Lib Dems vote to accept nuclear power

[bananas]

Source: Guardian

The Liberal Democrats have voted to accept nuclear power, in a historic reversal of their long-held opposition to atomic energy.

Party members backed nuclear power as long as it is not subsidised, after several hours of tense debate at the Glasgow autumn conference

<snip>

The motion backed by the party was "option B", accepting that in future nuclear power stations could play a limited role in electricity supply, in a safely regulated environment and without allowing any public subsidy. They rejected "option A", ruling out the construction of a new generation of nuclear plant.

<snip>

Craig Bennett, policy director at Friends of the Earth, said it "punches a huge hole in the Liberal Democrats fast-sinking green credibility".

"Nuclear power comes with massive costs attached," he said. "Ed Davey is deluded if he thinks new reactors can go ahead without public subsidy – building them will result in the Liberal Democrats, yet again, breaking their promises."

<snip>

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/sep/15/liberal-democrats-vote-accept-nuclear-power

[blkmusclmachine]

1. !

[BillyRibs]

2. Depends What type Of Nuclear Power.

I oppose Uranium or Plutonium, But,

[Nevernose]

3. I was about to post something very similar

We need to do more research on Thorium reactors. They're nascent now, at best, but the Chinese are certainly researching them heavily . I believe we have a small sample thorium reactor operational at Oak Ridge.

For people who don't have time for the video:

They are literally incapable of melting down. Thorium and uranium and a few other things are sealed in and mashed together, causing a low-yield radioactive chain reaction, just like in normal nuclear reactors. This causes heat, which turns water to steam, which spins turbines.

The beauty of the thorium reactor is that if there were to be a "melt-down" (or tsunami, or earthquake, or volcano, or whatever), then the container is broken. Unlike Fukushima, instead of releasing tons of radioactive shit all over the planet, the radioactive process immediately stops, because it only occurs under artificial heat and pressure. Plus, everything in the reactor is reusable: no nuclear waste.

This is my Science-For-Dummies version; sorry if it offends any physicists out there.

[BillyRibs]

4. You Can't Make a Bomb out of it!

That's why we don't use it. That and it's cheep as Hell!

[Art_from_Ark]

6. Thorium is actually considered a waste product

generated from the mining of rare earths from ores like monazite. So right now there's a lot of radioactive slag sitting around that could be used someday in molten salt reactors.

[Nihil]

5. Just to show that "Hope and Change" was a bust on this side of the Atlantic as well ...

> "punches a huge hole in the Liberal Democrats fast-sinking green credibility".
>
> "will result in the Liberal Democrats, yet again, breaking their promises."



This abortion of a government has nailed down the coffin-lid on the Lib Dems for another
10 years or so ... leaving the UK with a choice of pseduo-Conservative or Fascist-Conservative.

Whoop-de-do.