"“We have lent a huge amount of money to the U.S. Of course we are concerned about the safety of our assets. To be honest, I am definitely a little worried.” "


Chinese premier Wen Jiabao 12th March 2009


""We have a financial system that is run by private shareholders, managed by private institutions, and we'd like to do our best to preserve that system."


Timothy Geithner US Secretary of the Treasury, previously President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.1/3/2009

Sunday, January 11, 2009

COBRA planning for nationwide emergency as gas storage closes down

A curious anouncement was made on at the end of BBC North West News tonight at 6.30pm.

On Monday morning there will be some programming in relation to Cabinet Office briefing room A - the COBRA committee and planning for emergencies.

Whilst heavy rain is expected the only major disruption we can reasonable expect is gas shortages. see post on Thursday, January 01, 2009 Are UK natural gas supplies secure this winter ? The margin of security gets smaller and smaller - and gas more expensive

The Government are way ahead - domestic gas rationing in UK, this would be done by rolling 3 hour electricity blackouts - as most central heating systems rely on a continuous electricity supply.

The government has had it planned for years - see http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file35360.pdf ! Maybe a gas fire with a piezo spark starter would work and gas rings / ovens could be used - but not as heaters as they are not flued and Carbon monoxide could build up.

So lay in the candles, a camping stove - primus , propane gas, easily heated / cooked food , plan for vulnerable people , children , the elderly and get out the board games if the TV doesn't work. In the long term install a wood stove.

Your local council should have prepared an Emergency plan see Rochdale MBC's plan here (dated incidentally Jan 2009)

Click on the image to enlarge - this is one of 13 increasingly severe 3 hour rolling electricity blackouts.

UPDATE 2100: GMT News Item : Deutches Welle within last hour

Russia Gas Deal in Doubt as Medvedev Talks of 'Mockery' Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:

Looks like the gas meters could be staying at zero for a while longer

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday, Jan 11., said an EU-brokered deal aimed at restoring the supply of Russian gas to Europe via Ukrainian pipelines was off. He said Russia objected to additions made by Ukraine.

Medvedev made the remarks in a discussion with Moscow's foreign minister shown on television. He said Russia objected to a handwritten addition made to the formal agreement by the Ukrainian side, calling it a "mockery of common sense."

"I think that those who have signed this document with reservations well understand the legal consequences of their actions," he told Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

Dmitry Medvedev, left, meeting Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Sunday, Jan. 11"As a result, we are obliged to consider the document signed as null and void for us. We will not apply it as long as this reserve is not overturned," he added.

The declaration, which was seen by Reuters, said that Ukraine had not siphoned off transit gas and that it has no outstanding debts to Gazprom. That is the issue that stands at the center of the dispute.

Russia won't restart supplies

Moscow has insisted it will not restart gas supplies to Europe until it has a valid deal. Supplies have been halted since Wednesday. He urged EU officials to demand Ukraine withdraw its so-called declaration that it issued to accompany the agreement.

The European Commission says the declaration can't change the deal, but Lavrov told Medvedev that the copy of the deal Russia has received contains Ukraine's stipulation that it only is valid along with the declaration.

UPDATE : Monday 1000 GMT

From The Sunday Times January 11, 2009
Britain close to low gas alert Reserves have fallen to less than a week’s supply of UK needs http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article5489455.ece
Peter Parsons, gas supply manager at Britain’s National Grid said: “We’re close to the point where we’ll have to take emergency-type measures.”

4 comments:

Stef said...

It could be my lack of an appropriate technical background but in what way exactly do emergency 'type' measures differ from emergency measures?

wv: fiestr

ziz said...

There can't be a need for mergency measures or even Mergency type measures if you look at ow we are pumpin N sea gas like it's going out of fashion at Bacton

http://www.interconnector.com/
onlineservices/historicflows.htm

Anonymous said...

"Ex-minister joins private equity firm that received £15m from Whitehall agency"

Monday 12 January 2009...

"Lady Amos, who"...say no more...

http://tinyurl.com/9njgfm

ziz said...

Lady Amos (whose perfumed path upwards and onwards under the guardianship of Tony Bair) is best remebered for her scurrying around Africa to get votes on the UN General Council for the 2 nd resolution to start a war with Saddam

This is best considered (and her motives at the time) by the conversation that Clare Short gave to the BBC .

"I mean enormous pressure was brought to bear - Valerie Amos, Lady Amos, went round Africa with people from our intelligence services trying to press them. I had to make sure that we didn't promise a misuse of aid in a way that would be illegal.

Q: A view - was it being suggested then?

CS: There was worry about her brief and making sure that there was no such suggestion because it would have been a breach of the law...

Q: But can I question you on that for a second - did somebody suggest that that might have been the right strategy?

CS: We were worried that that was going to be done and went to some trouble to make sure her briefing made it clear that that could not legally be done.

Of course what passed between the dusky long limbed beauty and the people she met may never be know (unlike the conversation she had with Kofi Annan which were monitored and recorded) ane it is unlikely she or her MI6 minders , FCO chappies will ever tell us.

Clare was of course never refuted in her further claims ..

Q: So in other words, British spies - let's be very clear about this in case I'm misunderstanding you - British spies have been instructed to carry out operations within the United Nations on people like Kofi Annan?

CS: Yes absolutely.

Q: Did you know about this when you were in government?


CS: Absolutely, I read some of the transcripts of the accounts of his conversations.

Q: Is this legal?

CS: I don't know - I presume so. It's odd but I don't know about the legalities.


More here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3489372.stm
See Previous posts here

She also had a discrdditable role on denying the Chagos Islanders of their rights to their homelan d

Thursday, May 11, 2006
Chagos Islanders have outstanding win against the UK Government.


Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Lady Amos Fast risen Blair "babe" at Straw's FO

She has always been coy about her "boy friend" but we have heard that James Purnell is know to admire the way she and Baroness Sotland manage to jiggle with their glasses and neck scarves whilst lounging on the scarlet benches of the House of Lords.

(C) Very Seriously Disorganised Criminals 2002/3/4/5/6/7/8/9 - copy anything you wish