Sir, Although your leading article (“Cabinet maker”, June 6) was clearly meant to be tongue-in-cheek, I am sure that I am not the only person featured who would claim that we could do no worse than those in office.
As Science Minister I would not have supported Europe’s farcical abdication from GM foods, the development of which was to a creditable extent British. The current policy condemns Third World countries to ever greater starvation and denies them agricultural export growth.
I would ensure that we follow other EU countries, with at least one state-of-the-art waste incinerator per county (Paris has four) which, using free fuel, would provide energy to eclipse eight of our dirtiest fossil fuel power stations and save some 48 square miles of new landfill each year. I would scrap the subsidy on wind generators, without which not a single one would be built, demonstrating how abysmal the technology is compared with even our old nuclear power stations which, incidentally, produce less CO2.
I would promote a greater future use of energy and not less, placing the research emphasis on solar power and other sensible options. Without a greater energy supply, the Third World will never attract multinational companies to provide a base for a social structure that will bring them out of poverty and slowly level the world’s social playing field.
I would draw together like minds to teach how good modern technology already is and how more brilliant it will become year on year. I would condemn the doom-and-gloom climate change promoters for gross exaggeration of threats and problems, which depress our younger generation and turn them away from scientific and engineering careers, so vital for the future of UK plc.
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Then, on Day 2 . . .
Johnny Ball
Farnham Common, Bucks