Utility Week

Community New year, fresh start? Hmm Unless you were in any doubt about what 2018 was going to be like, it's already apparent that it's going to be just like 2017 – except more so. Over in the US, super-smart and stable president Donald Trump has already claimed personal credit for there being no airline fatalities over US airspace in 2017; mocked climate change on the basis that he was feeling chilly; and had a willy-waving competition with North Korea's Kim Jong-un about the respective sizes of their nuclear red buttons. And the new year is not much more than a week old. According to a new book about his first year in the White House, Fire and Fury by Michael Wolff, the reason is simple: he's an idiot. What's more, everyone working for him knows it. The only reason they campaigned for him in the first place was because they were certain he would lose. Many in the press think this "explosive expose" depicting a semi-literate narcissistic buffoon whom even his peers consider a "moron" spells the end for his Trumpness. Disconnector is not so sure. Aer all, it's not as if he got elected under false pretences. This was the guy who got up on a podium and waved his arms about in mockery of a disabled journalist, remember? The problem with "revelations" about Trump is that they're nothing of the sort. Critics and supporters alike know exactly what he is, and the more his critics wail in horror the more his supporters whoop and holler. As Bette Davis advised in another, more genteel, era: fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. A very British non-coup While the Americans wear their political troubles like they wear their shirts – loudly – we Brits, forever in thrall to a past that never existed, like to play out our politics in grainy black and white with a knowing irony. Thus Theresa May decided to get to grips with the political chaos that has engulfed her government with a much- trailed new year reshuffle that would "reboot" her admin- istration. To which end the Conservative official Twitter account erroneously named Chris Grayling as the new party chairman, a job that went to immigration minister Brandon Lewis. And, er, that was it, aside from shuffling some junior positions. The senior figures she had in her sights refused to go quietly. Justine Greening resigned rather than move. As stamps of authority go, it didn't make much of a mark. Name blame game Dong has run into some local difficulty with its rebranding as "Orsted", aer Hans Christian Orsted, a scientist famous in Denmark as the discoverer of electromagnetism in 1820. Chairman Thomas Thune Andersen said at the time, he wanted to associate the company with the scientist's "curiosity, dedication and interest in nature". The problem is that a group of descendants of said scientist object, and are suing. Jens Jakob Bugge, the lawyer representing the descendants, said fewer than 400 people were called Orsted, which meant under Danish law it could be protected. Orsted (as it is still called, at least for now) insists the claim is without merit. Should the company find itself in the embarrassing position of having to choose another moniker, Disconnector suggests it might go for a name that has more international resonance, as its previous name Dong did – but without the sniggering. Disconnector Editor, Utility Week, and content director, Utilities: Ellen Bennett, t: 01342 332084, e: ellenbennett@fav-house.com; Deputy editor: Jane Gray, t: 01342 332087, e: janegray@ fav-house.com; Features editor: Lois Vallely, t: 01342 332080, e: loisvallely@fav-house.com; Deputy news editor: Katey Pigden, t: 01342 332082, e: kateypigden@fav-house.com; Content editor: Alice Cooke, t: 01342 332102, e: alicecooke@fav-house.com; Senior reporter: Tom Grimwood, t: 01342 332061, e: tomgrimwood@fav-house.com; Policy correspondent: David Blackman, e: davidblackman@fav-house.com; Production editor: Paul Newton, t: 01342 332085, e: paulnewton@fav-house.com; Sales executive: Ben Hammond, e: benhammond@fav-house. com. t: 01342 332009; Conference sponsorship manager: Sophie Abbott, t: 01342 332062, e; sophieabbott@ fav-house.com; Publisher: Amanda Barnes, e: amandabarnes@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. Printed by: Buxton Press, Buxton, Derbyshire SK17 6AE. Published by: Faversham House Ltd, Windsor Court, Wood Street, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 1UZ. 2,500 Average circulation Jan–Dec 2016 Membership subscriptions: UK £669 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 editor, 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 Water UK @WaterUK Saving water could save you money and energy. If you are interested in becoming water efficient, give your local provider a call - you may be entitled to water-saving freebies! #WaterTips Ranelagh Politics @RanelaghUK Another of the MPs who has spent over an hour in Number 10, Greg Clark, has remained in his unchanged role of Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy #cabinetreshuffle William Marchant @richonlyinname Doesn't say a great deal for the PM's authority if ministers can simply refuse to move & she can't make 'em. That said, happy to see Clark hang on at BEIS. MOSL @MOSL_ MOSL CEO, Chris Scoggins: "The 18% reduction in our membership charge compared to the current year is a very concrete demonstration that cost-efficiency is at the heart of everything we do". Joe Boyd @josephboyd73 WELL WELL WELL…..NOW is the time to PULL THE PLUG on FRACKING Greg, Greg Clark stays as business secretary David Clubb @davidoclubb In a reversal of the 1990's 'dash for gas', BEIS' new predictions see a much reduced role for the sector. The winner? #Renewables, of course. Cheap, clean & job-heavy. http://bit. ly/2AHtBVg Analysis by @DrSimEvans of @CarbonBrief. Dani Jordan @DaniJORDAN111 A fundamental problem with reservoirs... they're completely useless if empty! Motivation, if more is needed, to dramatically step up water efficiency and reduce leakage. Less wasted, less needed. OWC @OWC_News May's #Hinkley decision was based on "I'm very sorry prime minister, but there's no alternative" advice. There was: #renewables. This alternative should be fully explored before more public money is spent on new projects. Top Tweets UTILITY WEEK | 12TH -18TH JANUARY 2018 | 31

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