It feels a bit strange writing my last editorial before Christmas seeing as we were only closing the December 2023 issue of PEW last week. Oh no, what’s that? I’ve just checked and yes apparently another 12 months have indeed passed and here we are careering towards 2025.
Because of how editorial deadlines work we’ll actually be doing a lot of the work for our January/February issue in December. Once upon a time this could be quite difficult as in my early editorial days you had to squeeze your work in between the days you were attending multiple industry Christmas lunches – keeping up appearances and all that! But times and habits change and now I sit here still with an ever growing job list – for both business and leisure – wondering how I ever found the time at all!
In 2024 we’ve had both the UK and US elections, the results of which I won’t dwell on too much here, but rather what they might mean for the electrical and wider construction industry as a whole for the next few years. The new Labour government’s first Budget in October received a mixed response (as most Budgets tend to do), and in the electrotechnical sector the commitment to house building and low carbon technology was widely welcomed. However, many industry leaders also felt crucial details were lacking in several key areas, including the Future Homes Standard, manufacturing, and the development and access to skilled personnel. It is of course still early days but clarity in these areas and others is needed sooner rather than later.
Across the pond, Donald Trump will be sworn in for his second term as President in January, and the early indications are that he will withdraw his country from the Paris climate agreement. This will obviously alarm other global leaders who continue to work toward a greener future. Whatever Mr Trump decides, those of us who can make a positive difference must continue to do so where we can, and that includes us in the trade press. And, right on cue, we have a Renewables & Green Technology feature in this issue, where we take a look at some of the products available to help customers make environmentally-conscious choices.
I would like to wish all our readers a very happy Christmas and we’ll see you in 2025!
– Tracey Rushton-Thorpe
Catch up on previous ‘Editor’s Viewpoint’ here
