In a world where patience has been eroded by the immediacy of the internet, the archaic law-making of Westminster is often criticised for being far too ponderous.
However, Electricity Market Reform (EMR), the cornerstone of the Energy Act – which itself took an age to enter the statute book – has been slammed for being rushed and some say the quality of the whole reform programme is being compromised.
A lot of the EMR package was left out of primary legislation – much to the annoyance and protestations of the opposition – and the gaps are being filled via secondary legislation, which escapes the same scrutiny by Parliament.
Some claim that to get everything done and in place in a timeframe that the industry and investors require, it is being rushed through.
Decc denies this and says the whole process is open and transparent. But, as one observer put it, while the government may be moving a lot slower than parts of the industry want, it has to move quicker than it traditionally does to ensure it happens at all.
You can almost see the opposition argument being formed – a slapdash government that ploughs ahead ignoring the many to listen to those with the money. An “underinvestment legacy” riposte will probably be fired back from the government.
This leaves the industry as usual hanging on for the details with fingers crossed that once they’re in place, the general election won’t throw an Ed Miliband-shaped spanner in the works, leading to a whole new model.