The UK is regulating itself into irrelevance. The plan was to build 531 km of high-speed rail. Before laying track, contractors had to: - Complete a 350-page “social value” assessment - Guarantee 30% female representation - Guarantee 20% ethnic-minority representation The outcome was predictable. - Original timeline: 2010-2026 - After years of delays and overruns, ~50% of the project was cancelled - Remaining construction now stretches beyond 2033 - Cost: ~£70B for just 40% of the route (~£311M per km) Meanwhile, China: - Built ~50,000 km of high-speed rail in 17 years - Averaging ~3,000 km per year - At a cost of ~£14M per km China builds high-speed rail ~200x faster and ~22x cheaper. Now apply the same regulatory mindset to the energy transition.... and the scale of waste becomes obvious.