UK goes beyond batshit

You know how the UK’s government is trying for World Champion of Moronity? It just strengthened its claim for the top spot of global idiots by reportedly trying to get out of an LNG project in Mozambique that a previous government committed over $1 billion to, with a view to, you know, secure long-term supply of energy.

The project is led by TotalEnergies and it will cost a total of $20 billion — if it ever gets built. TotalEnergies wants to build it, despite previously having to suspend work on it because of violent clashes between local groups, but the Starmer government wants to pull out the $1.15 billion that the UK Export Finance agency granted in funding for British companies involved in the project.

“Number 10 have been trying to find a way for this not to happen, but they have been worried about being countersued if they don’t do it,” the FT quoted some unnamed source as saying. And they’re right to be worried. If they manage to pull the money out, those companies should sue the hell out of them, on general principles, if they’ve got some testicles left.

In fairness, there are some quite valid worries related to the Mozambique project — because of the security situation in the country. Per one other source — a government official — “It’s a bloody nightmare, it’s very challenging on the ground there to figure out what’s going on. It’s also challenging to work out whether or not we can get out of it, we are really concerned about it.”

That government then went on to add that “It’s not the environmental concerns that are the problem, it’s the volatile situation.” That’s an interesting observation and, if correct, it means there is still some hope the UK will fail to secure the World Champion of Moronity title. And yet one wonders, when one sees news such as this: China, Europe and UK should form climate coalition apart from US, energy expert says.

It comes from the FT again and it cites none other than Lord Adair Turner, the head of the UK’s Energy Transitions Commission and a committed climate crusader. His idea, as summarised by the FT: “China, the EU and the UK should form a coalition of “the world apart from the US” on climate action after the retreat under President Trump, the chair of an alliance global companies focused on net zero emissions said.” I cannot help but wonder, will they proceed to bankrupt themselves while waving a fist in the air and yelling “Take that, Trump?” We have a wonderful precedent for that kind of behaviour, after all.