Wave Goodbye

Since the British Isles, like many islands worthy of the name, are more or less surrounded by water, the Government is naturally dragging its feet over whether it should bother keeping a manifesto pledge to support a tidal energy project at Swansea. Britain's Head Boy was frightfully bung-ho for it before the election; but as with so much of the other guff one throws out during our Mother of Parliaments' quinquennial ratification and rah-rah from the proles, the ardour tends to cool once the electorate has again delivered up the goods. The tidal project has not actually been cancelled; but negotiations have been going on for a year, the company in charge requires a decision within a few weeks, and a further six months will be required before the relevant minister can understand why it wouldn't be more efficient just to frack the Gower Peninsula and buy more oil while it's going cheap.