Britain’s Net Zero experiment was sold as clean, cheap, and inevitable.But the hard data tell another story — a country paying twice for the same power, industries driven offshore, and taxpayers left holding a multi-billion-pound clean-up bill.In this six-minute Loud & Clear explainer, we break down the real numbers behind the ideology. Using Treasury reports, OBR forecasts, National Grid ESO data, and expert analysis from Kathryn Porter, we trace the problem back to one law that changed everything — Ed Miliband’s 2008 Climate Change Act.Inside the video🔹 The “original sin” of UK energy policy — a legally binding target passed without a monetised cost–benefit study.🔹 How Britain pays wind farms to shut down, then pays gas plants to switch on — nearly £1 billion a year in balancing costs.🔹 The Capacity Market that pays billions to keep idle gas plants on standby.🔹 Why electricity carries about 16 % in green levies while gas carries only 5½ %, punishing households trying to go electric.🔹 The North Sea payout — oil companies reclaiming up to 75 % of decommissioning costs from HMRC, a projected taxpayer bill of £16–18 billion.🔹 How the UK’s 78 % marginal tax rate drives operators out, pulling the clean-up costs forward and slashing revenue.🔹 The Norway comparison — same sea, different outcome. Norway kept state ownership and built a £1 trillion sovereign fund; Britain privatised and pays the bills.🔹 The “missed-opportunity gap”: £400 billion lost by refusing the Norwegian model.Why it mattersThis isn’t about opposing cleaner energy — it’s about exposing how ideology replaced engineering.Did we pack the right map to reach Net Zero — or did we legislate ourselves into a dead end?Sources credited– Kathryn Porter, independent energy consultant — Triggernometry Podcast (“This Isn’t Science, It’s Ideology”)– HM Treasury, OBR, Ofgem, National Grid ESO, North Sea Transition Authority– NotebookLM research compilation (2025)Chapters00:00 – Intro: Britain’s Energy Paradox00:45 – The 2008 Climate Change Act02:20 – Paying Wind Farms to Switch Off03:30 – Grid Blockages & Capacity Market04:25 – The North Sea Payout & Norway Comparison05:40 – Conclusion – Did We Pack the Right Map?Produced for Loud & Clear (@Shout_Loud_Clear)Written and researched by George McKenna. Straight talk, fact-based, no spin.