Lord Howell apologises, says he meant 'north west', not 'north east', is desolate

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. In case anyone thinks he's just a confused Tory retiree, in May he became president of the EIC

That's the Energy Industries Council:

the leading Trade Association providing dedicated services to help members understand, identify and pursue business opportunities globally. Established in 1943, the EIC is a not-for-profit organisation with a membership of over 650 UK-registered companies who deliver goods and services to the energy industries worldwide.

Our goal is to put our members first and serve them well, providing one of the most comprehensive sources of energy projects and business intelligence in the energy sector today.The EIC is renowned for excellence in the provision of services that unlock opportunities for our members, helping the supply chain to win business across the globe.

http://www.the-eic.com/AboutUs.aspx

London, 08 May 2013: The Energy Industries Council (EIC), the leading trade association for UK companies that supply goods and services to the energy industries worldwide, is delighted to announce that The Right Honourable the Lord Howell of Guildford has been appointed President of the EIC. Lord Howell is a senior member of the House of Lords, and has held ministerial positions for Energy, Transport and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in two Conservative Governments.

Lord Howell joined Parliament in 1966 when he was elected MP for Guildford, and went on to serve as Secretary of State for both Energy (1979-1981) and Transport (1981-1983) in Margaret Thatcher’s Government. More recently he held the position of Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (2010-Sept 2012) in David Cameron’s Cabinet, with special responsibilities for international energy issues.
...
Said Lord Howell, President of the EIC:
“I am honoured to be the new President of the EIC. I believe that the UK supply chain, guided by the EIC, has a uniquely strong role to play in both the major changes in the global energy mix, and in the transformation of our energy industries here at home – at all stages of the supply chain across oil & gas, power and renewables. I stand ready to assist the EIC in any way I can to meet these exciting new challenges.”

Currently, Lord Howell is completing a nine-year term as President of the British Institute of Energy Economists and is Chairman of the Windsor Energy Group, a specialist discussion group which brings together senior figures from the public and private sector. Lord Howell is also Chairman of the Council of Commonwealth Societies.

http://www.the-eic.com/News/NewsStories/tabid/88/ctl/NewsItem/mid/1174/Id/1026/Default.aspx?returnurl=http%3a%2f%2fwww.the-eic.com%2fdefault.aspx&SkinSrc=%2fPortals%2f_default%2fSkins%2fEIC%2fsubPage-2Col-newsItem

While he was personal adviser to the Foreign Secretary on Energy and Resource Security, he was caught saying Cameron didn't understand how superior gas was to wind, but his son-in-law was putting him right:

Secret filming shows Lord Howell, who also advises the Government on energy, and Peter Lilley, a senior Tory MP who is a climate change sceptic, claiming Mr Osborne shares their hostility to building more onshore wind-turbines.

“The Prime Minister is not familiar with these issues, doesn’t understand them… Osborne is of course getting this message and is putting pressure on,” Mr Osborne’s father-in-law Lord Howell told a a Greenpeace activist posing as an anti-wind farm lobbyist, who was covertly recording him.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/george-osborne-accused-of-secret-war-on-pms-green-policies-as-fatherinlaw-is-caught-on-video-8317035.html