An update

A sincere thank you, a change of topic, and audio (maybe).

Dear lovely subscriber,

You’re busy, so I’ll try and be brief.

Firstly, thank you for subscribing to my occasional newsletter. I know from my own research that there is an abundance of good independent writing appearing now to challenge the conventional narrative, and that you have a lot of choices. I’m grateful that you choose to subscribe to me. Please, if you can, share your thoughts with me in the comments to my essays, particularly if you disagree with something I’ve said, or if you see it differently. By learning from you, I benefit from this relationship.

Secondly. I’ve received a number of generous offers to sponsor my writing. I can’t figure out how to message you privately, so I’ll say it here — thank you.

I’ve not been sure what to do about these offers, which are stacking up. The origin of this newsletter was the horror and dismay I felt, and that was evidently shared by many of my subscribers, about our country’s hysterical overraction to a moderately unpleasant respiratory infection that has left almost no trace of itself in the excess mortality records of wiser countries. I’m certain that this hysteria will return—medical fear is a powerful weapon in the authoritarian project to transfer power from the legislature to the executive—but, for now at least, a wary suspicion amongst many of our fellow citizens who were so badly mislead appears slowly to be emerging.

There are, however, many other species of hysteria that grip our troubled nation. The one that my experience in the energy industry is most suited to comment on is the fantasy that we can convert a country that is two thirds of the way to the North Pole to run on occasional sunbeams and zephyrs without sentencing ourselves to immiseration and an early death from cold, poverty, and malnutrition. That’s where posts will largely focus for a while.

I mention this shift in emphasis because I will gratefully be switching the facility on that allows me to receive donations — I’m stepping up my public speaking work, and they very helpfully defray that expense and support another “Good Thing”. But I want to avoid the appearance of a “bait and switch”. I’ll refund any donation if this isn’t what you signed up for. It doen’t alter the “free subscription”, or content, in any way.

Finally. Substack has a voiceover/podcast facility. I’ve been running a few tests. I think it’s something I can do. I’m just not sure whether it’s something you will feel adds benefit. This week’s essay on (the absence of) anthropogenic climate change, and why it matters to UK energy policy, will have one attached. Perhaps you can send me some quick feedback about whether you felt it was an improvement (or not).

That’s all — thank you again, best wishes, and be cheerful!

Richard
Edinburgh