Public opinion doesn't matter

	The link between public opinion and government policy is difficult to quantify, and is especially so in the case of civil nuclear policy. In an election we vote for the party that we feel best represents our views. But when there are important every day issues such as the economy, immigration and healthcare on the line, nuclear policy or energy policy in general gets pushed towards the bottom of our list of priorities. So the views of elected politicians aren’t necessarily representative of their voters. If we look at this year’s Special Eurobarometer 324 survey (see also NEI June pp33-34) the differences between public opinion in France and Germany are not that marked, especially when it comes to thoughts on new build. In France 12% of respondents thought that the share of nuclear energy as a proportion of all energy sources should be increased, compared with 7% in Germany. Yet France is actively pursuing new nuclear build, while the German government is only considering rescinding the phase-out law that will see all of Germany’s reactors shut by 2022. So is there a link between general public opinion and new nuclear build? I suspect that in the aftermath of Chernobyl the phase-out laws and the policy changes echoed the anti-nuclear public sentiment. But those days, it seems, are over.