Chart shows annual heating bills for medium-sized home with an oil boiler (£1,476), an LPG boiler (£1,473) and a heat pump (£784), all at current energy prices. The heat pump is considerably cheaper to run, saving over £650

The UK government has announced £9,000 subsidies for households with oil and LPG boilers to get a heat pump.

This is seriously good deal for rural homes - not only does it lower the upfront cost, a mid-sized home could save over £650 a year by switching from oil to a heat pump at current prices...

For those keeping track at home. The Iranians have now blockaded the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US blockading it because the Iranians had blockaded it, in response to the US attacking Iran to ensure that the Strait which was fully open at the time wasn't blockaded.

When Angela Rayner underpaid £40,000 in stamp duty, Richard Tice said it was "morally completely indefensible” and she should resign if she had “any moral decency”.

Now we learn he set up four shell companies that let him avoid paying £100,000 he owed in tax and to then transfer the cash to Reform

Crossing the Divide: Reaching Reform Voters in a Fractured Britain. Why understanding perception, not just policy, may be the left’s biggest challenge ahead of the local elections.

Crossing the Divide: Reaching Reform Voters in a Fractured Britain.

Excellent piece by Claire Jones writing for Bearly Politics

Who’d have thought a fossil-fuel shill like Trump would be the one to spark a green revolution? | George Monbiot The US attack on Iran has made the need for renewable energy inarguable, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot

It's the opposite of his intention, but the Idiot Emperor is forcing the world off fossil fuels. This week's column.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

-FDR, 1937

A HUGE, narrative-breaking moment for the UK car market

New EVs are now cheaper than petrol cars on average, says Autotrader

Last yr CCC said price parity was due by 2028 – and it's already here

And EVs are already MUCH cheaper to run than petrol

A photo of the front cover of issue 1673 of Private Eye magazine, with the caption “on shelves now.” The main headline reads “HUNGARY: ORBAN LOSES HISTORIC ELECTION.” The central image shows Viktor Orbán standing on stage alongside JD Vance, both raising their arms in front of a cheering crowd with Hungarian and US flags in the background. A speech bubble reads, “Who says America can’t achieve regime change?” A strapline at the bottom reads “HUGE TRIUMPH FOR MAGA (SURELY MAGYAR? ED.).”

Hungary: Orban loses historic election

The new Private Eye is out now.

Every major oil shock, put on the same timeline. The 1973 embargo was the longest lasting. The 1990 Gulf War was the biggest reversal. The 2026 Hormuz crisis is the steepest climb and drop. But the line isn't finished yet.

a world map showing various joke blockages, such as the malaysian sri-lankan ocean control line, the mv evergreen wedged in the suez canal or the pakistani zone of sea confusion

Very good (by @mcfestus02.bsky.social)

Good time to re-up this 🎉

I agree with Zack Polanski on this - 100%. Hard to understand why it’s not been done already.

Hard to imagine why anyone would want to buy a petrol-powered vehicle after seeing this

#energysky

elitre.com.au/dollar

Électrification : les mesures annoncées par le Gouvernement | info.gouv.fr VIDÉO. Leasing social, pompes à chaleur, voitures électriques… : la France accélère son électrification pour réduire sa dépendance au gaz et au pétrole et renforcer sa souveraineté. Le soutien à l’électrification atteindra 10 milliards d’euros en 2030.

The French government has announced the measures of its plan to accelerate electrification:

- a ban on gas boilers in new houses from the end of 2026
- increased support for replacing old heating with heat pumps
- 100 regions will pilot comprehensive heat transition plans to phase out gas by 2030

a massive global overview of policies enacted in response to the latest fossil fuel crisis.

Terrifying how many of these will help lock in fossil fuel reliance, worsen climate pollution, suck money from governments and subsidise rich people's overconsumption

www.iea.org/data-and-sta...

A-ha on #totp and oestrogen levels reach critical levels

Britain breaks solar energy record twice as UK’s biggest solar farm gets approval Record high set on Monday and raised on Tuesday, with 14.4GW of electricity generated in sunny spring weather

A single line in this piece just made my day:

“The electricity system operator is understood to be preparing to run the grid without any gas for short periods as soon as this summer, in a first for the UK energy system.”

Renewables *work*. And progress matters🎉
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Not Farage Oil

Over the past decade, the cost of solar panels has decreased globally by 90%, now being under $0.20 (£0.15) per watt.

Conversion efficiency improved from 1–2% to 22% within the past century, reducing manufacturing and installation costs.

Fossil Farage is dumb & dead.

The electrical revolution is happening - across several domains - faster and further than almost anyone dared predict. And any country that does not embrace it will be left in the fossil age.

A timely reminder of just how enthusiastic Farage was about Trump attacking Iran ..

He will try to distance himself from the shit show, but let’s make sure we don’t let him achieve that❗️👍🏼

Britain breaks solar energy record twice as UK’s biggest solar farm gets approval Record high set on Monday and raised on Tuesday, with 14.4GW of electricity generated in sunny spring weather

Clean, safe, cheap, renewable energy that you don't have to fight deadly wars or destroy the environment to get.

Good for wildlife, too, when done properly.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Europe cannot bet on a post-Trump US turning back to sanity | Rafael Behr If the president’s first term didn’t inoculate the American body politic against tyranny, there is no guarantee that a s

🚨Europe needs to unite.

🇪🇺It is clear from the applications being made to join the EU, that this imperfect institution is seen as the present and future for European integration.

🇬🇧Britain must return to the fold, we must go further and faster in rebuilding our ties with our European allies.

Dogger Bank: Timeline of the World’s Biggest Offshore Wind Farm Dogger Bank is set to be the world's biggest offshore wind farm in the world. Follow the latest progress with our timeline of key milestones.

Dogger Bank: World’s biggest offshore wind farm.
With four phases and over 5GW, the first part of the Dogger Bank project is set to come online this year, will generate an estimated £6.1 billion for the UK economy, support thousands of jobs over 35-year lifespan.
www.energyvoice.com/renewables-e...

Before posting, don't forget to let
Reform Ltd & Nigel Farage know
your heart-felt feelings about them
all over the leaflet ...

meme via Paul Hodgson

The UK must immediately and unequivocally suspend support for the US military.

The Government have tried to appease him, then they tried to say they're standing up to him.

Words aren't enough - it's time for action.

Donald Trump's latest shocking threats against Iran would amount to war crimes.

The UK cannot be complicit. Keir Starmer must withdraw US access to UK air bases now.

All countries MUST withdraw overflight, landing or refueling permission for US planes, with immediate effect. Too much is at stake to just wait and “hope” Trump will back down, or someone, somewhere in US system will intervene to stop him.

I know a lot of people will start out pretty unsympathetic to the Douglases, and I did too, but I was quite shocked by the extent of this. I think a lot of UK citizens expect that the UK authorities (FCDO, embassies) will help if they get into hot water overseas. They probably really won’t