Fracking

[poliphilo]

It's a violent word. Onomatopaeic. It sounds like something you'd do to an enemy.

I'm against it instinctively- as I'm instinctively against the felling of trees to build motorways. The time I threw my parents-in-law out the house was because of a silly argument that developed out of Dot saying she'd like to feed Swampy to the crocodiles.

Swampy: remember him? Teenage green activist- notable for living in burrows and not washing very much. I wonder what he's doing now?

Besides, Cameron is in favour of it. There's a headline this morning that has him saying he wants to do it not only in the distant, Labour-supporting North (a far off country of which we know little) but also in the South.  If Cameron is in favour of anything you know it's because there's money in it for his disgusting corporate friends.

We felled the forests, we dug up all the coal, and now we're going to smash the shale beds. It won't be pretty. There may be earthquakes, there will very probably be water pollution, there's always a cost attached to these things. Sooner or later we're going to have to stop grubbing after non-renewable resources- because here won't be any left- and get properly serious about harnessing the renewable ones- like sunshine.

Comments

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Something I've been thinking about lately too... We're sitting right over some very large reserves of shale gas here in Dorset.

I don't see how the gas can be removed profitably if the companies abide by our stringent EU environmental protection laws, which can only mean that in addition to tax breaks, the fracking companies will end up receiving vast government subsidies.

And if we're going to subsidise anything, I'd far rather it was a source of energy that didn't release methane into the atmosphere.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

If we're going to have to subsidize the operation I think we'd be better off owning it.

That is, assuming we want to go down this road in the first place.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Which, as you say, we would be foolish to do. This is one of those areas where the Tories may have to choose between lining their own pockets and the poll ratings. My guess is they will opt unerringly for the former.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Money or power? It's a tricky one, that.