Jolly Good Fracking Weather

Prime Minister, David Cameron, has announced that fracking is good and we should rejoice in the manifold benefits it will bring us.  His keenness matches that of some other world leaders, notably President Obama.

Fracking is a complicated business and a subject that was well covered in the former Oil Drum web site, still available as archive.  I remember that at the time when North Sea Oil came on stream one of the effects was to strengthen the pound in the money markets. 

The adverse effect of this was serious for many UK manufacturing firms for whom exports were a key to their survival.  Was it Michael Edwardes, put in charge of the collapsing British Leyland Motor Company who said it might be better to leave the so and so stuff in the ground?

There have been times, looking at UK economic and social history that I wonder if we might not have been better off leaving the coal in the ground.  There is an old Chinese proverb, be careful what you wish for.  One thing is certain, and that it there are going to be a great many unforeseen and unintended consequences.

Not long ago, I wondered if another version of the "Going Courting" song from the film "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" might do, Cameron's recent intervention means that there is only one real option, inevitably the Eton Boating Song.  So here we go with the Eton Fracking Song.

Jolly fracking weather

And a new financial wheeze

End of the tether

Tories on their knees.

Drill, drill together

As far as you dare to go

Drill, drill together

As far as you dare to go

The Gulf may be more clever

America may make more row

But we'll drill forever

Steady from then to now

And nothing is going to stop us

Hydraulics will do the trick

We'll just keep going

Telling the locals to stick

Twenty years hence the money

May tempt us to take more risks

The money may be funny,

But that will give us more kicks

But we'll still swing together

And swear by the best accounts

Because we are all the richer

By totally fantastic amounts.

End.

See you in the tailings.