13 January 2014
BBC comments  –  Cameron urges fracking opponents to ‘get on board’

Councils that back fracking will get to keep more money in tax revenue, David Cameron has said as he urged opponents to “get on board”.

Comments

•  Mrs Vee
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:35

  If fracking was the right thing to do Cameron wouldn’t need to offer tax bribes, would he?

•  Remus
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:32

  Bedrock that has taken millions of years to form – destroyed in moments for a quick profit. And the irony is that some fracking will be done by companies from countries where the practice is banned. We need more research before taking this irreversible step.

•   AMc
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 12:17

  What concerns me is the blatent ignorance around this whole subject. Just look at all the comments on this posting. I’m neither for nor against as no one has actually properly explained the pros & cons. But we can’t all keep saying to No Nuclear, No Windfarms, No burning of coal, No Solar Farms, No fracking, we need proper debate and leadership based on facts not emotion.

•  reenie
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:30

  Total is investing in u.k. franking because France has rejected it outright. What does that tell you !!

•  Megan
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:27

  This is a flagrant abuse of the taxation system. A council’s obligations & duty of care to those living in its area won’t change, so altering its funding on such a flimsy pretext is outrageous – whatever you think about fracking!

•  Lai
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:31

  David Cameron is a threat to the British public.

•  Simon Johnson
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 11:22

  It seems clear that we do not know what irreversible damage fracking might cause. If multinational corporations, and a Conservative government, were not promoting it, we might be able to believe what the scientists say. As it is, we can’t. This is short-term profit and long-term risk. If it were about fuel security, we would be exploiting sustainable resources. Shale gas is not sustainable.

•  stokiemart
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:37

  In addition to the obvious conflict of interests this corrupt government is engendering one notes that Total cannot destroy the French environment as fracking in illegal there. But hey, come over to the UK, the Tories will sell anything they can get away with and will help you profit at the expense of the British people and environment. You live in a corporatocracy dressed as a liberal democracy.

•  Spycatcher
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:28

  This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules.
  

•  BDS Now
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 11:48

  Lets all club together to get a licenses to frack in Chipping Norton, near Chequers, Windsor and Sandringham. If they are rejected … then we know for sure / conclusively that there is something wrong with fracking.

•  Mark
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:46

  Fracking in the USA has resulted in gagging orders.
  This in itself is an infringement on freedom of speach.
  If fracking companies had nothing to hide, then why the gagging orders?

  The French have banned fracking.

  Pumping carsagenic chemicals into the ground will seep into the water table.

  Councils of the UK. Beware the poisoned apple you being offered.

•  Mark
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:30

  Is this just not bribery?

  Council funds cut by reduced parking charges and austerity measures will need to fill the gap.
  tempting them with revenue from fracking is perverse to say the least.

•  flipmode
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:28

  Let’s hope the local council leaders take the correct advise from specialists rather than seeing ‘££££’ signs appearing infront of their eyes.

  As most councils are short of money this could be an easy way out without looking into all apsects of fracking

•  Sixp
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:46

  62. RonnieP

  The sooner the left wing open toed sandal brigade understand this, the better.

  ==
  Just grow up.

  There’s a pile of evidence to illustrate environmental concerns over fracking and a proper debate is needed.

  You may not care a less about the environment, others do.

• Davertheraver 

  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:38

  All our energy needs could met and then some, by investing in insulation, solar panels on virtually every roof, more off shore wind, tidal power, combined heat and power… the solutions are all there. But the ruling class wouldn’t tolerate the people being dependent from the state-corporate alliance for energy, it’s far more profitable to give the Earth an enema and continue ‘business as usual’

•  Nemesis
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:50

  Blackmail & corruption is truly wonderful isn’t it?

•  They would turn in their graves
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:42

  Once they’ve dug these fracking wells, they turn their drills horizontally and can drill for 2-3 miles in every direction, blasting rock with high pressure mains water(expect water prices to increase and become scarce). They could be drilling right under your house and you don’t even know it! Or under an entire town!
  Water gets everywhere, just ask a plumber, and this is HIGHLY TOXIC water.

•  JayTime
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:36

  Cracking is a terrible idea. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that pumping large quantities of water and chemicals into the ground is going to cause problems.

  Another case of short term financial gain setting the stage.

•  Cheddy
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 10:48

  The downside of 5-year gov is no one wants to care beyond the 5-year mark. Fracking creates jobs, but at what cost? Smoking create jobs too – look where that got us. Legalising drugs will also create jobs.
  The gov hires PR companies to look at which short term plan the people are more likely to swallow and then jump on it.
  When it goes wrong, we won’t get the truth – just years of finger pointing.

•  dmcc
  13TH JANUARY 2014 – 11:21

  1. Bribery, pure and simple. I bet that councils which refuse get their grants cut.

  2. So much for the “greenest government ever”.

  3. I note it’s Total, a French company. Fracking is banned in France.
  Funny, that.

  Source: bbc