Scotland: Total Ban on Fracking & Unconventional Gas In Sight

[Divernan]

I really love the Scots. With both the SNP and Labour opposed to fracking, things are looking good for a nationwide ban. First they kicked Wee Donald (Trump) out when he opposed Wind Farms; now this! We should all sing a chorus of Scots Wha Hae:

Lay the proud usurpers low,
Tyrants fall in every foe,
Liberty's in every blow! -
Let us do or dee.


http://bright-green.org/scotland/scotland-total-ban-on-fracking-and-unconventional-gas-in-sight/

After a flurry of announcements and counter-announcements this week the campaign to ban toxic and risky forms of gas drilling in Scotland may be almost won. The SNP have just announced their support for an amendment in Westminster to have a moratorium on all forms of on-shore unconventional gas extraction. Earlier this morning Scottish Labour announced they would ban fracking with existing powers in Scotland if they controlled the Scottish Parliament after the 2016 elections.

The speed with which the parties have upped their game following each other’s moves shows how anger over fracking plans is close to the surface in Scotland. Hundreds rallied against fracking December and are returning for another rally at Grangemouth refinery tomorrow. A much larger march is planned in just over a month.

Although today’s new policy positions fall short of a total ban, they remain a huge victory for Scotland’s broad alliance against unconventional gas who are fighting a wide ranging campaign against the Scottish and UK governments, local authorities, and fossil fuel companies.

Mary Church, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said the sudden policy changes “are a direct response to the passionate and informed opposition from community groups and concerned citizens.”

[pkdu]

1. Happy Burns night!

Hae a wee dram !

[Divernan]

2. Aye, my heart's in the highlands.

The lyrics were written by Robert Burns in 1793, in the form of a speech given by Robert the Bruce before the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, where Scotland maintained its sovereignty from the Kingdom of England. Although the lyrics are by Burns, he wrote them to the traditional Scottish tune 'Hey Tuttie Tatie' which, according to tradition, was played by Bruce's army at the Battle of Bannockburn,[1] and by the Franco-Scots army at the Siege of Orleans.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play;_ylt=A0LEVvtrksVU5XkA.Y4nnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBsa3ZzMnBvBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw--?p=Scots+Wha+Hae&tnr=21&vid=052F0D426DAABAC09576052F0D426DAABAC09576&l=184&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts1.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DUN.608048970192653792%26pid%3D15.1&sigi=11r2itoh5&rurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DBD2GeJeEpZc&sigr=11bthv0ni&tt=b&tit=Scots+Wha+Hae-+Braveheart&sigt=10pdod23n&back=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3DScots%2BWha%2BHae%26ei%3DUTF-8%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla&sigb=12pjm540k&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001

ALERTS TO THREATS IN 2012 EUROPE: BY JOHN CLEESE

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Syria and
have therefore raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon,
though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A
Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940
when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from
"Tiresome" to "A Bloody Nuisance." The last time the British issued a
"Bloody Nuisance" warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish
Armada.

The Scots have raised their threat level from "Pissed Off" to "Let's get
the Bastards." They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they
have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years..

[pkdu]

3. Wha's like us ? damned few , n thur awe deed!

Love the Cleese lines...awesome, and true.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

4. Your OP made me think of the "It's Time" campaign...

another reason to love 'em.

....

The country’s parliament approved the law in February by a vote of 105-18, one of the strongest endorsements of marriage equality by any legislative body.

...

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2014/12/16/3604073/marriage-equality-scotland/

[JonLP24]

5. Unfortunately, North American shale gas production is the lesser of two evils

I also view the pipeline to. The third option to invest in clean energy & abandon fossil fuels needs to happen but if we put a total ban on fracking continue to play tricky balancing act geopolitical games with oil exporters with death & terrorism consequences, not to mention the political landmine Israel represents. I'm really not a lesser of evils guy but oil is the root of tall evil. Its been killing us collectively humans far more than it has the planet which I'm not interested in saving. For a lefty idealist, this a compromise that has to be necessary. It is either the "malaise speech&quot though Carter points to shale gas reserves as a reason why we can win this war against Saudi exporters which was yet another correct prediction) but with more doom & gloom or "drill, baby, drill". I have heard & read countless articles on the oil & gas industry but none with the exception of Bernie Sanders sponsoring a green energy infrastructure jobs bill.

I understand why people wouldn't want this in their backyards, there also problems with continuing to import Saudi Arabia or continue to fight proxy wars & treat Venezuela as a country ran by terrible dictators because they aren't as big believers in capitalism as we are.

The the low prices as a result of the oversupply, shale gas production being a major culprit, is leading to increasing tensions among the government dependent oil economies. Saddam started a war with Kuwait because he viewed their continuing to pump oil into the market "as an act of aggression" because the low prices was killer for someone who owed massive debt for his stupid Iran war. Can't win at this game.