Brown to meet oil industry chiefs

Just so typical of our beloved Leader to stage this Publicity stunt of meeting the Oil Company leaders so that he can palm the blame onto them for all the problems with the price of oil when yesterday we had the fuel protests in London which caused major disruption to London.

He tries this sort of stunt every time to divert the news away from the fact that it is his handling of the economy that causes many of the problems. Whilst acknowledging the large increase in the cost of oil on the global market we also have to look at some of the reasons the costs are so high in this country and why reinvestment in the Oil and Gas sector in the UK has been so low.

Now just over two years ago our Gordon increased corporation tax on the Oil and gas sector so that the effective rate of corporation tax on this industry beacme 50%. This was just weeks after berating oil-producing nations around the world for their failure to invest in oil and gas and urging them to do more. It is this sort of blinkered approach that has caused the reduction in investment just at a time when it is needed most. Oil companies will not invest in countries that do not have a faor and stable tax regime. Similarly the idea of a windfall tax on the Oil and gas companies in the face of increase profits is again likely to only cause a longer term problem.

Gordon Brown has an article in the Guardian today where he expounds on how he sees the problem being global and having nothing to do with him. It is full of the usual Tractor Production statistics but is basically Gordon saying "not my fault" rather than tackling the problem which has been around for many years. Long Term problems need Long Term solutions not just short term actions. The problem is that Gordon and Labour have not tackled the UK's long term problems with Energy Supply but pandered to the renewables lobby as, it is, or rather was a vote winner.

This is the problem with Labour they keep going for the targets and style rather the substance and actions. They have now been caught out too many times and the public have become wise to their inadequacies.

P.S I see Guido and the Spectator Coffeshop Blog have cottoned onto this.

BBC NEWS UK Brown to meet oil industry chiefs