Difference between revisions of "Nuclear spin"

From Powerbase
Jump to: navigation, search
 
(174 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
<table border="0" cellpadding="5">
 
<table border="0" cellpadding="5">
 
   <tr valign="top">
 
   <tr valign="top">
     <td width="60%"><p align="left"><B>Welcome to NuclearSpin</B></p>
+
     <td width="60%"><p align="left"><B></B></p>
  
== New NuclearSpin Briefings ==
+
== Welcome==
 +
'Welcome to '''NuclearSpin''', a website that tracks the companies, people and organisations behind the campaign to build new nuclear power stations in the UK and worldwide.
  
In the current economic climate are you worried about how the nuclear industry and governments may try and spin the finances for new power stations? Will you end up paying for new nuclear power plants? Where are the new sites going to be built in the UK? What about the waste? Where will it be stored? Will it be secure?
+
It aims to give you information on who is influencing the debate about nuclear energy, and the tactics that they use to persuade the public we need more nuclear power.[[File:HinkleyC z CCSA.jpg‎|525px|left|thumb|Hinkley Point C in Somerset, England. Source: Flickr/CCSA]]
  
All these issues have not yet been resolved, yet the British government is pushing ahead with a new generation of nuclear power plants. To assist people understand key issues on nuclear power, NuclearSpin has launched a series of in-depth analysis pieces on key issues surrounding the debate concerning building new nuclear power plants in the UK. To access just click on the title:
+
==Become a contributor==
  
* [http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/2/20/Nuclear_Costs_and_Finances.pdf '''Nuclear Costs and Finances''']
+
'''NuclearSpin''' is a free encyclopedia, written collaboratively by a wide variety of volunteers and independent researchers, and is part of [http://www.powerbase.info Powerbase].
  
An in-depth look at the costs and financing of the nuclear industry.
+
If you'd like to help us expand and update our '''NuclearSpin''' site, '''please email our [[User:Melissa Jones|editor]] Melissa Jones'''. All contributions, big or small are welcome.
  
* [http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/a/a9/Nuclear_Siting.pdf '''Nuclear Siting''']
+
==About us==
 +
'''NuclearSpin''' was set up in 2006 to track a massive lobbying campaign launched by the nuclear industry. In that same year, the British Government began a public consultation which raised the possibility for the first time in many years that new nuclear power stations could be built.
  
This briefing paper examines where new nuclear plants may be sited in the UK
+
Even though the High Court ruled in 2007 that the Government’s consultation was "misleading, seriously flawed, manifestly inadequate and procedurally unfair", and its plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations were "unlawful", Ministers still pushed ahead.<ref> Deborah Summers, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,2013618,00.html Government loses nuclear power case], ''The Guardian'', 15 February 2007, </ref> <ref> BBC News, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6364281.stm Nuclear Review "Was Misleading"], 15 February 2007, </ref>
  
* [http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/6/61/Nuclear_Waste.pdf '''Nuclear Waste''']
+
'''NuclearSpin''' showed how the Labour Government [http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/docs/nuclearmonitor/NNM14.pdf helped the nuclear industry] and documented the close links between nuclear insiders and powerful politicians, such as Prime Minister [[Gordon Brown]] and Planning Minister [[Yvette Cooper]].
  
Worried about how the government is going to spin nuclear waste. Then read this briefing paper.  
+
In 2008, the site was expanded to look at the industry campaign for new nuclear in other countries, expose [[The Secret Pro-Nuclear Push In British Schools]] and explain why [[Nuclear is not the Answer to Climate Change]].  
  
* [http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/b/ba/Nuclear_Decomm.pdf '''Nuclear Decommissioning''']
+
Nuclear power is now central to the British government’s plans for future energy. But our politicians are not being straight with us about the cost of nuclear power or its safety.  
  
A critical examination of the issues that surround decommissioning in the UK
+
For example, the coalition agreement between the [[Conservatives]] and [[Liberal Democrats]] in May 2010 said there would no public subsidies for nuclear – but the Government is now discussing “contracts guaranteeing subsidies for up to 40 years”.<ref> Juliette Jowit, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/feb/18/nuclear-power-ministers-reactor Nuclear power: ministers offer reactor deal until 2050], ‘’The Guardian’’, 18 February 2013</ref> We explore this in our 2012 briefing paper [[Media:NuclearSubsidies_SpinWatch_briefing_May_2012.pdf|Broken Promises: Subsiding the Nuclear Industry]].
  
* [http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/5/59/A_Nuclear_Slush_Fund.pdf '''A Nuclear Slush Fund?''']
+
The Government also colluded with the [[Nuclear Industry Association]] to play down the safety implications of the nuclear accident at [[Fukushima]] in Japan in 2011.  
 
 
A look at whether the UK [[Nuclear Decommissioning Authority]] is using a "slush fund" to curry influence with local communities.
 
 
 
* Finally one new Analysis section has been added called [[Is the Debate on Nuclear Being Fixed?]]
 
 
 
== Background ==
 
 
 
NuclearSpin was originally launched in response to the British Government's 12-week consultation on energy in 2006. In 2007, the High Court ruled that the Government's plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations were "unlawful" and the way it consulted with the public over the decision was "misleading, seriously flawed, manifestly inadequate and procedurally unfair".<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,2013618,00.html][http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6364281.stm] </ref>
 
 
 
What makes Brown's decision in January 2008 to give the goahead to a new generation of nuclear plants politically sensitive is that his younger brother Andrew Brown works for [[EDF Energy]], the UK subsidiary of [[EDF]], which is one of the leading companies pushing for a nuclear rebuild programme in the UK.
 
 
 
The Labour Government is also speeding up the planning process, making it easier for nuclear power plants to be built. Planning Minister, [[Yvette Cooper]] has already had to fight off criticism of "nuclear cronyism" due to her father's links to the nuclear industry too.
 
 
 
For a full briefing on the so-called 'facilitative actions' which the Government is carrying out to speed up nuclear developments see [http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/docs/nuclearmonitor/NNM14.pdf New Nuclear Monitor No.14 (pdf)]
 
 
 
To help people make up their own mind about nuclear power, NuclearSpin has been updated and expanded.
 
 
 
* There are new sections on countries and regions, including [[Nuclear: Australia|Australia]], [[Nuclear: Belgium|Belgium]], [[Nuclear: Canada|Canada]], the [[Nuclear: EU|EU]], [[Nuclear: Finland|Finland]], [[Nuclear: France|France]], [[Nuclear: Germany|Germany]], [[Nuclear: Japan|Japan]], [[Nuclear: United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] and [[Nuclear: United States|United States]];
 
 
 
* Expanded profiles on pro-nuclear organisations and lobby groups.
 
 
 
* An analysis section, including Why [[Nuclear is not the Answer to Climate Change]] and [[The_Secret_Pro-Nuclear_Push_In_Schools]].
 
 
 
* NuclearSpin is also working with [http://www.sourcewatch.org Sourcewatch] to develop a [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Portal:Nuclear_Issues Nuclear Portal page]. Some articles and profiles have now been deleted from the NuclearSpin site and moved across to SourceWatch. Each page that has been deleted includes a redirect to the relevant Sourcewatch page
 
 
 
We hope you will find the site useful and informative. We think you will discover that a better understanding of what is going on globally will help you understand what pro-nuclear spin doctors are up to in your country.
 
 
 
The editor of the Nuclear Spin portal is Andy Rowell: andy.rowell AT spinprofiles.org.
 
  
 +
In July 2012, the House of Commons [[Science and Technology Committee]] concluded that public does not trust the Government to tell the truth about nuclear. It said 'the Government's position as an advocate for nuclear power makes it difficult for the public to trust it as an impartial source of information'.<ref> Science and Technology Committee, [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmsctech/428/42805.htm Devil's bargain? Energy risks and the public], First Report, 9 July 2012 </ref>
 +
'''
 +
This site is designed to help you see through the nuclear spin'''.
 
     </td>
 
     </td>
 
     <td width="1%"></td>
 
     <td width="1%"></td>
 
     <td width="39%" valign="top">
 
     <td width="39%" valign="top">
  
==NuclearSpin Categories==
+
==NuclearSpin categories==
 
+
[[File:Nuke power Flickr CCSA bagalute.jpg|right|225px|thumb|''Source:Flickr bagalute'']]
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php?title=Category:Analysis'''Analysis''']
+
*[http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Category:Civil_nuclear_industry '''Industry''']
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php?title=Category:Individuals_linked_to_the_push_for_nuclear&rcid=12559 '''Individuals''']
+
*[http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Category:Nuclear_PR%2C_lobbying_and_consultancy_firms '''PR, Lobbying and Consultancy firms''']
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Category:Pro-nuclear_organisations '''Organisations''']
+
*[http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Category:Pro-nuclear_organisations '''Organisations''']
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Category:Countries '''Countries''']  
+
*[http://www.powerbase.info/index.php/Category:Individuals_linked_to_the_push_for_nuclear '''Individuals''']
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Category:Civil_nuclear_industry '''Companies''']
 
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/index.php/Category:Nuclear_PR%2C_lobbying_and_consultancy_firms '''PR, Lobbying and Consultancy firms''']
 
 
 
==NuclearSpin in the News==
 
 
 
So far NuclearSpin or documents from the website have been covered in/on:
 
 
 
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,1765925,00.html ''The Guardian''], May 03, 2006;
 
*[http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1781217,00.html ''The Guardian''], May 24, 2006;
 
*[http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1791354,00.html ''The Guardian''], June 7, 2006;
 
*[http://www.robedwards.info/2006/05/from_sunday_her.html#more ''The Sunday Herald'']; May 14, 2006;
 
*[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2090-2169217.html ''The Sunday Times'']; May 7, 2006;
 
*[http://venus.opendemocracy.net/t/2959/74001/1791/0/ Open Democracy]; May 18, 2006;
 
*BBC Newsnight Scotland, May 17 2006;
 
*[[Private Eye on Nuclear Spin|Private Eye]], No. 1159, 26 May - 8 June 2006
 
*[http://www.whitehaven-news.co.uk/unknown/viewarticle.aspx?id=378571 ''WhiteHaven News''], June 22, 2006.
 
* BBC Newsnight, July 5, 2006.
 
* [http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0607/S00076.htm ''Scoop''], July 7, 2006. 
 
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5149676.stm BBC News Online], July 10, 2006.
 
* [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/green/comment/0,,1817583,00.html ''The Guardian''] July 11, 2006.
 
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/nuclear/article/0,,1820515,00.html ''The Guardian''], July 17, 2006.
 
* [http://www.publicaffairsnews.com/ ''Public Affairs News''], October, 2006
 
* [http://fanonite.wordpress.com/2007/02/28/the-friendly-atom/ ''Variant''], Number 28, Spring 2007
 
*[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/civil-servants-lived-the-high-life-courtesy-of-nuclear-lobby-789185.html?r=RSS ''The Independent''], 24 February 2008
 
*[http://www.nuclearspin.org/images/d/d8/Private_Eye.PDF ''Private Eye''], No. 1220, October 3-16, 2008
 
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/nov/12/environment-eco-soundings ''The Guardian''], 12 November 2008
 
  
==What's New==
+
==NuclearSpin news==
 +
{{Template:NuclearSpin}}
 +
NuclearSpin investigations and documents from this website have been covered by:
 +
*Spinwatch, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5559-hinkley-a-huge-contribution-towards-yesterday-s-energy-thinking Hinkley: A huge contribution towards yesterday’s energy thinking], 28 October 2013
 +
*Spinwatch, [http://spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5542-ed-davey-s-nuclear-newspeak Ed Davey's nuclear Newspeak], Pete Roche, 17 September 2013
 +
*Andy Rowell, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/safety-fears-over-elite-police-officers-drunk-on-duty-at-uks-nuclear-sites-8675660.html Safety fears over elite police officers drunk on duty at UK’s nuclear sites], ''Independent'', 26 June 2013
 +
*''Spinwatch'' [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/blog/item/5514-how-the-lib-dems-help-edf-to-fleece-the-taxpayer How the Lib Dems help EDF to fleece the taxpayer], Pete Roche, 02 July 2013 
 +
*''Spinwatch'', [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/component/k2/item/5507-nuclear-costs-and-financesWould you spend £1 trillion to buy more nuclear waste?], Pete Roche, 24 June 2013
 +
*''Spinwatch'', [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5481-nuclear-stealth-tax-will-kill-the-poor Nuclear stealth tax will kill the poor], Pete Roche, 26 March 2013
 +
*''The Independent'', [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5478-nuclear-boss-wants-to-cut-family-fuel-aid Nuclear boss wants to cut family fuel aid], Andy Rowell and Richard Cookson, 17 March 2013
 +
*''The Guardian'', [http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/feb/20/rwe-npower-nuclear-subsidies-warning RWE boss warns over nuclear plant subsidies], Terry Macalister and Richard Cookson, 20 February 2013, which included information from a ''Spinwatch'' investigation into [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5460-nuclear-industry-secondments-to-government-departments-responsible-for-policy-and-regulation Nuclear industry staff seconded to Government ministries], 22 Feb 2013 
 +
*''Spinwatch'', [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5462-the-liberal-democrats-nuclear-tax-bombshell The Liberal Democrats' nuclear tax bombshell], Pete Roche, 20 February 2013
 +
*''The Guardian'', [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/dec/26/sellafield-emergency-readiness-nuclear-watchdog Nuclear safety watchdog criticises Sellafield's emergency readiness], Terry Macalister and Richard Cookson, 26 December 2012 also posted on [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/5431-nuclear-safety-watchdog-criticises-sellafields-emergency-readiness Spinwatch], 27 December 2013
 +
*''Spinwatch'', [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/440-nuclear-hospitality-of-key-officials-exposed Nuclear Hospitality of Key Officials Exposed],  exclusive by Andy Rowell and Richard Cookson, 28 November 2012 (covered in [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/28/nuclear-lobbyists-senior-civil-servants ''The Guardian''])
 +
*''Spinwatch'', [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/318-big-energys-united-front-nuclear-ccs-and-renewables-lobbies-in-joint-push-for-diverse-energy-mix Big energy's united front: nuclear, CCS and renewables lobbies in joint push for "diverse energy mix"], Pete Roche, ''Spinwatch'', 8 November 2012 
 +
*[http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/439-is-the-government-about-to-start-lining-the-pockets-of-its-nuclear-friends the Government about to start lining the pockets of its nuclear friends?], Pete Roche, ''Spinwatch'', 24 October 2012
 +
*Rob Edwards, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/438-police-trying-to-neuter-anti-nuclear-protest Police trying to neuter anti-nuclear protest], 2 October 2012
 +
*Pete Roche, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/429-the-treasury-and-nuclear-power-if-they-arent-sane-how-can-we-trust-them-with-the-nations-finances The Treasury and Nuclear Power - if they aren't sane how can we trust them with the nation's finances?] 17 July 2012
 +
*Pete Roche, ''Spinwatch'' [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/437-when-is-a-subsidy-not-a-subsidy When is a Subsidy not a Subsidy?], 22 May 2012
 +
* ''Private Eye'' [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate?start=14 Waiving the rules to keep the nuclear power programme on course], Rob Edwards, 21 March 2012
 +
* ''Spinwatch'' [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/436-the-coalition-is-set-to-break-its-promise-on-nuclear The Coalition is set to break its promise on nuclear], 9 May 2012
 +
* Spinwatch, [http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/climate/item/434-a-year-after-fukushima-nuclear-lobby-has-brussels-in-its-grip A year after Fukushima, nuclear lobby has Brussels in its grip], 8 March 2012
  
Check out the following:
+
==Briefings==
  
* [http://www.walrusmagazine.com/articles/2008.03-environment-radiation-pollution/ ''Walrus Magazine's''] in-depth article on the cancer controversy surrounding the [[Cameco]] plant in Ontario, Canada.
+
To help people understand key issues, NuclearSpin publishes a series of briefings.  
  
* Nuclear power is the least popular energy source among European Union citizens, according to new research. A special report from [http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/index_en.htm Eurobarometer], the public opinion analysis arm of the European Commission, concludes that “EU citizens are most in favour of renewable energy sources while nuclear energy is opposed by many”. Of 24,815 EU citizens interviewed in 25 countries, only one in five said they were in favour of nuclear power, while one in three (39 per cent) expressed strong opposition. The report says: "Nuclear energy provokes the most opposition among EU citizens." To read more, click [http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_262_en.pdf here] (pdf file).
+
'''9 May 2012''': [[Media:NuclearSubsidies_SpinWatch_briefing_May_2012.pdf|Broken Promises: Subsiding the Nuclear Industry]]
  
* The [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e2532608-bf72-11db-9ac2-000b5df10621.html ''Financial Times''] reported on February 19, 2007, that Rolf Linkohr, who has been advising Andris Piebalgs, the European energy commissioner, had his contract terminated because he failed to clarify there was no conflict of interest between this role, and his role as a pro-nuclear lobbyist. The sacking came after a campaign by [http://www.corporateeurope.org/ Corporate Europe Observatory].
+
Older briefings can be found in our [[Nuclear spin briefings archive|series of in-depth analysis pieces]].  
 
 
* Check out the new video section on SpinWatch including one on the dangers of civil nuclear power featuring David Lochbaum from the [http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/3547/67/ Union of Concerned Scientists].
 
 
 
* Also a coalition of groups in the US called Grass Roots Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) has launched a report called [http://www.graceenergyinitiative.org/download/FalsePromises.pdf ''False Promises: Debunking Nuclear Industry Propaganda''] which is a compelling expose of the nuclear industry propaganda.
 
 
   
 
   
'''Other Nuke News'''
+
You can also search for other articles on the nuclear push at the [http://www.spinwatch.org/ Spinwatch] site.
 
+
</td>
'''Get the latest news''' on the Nuclear push at the Spinwatch [http://www.spinwatch.org/content/category/5/152/9/ site]</td>
 
 
<td width="10"></tr>
 
<td width="10"></tr>
 
</table>
 
</table>
 +
==Notes==
 +
<references/>
 +
 +
[[Category:Nuclear Spin]]

Latest revision as of 16:08, 6 April 2016

Welcome

'Welcome to NuclearSpin, a website that tracks the companies, people and organisations behind the campaign to build new nuclear power stations in the UK and worldwide.

It aims to give you information on who is influencing the debate about nuclear energy, and the tactics that they use to persuade the public we need more nuclear power.
Hinkley Point C in Somerset, England. Source: Flickr/CCSA

Become a contributor

NuclearSpin is a free encyclopedia, written collaboratively by a wide variety of volunteers and independent researchers, and is part of Powerbase.

If you'd like to help us expand and update our NuclearSpin site, please email our editor Melissa Jones. All contributions, big or small are welcome.

About us

NuclearSpin was set up in 2006 to track a massive lobbying campaign launched by the nuclear industry. In that same year, the British Government began a public consultation which raised the possibility for the first time in many years that new nuclear power stations could be built.

Even though the High Court ruled in 2007 that the Government’s consultation was "misleading, seriously flawed, manifestly inadequate and procedurally unfair", and its plans to build a new generation of nuclear power stations were "unlawful", Ministers still pushed ahead.[1] [2]

NuclearSpin showed how the Labour Government helped the nuclear industry and documented the close links between nuclear insiders and powerful politicians, such as Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper.

In 2008, the site was expanded to look at the industry campaign for new nuclear in other countries, expose The Secret Pro-Nuclear Push In British Schools and explain why Nuclear is not the Answer to Climate Change.

Nuclear power is now central to the British government’s plans for future energy. But our politicians are not being straight with us about the cost of nuclear power or its safety.

For example, the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in May 2010 said there would no public subsidies for nuclear – but the Government is now discussing “contracts guaranteeing subsidies for up to 40 years”.[3] We explore this in our 2012 briefing paper Broken Promises: Subsiding the Nuclear Industry.

The Government also colluded with the Nuclear Industry Association to play down the safety implications of the nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

In July 2012, the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that public does not trust the Government to tell the truth about nuclear. It said 'the Government's position as an advocate for nuclear power makes it difficult for the public to trust it as an impartial source of information'.[4] This site is designed to help you see through the nuclear spin.

NuclearSpin categories

Source:Flickr bagalute

NuclearSpin news

Nuclear spin.png This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

NuclearSpin investigations and documents from this website have been covered by:

Briefings

To help people understand key issues, NuclearSpin publishes a series of briefings.

9 May 2012: Broken Promises: Subsiding the Nuclear Industry

Older briefings can be found in our series of in-depth analysis pieces.

You can also search for other articles on the nuclear push at the Spinwatch site.

Notes

  1. Deborah Summers, Government loses nuclear power case, The Guardian, 15 February 2007,
  2. BBC News, Nuclear Review "Was Misleading", 15 February 2007,
  3. Juliette Jowit, Nuclear power: ministers offer reactor deal until 2050, ‘’The Guardian’’, 18 February 2013
  4. Science and Technology Committee, Devil's bargain? Energy risks and the public, First Report, 9 July 2012