By Jo Nova
Europe is starting to drill for oil and gas again
Europe has always been the most pious climate ideologues, but there is a growing realization that they need their own supplies of oil and gas. Greece and the UK are reopening offshore oil and gas platforms and Italy is thinking about it.
Australia looks set to be the last place on Earth where people are still playing climate-vanity games.
Last month Greece issued its first gas exploration license in 40 years. The UK loosened its ban on new exploration in the North Sea and the Freech Energie Giant said it would spend $6b USD to buy 50% stakes in natural gas fired plants across Europe. Meanwhile Germany, the home of thousands of wind turbines, is building 10 GW of gas powered plants.
By Stanley Reed:
The world has changed since the Paris agreement was adopted decade ago with ambitious goals to tackle climate change. It has become increasingly apparent that the agreement’s targets to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions will not be met, and not just because the Trump administration has pulled out of the Paris process.
Energy companies have taken note. “They’ve certainly abandoned the idea that they can lead the world along that kind of pathway,” said Luke Parker, vice president for corporate research at the energy consultant Wood Mackenzie, referring to the Paris agreement.
Even Germany, which has long prided itself on being a leader in renewable energy, is building gas-powered generation plants capable of generating 10 gigawatts, a substantial amount.
Thank Donald Trump. Even though the US supplies 16% of the EU’s gas, he and U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright have been leaning on the Europeans to drill for their own again instead of importing it from Russia and he’s told Britain it was making a “big mistake” and should be opening the North Sea. Just yesterday, the US Deputy State Secretary was pointing out to the Europeans that they spend more on Russian oil and gas than they do helping Ukraine.
Who the hell ever heard of that one?” said Donald Trump:
It comes as US President Donald Trump has piled pressure on NATO members to stop buying Russian energy, in a bid to end the Russia-Ukraine war. At the UN last week he said, “They’re funding the war against themselves. Who the hell ever heard of that one?” Trump was referring to the more-than one billion euros ($1.35bn) EU countries are still paying to Russia each month for fossil fuels. — Aljazeera
“Germany — Ukraine’s largest European donor with about $17.5 billion in assistance — still purchased approximately $20 billion worth of Russian oil and gas over the same period.“…” Italy delivered around $3 billion in aid but bought $27.5 billion worth of Russian oil and gas.” … France paid more than $20 billion for Russian energy while giving roughly $6 billion to Ukraine. — New Voice of Ukraine
EU legislators agreed last week to stop buying Russian gas by 2027 — to stop “Moscow weaponizing energy”.
Europe’s drilling comeback challenges US energy pledges
By Ron Bousso, Reuters
Europe has been cutting gas production for 20 years
In Europe, only Norway increased production of natural gas. In the graphic below, the gas industry in the UK and the Netherlands have spend two decades in decline. Only Norway kept exploring for more gas.
When will Australia (and Canada) wake up?
With all the investment in oil and gas fields opening up in Europe and the US, and the difficulty fossil fuels have with esp. left wing governments here in Australia, it could be quite a while before any worthwhile amounts of investments come our way. Even if our spirit suddenly becomes willing, the chances of a quick uptake are slim, I’d say.
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Oil is derived from organics. Light oil typically from lignite. Find the lignite look downhill mostly 300 million years ago. Don’t forget the pine cones. There are still three trillion “missing” from Gippsland lignite. Look uphill. Potash is always useful. About 6 Billion doillars missing under BHPs nose. No need to go to Canada. Its under head office.
All of this from COAL.
Just maybe a new oil age is going to be “discovered” by woke Net Zero idiots.
No doubt they will make it suddenly ok.
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In South Australia we burn brown coal (lignite) in power stations.
What’s this light oil from lignite stuff ?
30
Lignite is 60% water, 20% carbon, 20% hydrocarbons
Look it up. They are called volatiles. Measured as dry, ash free of daf%.
30
In South Australia we burn brown coal (lignite) in power stations.
What’s this light oil from lignite stuff ?
Where?
In Victoria?
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Investment goes where the supply is. Australia has the supply, all it needs is a non-hostile environment for extraction companies to operate in.
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It needs the Greens and the Labor party to be crushed at elections.
It needs a woke purge at the LNP.
It needs One Nation to own the Senate.
If all this can happen Australia can be the Saudi Arabia of the west.
Unfortunately I see a Chinese battle group parked in Sydney Harbour.
If you think they can’t move 30 million Chinese replacements here overnight think again.
Its hard to think but we deserve this outcome.
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I love an over-egged pudding.
Enjoy it.
It’s a rare chef who can do a good one.
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Canada just re-elected a far left WEF controlled government. We are also bringing in more unskilled immigrants per capita than any other developed country for the same reason the democrats were in the US, to create a secure left voting bloc. Our economy is in shambles, much like Germany, the UK and Australia. I wish I had some hope for the future but I really don’t at this point. I hope you are able to turn things around in Australia before it is too late.
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Miliband didn’t get the memo.
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Maybe no memo but just like Blackout Bowen he’ll get shafted when the time is right!
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Energy prices across the World will plummet, with gas (and ultimately oil and coal) coming back into favour while CO2 will keep going up (as an atmospheric portion) and the world will not end. Australia will be behind but it cannot last forever or can it? Is our Electorate THAT stupid? Cheap, abundant energy will return, but we in Oz will still be facing massive over regulation, taxation and high labour prices driven by Left Whinge Urbanite domination of our political system. That will hold us back. Who knows where that goes. Will we be a ripe enough plum for China? Indonesia? If they come in and take what they want I doubt they’ll be too worried about Land Rights, and I suspect our brand of Woke will end up permanently asleep.
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“Is our Electorate THAT stupid?” I think, unfortunately that it is, the brainwashing of the last twenty plus years has been very effective, and as you say, the Left Wing urbanites dominate our political and voting system. They are oblivious as to where their electricity, food, fibre and other resources come from, including the countries overall economic wealth.
I think in every state, the greater urban city electorate population is greater than the combined regional populations, so even if a huge majority of regional voters go against Labor, the left voting numbers in a city areas (with many grateful migrants), combined with clever preferencing, ensures they will win every time.
I hope I’m wrong in underestimating my fellow urbanite Australians.
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Oh, do stop. Please.
We voted Goff out.
We voted Paul the clock collector out.
We voted Rudd the dud out.
We nearly voted Malcolm the 5th columnist out.
We’ll vote Albonzo out too.
Have no fear.
00
I think Australia has woken up, it’s just the ALP stubbornly not wanting to admit it but industry is sure making it’s voice heard.
Maybe with the ultra zealot Bowen moving to an international dog and pony show it is the start of sidelining him from his Ministry of Flatulence duties.
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Bowen and the ALP are right on track. Their track leads to the destruction of capitalism, no matter thei cost.
60
When will Victorians wake up and realise Andrews and Allen have and are the two most disastrous Premiers to have been elected in Australian history!
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Victorians will not wake up until the rest of Oz attacks them for p!ssing their superannuation funds against a large CFMEU wall.
Everyone knows they are spending beyond their means, everyone knows that the debt cannot be repaid, everyone knows that the government freebies will keep being issued.
What could possibly go wrong? Maybe the vicdanistan government should open their own mint, print some of their own currency to pay back the debt. Here’s your D300, (a new currency, the Dan), just enough for that loaf of stale bread. Buy it today, you’ll need the D350 tomorrow.
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With the sudden news that 1,000 public servants in Victoria are going to be redundant, perhaps some might start thinking.
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Watch. No one will be sacked. As people retire they won’t be replaced. Besides, I think the reduction is spread over several years.
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The Minister explained that there will be no retrenchments, the plan is not to replace public service employees who resign and leave
70
Believe it when we see it.
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Don’t worry! Victorians have decided to dump Premier Allen. The search is on for a new more stupid candidate for the premiership. I imagine they have a good supply of such candidates. If not give theLNP a call they have many morons running around!!
It pretty obvious the only way out of this is to have a new electorate!??!! It’s also pretty obvious that Victoria’s pain is at least a generation away from cure. You heard it right here!!
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Some Leftist organisatuons, individuals and countries might be pretending to see reason (to a limited extent) but they must never be forgiven for their huge lies that brought economic destruction to much of the woke West including Australia.
As for the individuals involved, it’s not just their ignorance, stupidity and lack of a proper education that caused them to implement their anti-energy policies which have caused so much damage. The truth of there being no problem with supposed catastrophic anthropogenic global warming was always out there. These people quite deliberately participated in the scam, whilst exempting advanced industrial nations like China, the world’s largest CO2 producer by far, for the sole purpose of destroying the West.
It’s tragic in Australia’s case, a nation which which once held so much promise, has allowed itself to be destroyed by stupid and ignorant voters and the stupid, ignorant and quite wicked Green, Teal, Labor and Liberal Uniparty they keep voting for. Australia is so far gone, it’s likely never to recover or be fixable even if a rational Government was elected, to its former position and will be relegated to Second World status. Most people don’t have a clue, the illusion of a seemingly prosperous Australia with lots of “free stuff” is maintained by staggering amounts of unrepayable debt which just keeps increasing without limit but which obviously can’t go on forever.
Don’t forgive. Don’t forget. Prosecute.
540
I fear you are correct about Australia, David. We are in our 80’s, fit but nearing the end of our lives. At the moment we are, financially, comfortable but I know we will never live to see this country recover to the one it was when we arrived here in 1966 and what it became over the next 30 years, until this whole global warming / climate change scam started to wreck the country that welcomed us so warmly back then. Tragic.
510
Another factor is the TMB Factor (Too Many Birthdays) and now elderly climate hoax creators passing away
30
Repeal all the fake science, net zero laws and Australia would be richer than Saudi Arabia. And could afford to make things, grow things, defend itself. Otherwise we are sitting ducks, broke, undefended, worshipping fake net zero which is not any sort of science. But the carbon taxes and theft are killing us. Are we the only country in the world with a legislated 35% Tax on Carbon Dioxide? Hidden so you can’t see it and don’t know you are paying it. And still the pundits demand a price on ‘carbon’. Liars all.
530
We need a change of Govt in 2028, but I don’t see any sign of that yet.
It’d be great to see BO Bowen bite the dust ASAP, but I’ll believe that when I see it.
The push for more ruinables is a looming disaster over our future and national security, but most Aussies haven’t got a clue.
310
C’mon, Blackout Bowen has an open mind don’t yer’ know.
Information and data goes in one ear and out the other with nothing to stop and process it.
What a drop kick with NFI.
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As long as our super funds are invested in renewables, the govt won’t change course.
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The people have already voted. We are installing rooftop solar and batteries way beyond any growth in demand. The grid is dead economically because the demand is drying up. The more expensive the grid gets, the more solar and batteries go into households.
Utility scale solar is running at loss already and the wind is increasingly marginal economically.
The only generators able to make money are the remaining coal and gas fired units because the provide essential electricity.
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v tired, and can’t recall the site or the exact details., but within the last hour I saw an ad for a huge discount on batteries. Huge!
I think I saw numbers of 50 kwh for $3,999. Would that be right?
10
Are you sure you weren’t asleep and dreaming Ted!?
10
alf at least. Tye discount was their call, Idon’t recall current prices.
Sri says 50kwh for $3999 is the going rate, so I was maybe half awake.
00
Britain eases opposition to new oil, gas permits, holds firm on taxes
All well and good for the UK Guv’ment to now allow drilling for Oil and Gas in the North Sea, however, the problem is the Windfall Tax –
“WINDFALL TAX TO REMAIN TO 2030
Presenting its budget on Wednesday, the government announced no changes to one of the world’s toughest tax regimes for oil and gas producers, which includes a windfall levy of 38% when prices exceed government-set thresholds, bringing the overall tax burden in such circumstances to 78%.
Industry had hoped for an early end to the EPL, which is due to expire in March 2030.
“The future of North Sea energy depends on investment, which won’t come without urgent reform of the windfall tax,” said David Whitehouse, head of the Offshore Energies UK industry group.
“If the levy stays in place beyond 2026, projects will stall and jobs will vanish, no matter how pragmatic licensing policy becomes.”
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/uk-government-allows-some-new-oil-gas-fields-holds-firm-taxes-2025-11-26/
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Everything about the EV mess was covered by Channel 7’s Spotlight program earlier this year and China’s careless exploitation of Indonesian workers and environment is beyond understanding.
But our few blog donkeys and Labor or Bowen + thug or Greens or Teals couldn’t care less. This is just sickening to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNag4j0nmKU
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And Blackout Bowen refused to have an interview with the Ch 7 team about I guess what the Ch 7 team had uncovered.
What a disgrace.
This LayBore Guv’ment is very transparent. So transparent, that we can see right through them.
180
The bad news is … you are correct.
The good news is … when Australia’s political class finally removes their craniums from their keisters, you will be sitting pretty with a massive surplus energy raw materials.
That is a marked difference from Europe, where all those new drilling and exploration plans will only meet a fraction of their needs. With only a few exceptions [France, Norway, Finland], Europe is energy poor no matter what they do. They let the greens scare them away from their best long-term solution in the 1970s (nuclear) and from their best short-term solution in the 1990s (hydrocarbons), and now they are stuck paying for imported energy solutions like oil and gas from America and India (which is really just Russian oil/gas diverted through a 3rd party country to avoid sanctions).
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I like the way the Euros get their gas pipeline blown up, get pressured by the US to buy expensive gas and then wring their hands about Russia weaponising gas. Next it will be Russia weaponising the weather when their renewables crash in the winter doldrums. I guess its normal to externalise stupid choices.
160
So, the article points out the spreadsheet of giving aid money to Ukraine, when those same European countries are importing Russian oil. That also happens to Australia. We’re busily giving aid to that Zelensky idiot in some virtue seeking exercise, yet a significant amount of our petroleum products come from Russian oil via Singapore refineries. Also, the VIVA refinery in Geelong, where does its oil originate?
110
It’s 1987 and Australia still thinks Disco is the new thing.
50
Just Party like it’s 1999.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rblt2EtFfC4&list=RDrblt2EtFfC4&start_radio=1
10
Recently watched a exploration vid of old Maginot Line ruins.
Extensive underground construction and expense for obsolete and useless thinking by what were supposed smart thinkers at the time.
Made me think of wind solar farms in a probably not to distant future.
Future hippie equivalents will hang at the ruins of Ivanpah in CA and it will be covered in graffiti.
What’s old always becomes new again.
120
The German Army in WW2 just went around the Maginot Line and through Holland and Belgium. The defences should have gone all the way to the shores of the English Channel/North Sea.
Whoops and Oh Dear.
100
It was meant to go to the coast, but the costs to extend it were considered too high. The French were relying on a joint Belgium-French military line, but Belgium became neutral which destroyed that idea. Either way, I doubt if they could have stopped a determined and superior German army and air force.
60
Do they have plans to remove the Ivanpah installation and return it to its natural state and to the rightful domain of the threatened Mojave desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)?
130
I went to school with Gopher. I wonder when he moved to Mojave.
20
Ramp up gas production in Europe and hopefully put downward pressure on our gas price.
Although Victorians won’t be allowed to use it after 2035 if our Victorian state govt’s gas phase out plan comes true. Which of course the phase out can’t happen by then given their own modelling shows a shortfall of electricity supply to cover the gas supply. With the phase out of coal and investors pulling out of the Gippsland offshore wind turbine projects, the modeled shortfall will look better than the actual result.
Meanwhile no housing estate developments that get a permit after Jan 2024 can install gas.
We live in strange times.
140
“When will Australia (and Canada) wake up?”
When the lefties are booted from govt.
130
When the anaesthetic wears off, the pain sets in, and throbbing reality takes over the senses. Operation Ouch begins comrades!
130
Canada has increased its production of natural gas from ~14 billion/m3 to ~19 billion/m3 from 2012 to 2025, according to the Canada Energy Regulator (CER.)
Canadian natural gas production continues to reach record levels
Growth despite current market access constraints
https://incorrys.com/energy/natural-gas-supply/canadian-gas/western-canadian-natural-gas-production-forecast-to-2040/
50
Meanwhile in ‘strala’ Queensland is being pressured to forgo export royalty income to create a domestic gas reserve for lazy southern states, ie NSW and Victoriastan. Those southern states have failed the energy requirements of their voters by restrictive policy decisions and now seek to nobble Queensland to make up for their collective failure.
160
If I was QLD, I would tell VIC to drill for their own Gas. And the same for NSW but at least they are a bit more realistic than the Vic Marxists. Otherwise, QLD could sell their Gas to VIC and NSW at a nice ‘mark up’ and profit.
60
The main reason they have restarted drilling is not something mentioned out loud. A war is coming and they will be easily overrun without their own energy supplies.
With Russia and China now in partnership, the USA is no longer capable of managing the global threat and is now only capable of defending itself. That’s why Trump has been calling on all western countries to increase defense spending, but even that’s of no use without having your own energy supplies and industrial base to build weapons, artillery, aircraft, ships, ammunition, etc.
If you look at the possible new world order, Russia takes Europe, China takes Asia, Africa and the Pacific and the USA maintains itself and possibly the Americas. That’s a vastly different world than the one we see today. Australia will become part of China, unless we can dramatically ramp up our own defenses to aid the USA in this region. Europe is in the same peril, but they do have a large population and some industrial base remaining to make a kick start.
In tracing back to when our own rot set in, it’s when the wall came down in Germany and ended the cold war. The Europeans suddenly stopped military spending thinking the threat of war had gone forever and the west then embarked on a massive moral crusade of de-industrialisation and de-energising to save the world from a slight warming, thinking all was rosy. In the meantime, China saw the opportunity to take over global control and went on the biggest industrial binge in history. It needed oil and gas, so it did deals with Russia and Iran. It also needed Russia on side to manage the war front in Europe, which began a few years back and Putin won’t stop in Ukraine because he’s obviously under direction from Xi.
If war starts in our region before the AUKUS subs are delivered, then we can’t be saved, meaning China will obviously start the war in this region before those subs get delivered. Australia is now the most exposed western aligned country on the planet. We surrendered our industrial base and our own energy supplies as if we were following a national suicide instruction without question. We stopped drilling for oil, banned new explorations and allowed refineries to close and now we sit on just a few weeks of reserve, even though we have large oil reserves in the GAB and enormous shale oil reserves in SA. All China needs to do is surround us with warships to block oil imports and wait for us to surrender without a shot fired. It’s all too easy and it makes you wonder if the current mob in power actually want this to happen.
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When will Australia wake up?
As soon as the MSM decides its backing an eventual loser with all the costs that has imposed on Australians; businesses and people. The MSM, with a few exceptions, backed opinion science. It derided everyone that challenges Labor-Greens-Teals and environmental extremists. So far it’s still not convinced to change tack as our agriculture ie food supplies are degraded in the name of solar panels, wind turbines and huge batteries. Even getting asbestos fibres blowing around in the atmosphere, turbines falling over, solar panels burning in grass fires or pummelled by hailstones, forests graded for roads, forced farmland resumptions by the State is not enough to force media revulsion for its part in all this. Add the huge cost increases in energy making every business increasingly unviable in a death by a thousand cuts to the extent that soon it will be only government supporting the media via paid advertising that will keep it afloat.
The MSM refuses to do its professional duty of independent reporting. It keeps the destruction ongoing. Soon it will wake up to the degree for which it is responsible, by backing the elites, carpetbaggers and governments that permit stripping pensioners of their ability to stay cool or prevent freezing themselves to death. The tide will turn; viciously so I hope. There is a heap of payback coming to media, politicians, elites and hopefully finally to the UN.
150
Given the ownership and control of most of the mainstream media, I doubt they will change tack unless their owners decide it would be a good idea.
50
My view is that the MSM is part of, or already controlled by the Blob which is still forging ahead with its own objectives.
But there are other players, participating, or gleefully encouraging the West’s decline for their own advantage:
China follows Sun Tzu’s “Don’t interfere with your enemy when he’s destroying himself” ( My memory’s version of his words.); and
Islam with its general approach to life ” My enemy’s enemy is my friend “;
working together – for the moment.
10
A question I would love to ask..
In the last Australian budget the Clean Energy Finance people were given $18 BILLION.
Please explain. And justify.
210
Have you not read Atlas Shrugged?
The $18 Billion goes to crony capitalists who build unreliables with it. Take their profits. And make significant donations to the Green/Teal/Labor cabal, to keep the gravy train loaded.
Toot toot.
Oh. And, justification?
You can read about that in 30 years time. It’s confidential, don’t cha know.
Chuff, chuff, chuff.
00
So, Melbourne has this gas peaking plant ( Newport Power Station) smack bang in the middle of the city. Right adjacent to the Yarra River entrance. But it’s idle because it has no gas supply at the moment. It can produce up to 510 MW of electrical power. But itdoesn’t have its own dedicated gas supply terminal which would be situated in the Yarra River alongside. Newport is located next to Viva Energy’s Newport Terminal (a major fuel depot for oil products) and Viva Energy is developing a separate, new Gas Terminal Project (Viva Energy Hub) with an LNG floating terminal and pier nearby to supply gas via pipeline to the region, including potentially supporting the power station’s needs as part of Victoria’s energy transition. But the idiot State Government now no longer want the public to use gas appliances. You cant build new homes with any gas heaters, stoves etc. So very soon there will be this crazy setup where Newport Power station can use gas, but I cant. Explain that to me.
100
All energy must be electrical. Then it can be on a National Grid and controlled nationally by the politicians of Canberra. That’s real power. Gas harder to nationalize and control from Canberra, so everyone has to use the GRID. Even if we never needed it before. And another 30,000km of transmission lines to go, for which we all have to pay and for solar and wind farms which have a lifespan under 20 years. What’s the payback on that? Ever?
Same for coal which is by the Constitution, a State resource not a Federal one. Politics is about controlling power, electrical power, so electric everything. Even when inappropriate, as in a lot of manufacturing. So manufacturing has to go too. Especially those glass makers.
This is a national plan to control Australia with one switch. Controlling the means of production with one switch. And to conquer Australia militarily, you just need to flick the switch and we are helpless.
80
Government control of the means of production, distribution and exchange.
Hmmm. That should be a definition of something.
10
Ross,
Really simple explanation, it’s your fault. You’re living in Victoria.
20
That rebarbative Misha Ketchell editor of The Conversation Australia has spammed me with an appeal for funds to “give the truth a fighting chance”; curious that it is coordinated with the Herald-Sun’s applying a home page banner go-live countdown clock for its Let Them Be Kids media censorship campaign in support of the “world-leading under-16 social media ban” which commences tomorrow not to mention those soon to be gazetted climate mis and dis information laws. We’re much worse than the EU innit?
40
Maybe some of the Euro-weenies have figured out that you cannot defend against global jihad with rainbows and unicorn farts.
Or, more likely, some key “players” have calculated how much “spillage” will cease to come their way if they side with the eco-nazis.
20
As far as the UK goes it is one thing permitting more exploration but the Far Left government – following 14 years of standard left government – has hammered the industry with high taxes that has made it a marginal industry. Companies may be planning ahead for wehn Reform comes in and dumps Net Stupid Zero.
There has been an update on trade with other countries and it is not a surprise that US exports are down but exports to Europe and especially Australia are up. Anyone want to guess what is driving it?
00