Utility Week

Community No sleep 'til Brexit! Ho! Ho! Ho! The last celebrities have le the jungle (congratu- lations 'arry Rednapp), Strictly is drawing to a close and a feast comprising sprouts and overcooked turkey looms – it can only mean Christmas is around the corner. And let's face it, we could all do with some Christmas cheer. Just as it looked as if we were at last approaching some sort of Brexit endgame, prime minister Theresa May has turned the omnishambles volume up to 11 by abandoning the showdown vote. By the time Utility Week is next published on 11 January next year, we could well have a different prime minister. But whether that's Amber Rudd or Sajid Javid, the chaos will be the same. Personally, Discon- nector would like to see Boris Johnson get the job if there's an opening. Aer all, the yanks have given us a year- long sneer-fest with their own choice of leader – it's only fair we reciprocate. Plus, of course, it would raise the mouth-watering prospect of a meeting between Donald Trump and Boris, the former being notoriously thin- skinned and the latter being obliviously insulting. It might not make for great politics, but boy it would make good telly. And that, dear reader, is what it's all about. Bill Clinton was wrong. It's the ratings, stupid. Let it snow, let it snow So in the spirit of the season, Disconnector would like to point you to the heart-warming tale of two traffic policemen in the Siberian region of Krasno- yarsk who were acclaimed for averting a tragedy when they rushed to help put out a fire armed with nothing more than snowballs. First Lieutenant Yevgeny Lunin and Lieutenant Pavel Istomin were on patrol in the village of Kuragino when they witnessed a garage on fire. "The guardians of law and order continued to hurl snow at the burning fence and garage gates before firefighters arrived," the Krasnoyarsk regional branch of the Interior Ministry said. Ahhh. Who needs John Lewis adverts? On the other side of the ledger, the EU security commis- sion has revealed that Russian state trolls have been churning out fake stories about Ukraine for a year, apparently soening up Russian public opinion before the seizure of three Ukrainian vessels on the Sea of Azov last month, making the current state of near-war between the two countries look ominously premeditated. But hey, don't forget those snowball-throwing cops, as Jeremy Corbyn might have reminded viewers on Russia Today. There is always a positive side if you look for it. Sunny uplands, if you will… A sense of direction In technology news, the BBC brings us London-based "biohacker" Liviu Babitz, who claims to have developed a "new human sense" by virtue of implanting a Bluetooth com- pass into his chest that vibrates every time he faces north. Speaking to the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show, Babitz said: "You walk on the street staring at your phone. "You want to get some- where but you have no idea what's happened in the world around you because all you did was stare at the screen on the way. "Imagine if you didn't need it." Hmm. A less drastic option than implanting an electronic compass in your chest might be to just put your phone in your pocket. And if the secret to finding your way around was simply ownership of a compass, Disconnector reckons you should just, y'know, carry a compass. Disconnector Publishing director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Acting editor: Suzanne Heneghan, t: 01342 332106, e: suzanneheneghan@fav-house.com Acting content director: Denise Chevin, 01342 332087, denisechevin@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray (maternity leave); Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; News editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@ fav-house.com; Energy correspondent: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@ fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Reporter: Adam John, t: 01342 332069, e: adamjohn@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Business development manager: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house.com. t: 01342 332116; Business development executive: Sarah Wood, e: sarahwood@ fav-house.com. t: 01342 332117 Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e: sophieabbott@ fav-house.com; General enquiries: 01342 332000; Membership enquiries: Peter Bissell, t: 01342 332057, e: peterbissell@fav-house.com. ISSN: 1356-5532. Registered as a newspaper at the Post Office. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2017 Membership subscriptions: UK £769+VAT per year. Overseas £781 per year. Contact Peter Bissell on: 01342 332057 Utility Week is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK's magazine and newspaper industry). We abide by the Editors' Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact the publishing director, Ellen Bennett, at ellenbennett@fav-house.com. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors' Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk UTILITY WEEK | 14TH - 20TH DECEMBER 2018 | 31 Alex Belsham-Harris @AlexBH_Energy OneSelect has closed, two days after the Citizens Advice energy star rating showed them to be the worst performing supplier. This shows (yet again) that financial instability and poor service go hand in hand. @ofgem's licensing review is an opportunity to tackle both issues. Adam Boorman @AdamBoorman I always wonder which comes first - is bad service a sign that you don't have money for call centre staff, or a lack of care about service a sign you aren't likely to be viable in the long run? William Marchant @richonlyinname It remains remarkable quite how little Ed Davey understands the energy market for a former SoS. The cap isn't to blame. A slack licensing regime & policy cost exemptions driving an explosion in unprepared new entrants is. As SoS he didn't tackle the first, and created the second. Jeremy Gordon @jrmygrdn Ups and downs for nuclear power at COP this year, but at least it's now seen as the coal- killer, not its conjoined twin. Assaad Razzouk @AssaadRazzouk You couldn't make it up: Poland's pavilion at the global *climate change* annual meetings it's currently hosting in Katowice, is decorated with *coal* Anglian Water @AnglianWater We're celebrating today after winning Utility Company of the Year at the @UtilityWeek awards last night. This award is for every member of staff in every Anglian Water van, treatment centre and office - you make us proud! Tom Steward @Steward_T Here at @OFGEM & @beisgovuk independent suppliers forum, I asked @XoserveLimited how they're ensuring views of suppliers that aren't shippers are heard on UIG. Response was there's lots of information online ie. Small suppliers must be passive recipients of others' decisions. Top Tweets

• Cover