A meeting of EU energy ministers on Friday has suggested that each EU country implement strategies to reduce overall electricity consumption by a minimum of 10 percent, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
The EU should also reduce electricity by at least 5% during peak price hours, according to a draft document seen by the WSJ.
The EU asked its members earlier this summer to reduce gas consumption by 15% starting this fall and running through the winter. While initially a request, it left the door open for it to become mandatory should the need arise. The 15% gas cut framework could also be applied to today’s plan to cut electricity usage by 10%, the ministers said on Friday.
Of course, a nationwide across-the-board 10% reduction in energy consumption is tantamount to a nationwide across-the-board 10% (or more) reduction in Gross Domestic Product. EU countries are essentially mandating economic recession if not outright depression in order to withstand the likely full withdrawal of Russian oil and gas from Europe.
It’s a helluva strategy: confront an adversary by blowing your own foot off.
As my Mom and her family would have said, "They're cutting their nose off, to spite their face." I only kind of got that as a teenager, I totally understand now.
As my Mom and her family would have said, "They're cutting their nose off, to spite their face." I only kind of got that as a teenager, I totally understand now.
Those in charge aren't shooting themselves in the foot, they're rich enough not to see deprivation from their destruction of the economies.
They are savaging the living standards of everyone who's not rich though, and putting a wrench in the machinery of industry
I'm sure you recall Chevy Chase's bywords: I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not.
The bywords of politicians are: I can mandate, and you can't.
The power of government in all things and at all times is always the police power. It is the power of coercion. It is force institutionalized.
That alone should recommend to people there be a whole lot less government in the world.