it's not all bad news. In fact It could be a significant improvement. | | | |
| End of coal on 11:05 - Oct 1 with 688 views | magicdaps10 |
| End of coal on 09:03 - Oct 1 by Scotia |
No the EAF wouldn't.
But there are also advanced plans for a sustainable aviation fuel plant on the current TATA site and a manufacturing / maintenance hub for floating offshore wind turbines. And on top of this the entire area is designated a Freeport.
A lot of this is still up in the air, but it's not all bad news. In fact It could be a significant improvement. |
Fingers crossed on these plans but I don't hold up much hope unfortunately.
I think the town will get through it but I feel there is going to be a bit of a culture shock for some families who have members working there currently, seems to be a bit of an attitude that things will be OK rather than being a bit more cautious. Myself and my mates have discussed recently how so many people who are in the works are going on holidays, buying new cars and all with the explanation that they have been told they are OK....not heard of one person who has said that it looks like the end for them, these are guts who need work with mortgages and children.
It's a concern looking in from the outside, hopefully things work out for them but it seems to be an attitude that they are going to be fine because someone has said they will.
I still think there is a bigger story to come from this unfortunately. | |
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| End of coal on 11:27 - Oct 1 with 659 views | magicdaps10 |
Going off subject but will be the same effect, keep an eye out with education and schools down the years......this will be the next one.
Mismanagement at the top, budgets being pushed to higher management who do less teaching with few teachers now doing face to face teaching.
Teachers unable to see the real issue and pushing for more money which isn't solving the main problems......people are becoming so obsessed with earning more money that they are becoming blind to what they are already being paid to do and not seeing the real issues.
Off topic I know but I see so many similarities with what has happened with the steelworks demise to what is currently happening in the Schools. | |
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| End of coal on 12:47 - Oct 1 with 640 views | raynor94 |
| End of coal on 11:05 - Oct 1 by magicdaps10 |
Fingers crossed on these plans but I don't hold up much hope unfortunately.
I think the town will get through it but I feel there is going to be a bit of a culture shock for some families who have members working there currently, seems to be a bit of an attitude that things will be OK rather than being a bit more cautious. Myself and my mates have discussed recently how so many people who are in the works are going on holidays, buying new cars and all with the explanation that they have been told they are OK....not heard of one person who has said that it looks like the end for them, these are guts who need work with mortgages and children.
It's a concern looking in from the outside, hopefully things work out for them but it seems to be an attitude that they are going to be fine because someone has said they will.
I still think there is a bigger story to come from this unfortunately. |
Well if reports are true 2000 have applied for voluntary redundancy |  |
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| End of coal on 14:21 - Oct 1 with 588 views | Flashberryjack |
| End of coal on 08:21 - Oct 1 by Scotia |
There is huge investment planned in Port Talbot - IF it happens it will see an increase in the number of well paid jobs available. |
I'll believe it when I see it, unless of course they are jobs that Miliband says net zero will bring, like cheap magic energy. |  |
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| End of coal on 15:51 - Oct 1 with 559 views | Wingstandwood |
| End of coal on 14:21 - Oct 1 by Flashberryjack |
I'll believe it when I see it, unless of course they are jobs that Miliband says net zero will bring, like cheap magic energy. |
Aye the usual cliché’s, soundbytes and mood music are in full flow in South Wales at the moment.
“Support packages”….”Sustainable energy”….”Retraining”….”A greener and brighter future”….Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah. Heard some of the same usual bluff after Bryngwyn Steelworks etc shut.
I watched BBC news reporting last night and that organisation is nowadays well and truly polluted with a WOKE-green agenda, it might as well get Greta Thunberg in to co-present alongside Nick Servini.
I do not normally agree with any Lib Dem, but well known Swansea City councilor Chris Holley hit the nail right on the head by being “once bitten twice shy”.
The inside heading title in today’s SWEP says it all ‘Our old industrial sites are becoming theme parks’.
“Neither the Welsh nor U.K government have an industrial strategy that will bring manufacturing back to Wales. The opportunities I had as a young person setting out into the world are no longer available to those leaving school now.”
And remember folks it’s not only the Tories that have overseen industrial decline in Wales! This has happened under a Labour government in Westminster and a (Bryngwyn Works etc hey!) devolved Labour government in Cardiff. I guess that is why the 'Son of Kinnock' was so on the defensive when interviewed on TV last night? |  |
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| End of coal on 15:57 - Oct 1 with 554 views | Wingstandwood |
Today's South Wales Evening Post is well worth a buy today for anyone who is connected to steelmaking in Port Talbot, there is a 3 page spread.
Educational also, I never realised that ithe area has history with iron/steel dates from as far back as 1253 onwards, [Post edited 1 Oct 16:09]
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| End of coal on 17:07 - Oct 1 with 519 views | Kilkennyjack |
Privatisation of steel should never have been allowed.
Any Tory failure. |  |
| Beware of the Risen People
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| End of coal on 18:02 - Oct 1 with 468 views | magicdaps10 |
| End of coal on 17:07 - Oct 1 by Kilkennyjack |
Privatisation of steel should never have been allowed.
Any Tory failure. |
That was a silly thing for him to say given it had been sold out by the government years previous.
Being in or out of the EU would never save steel making in Port Talbot......writing on the wall was already in place even before leaving the EU was first mentioned. | |
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| End of coal on 18:18 - Oct 1 with 417 views | Joesus_Of_Narbereth |
| End of coal on 18:02 - Oct 1 by magicdaps10 |
That was a silly thing for him to say given it had been sold out by the government years previous.
Being in or out of the EU would never save steel making in Port Talbot......writing on the wall was already in place even before leaving the EU was first mentioned. |
We’ve been outsourcing pretty much every aspect of British industry to the far east for the best part of forty years. |  |
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| End of coal on 19:00 - Oct 1 with 383 views | SullutaCreturned |
| End of coal on 18:18 - Oct 1 by Joesus_Of_Narbereth |
We’ve been outsourcing pretty much every aspect of British industry to the far east for the best part of forty years. |
Governments of the last 50 years and more have been slowly selling this country out. No guesses as to why...greed, money, favours....it stinks.
This eco friendly green stuff they make us pay a fortune for, it may work or it may just be a massive pie in the sky idea.
I accept the climate is changing, nobody can deny that. The cause of it though? Meanwhile we continue to destroy habitats, pollute eveywhere with plastics, over medicate as many people as possible while selling us food that is probably only 20% real food...
Never mind, after Iran and Israel are done we'll have bigger things to worry about. | | | |
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