OV9

None of that addresses my core argument that we shouldn't reward energy companies bleeding us dry with new revenue streams.

I assume you don't think nationalising what's left of the fossil fuel industry is a good idea, so there isn't a way for us to get that oil in any way that would help energy be more affordable.

Wouldn't the opening of the North Sea reserves now be new contracts etc...

there no reason to think that we couldn't re-set certain aspects of the New North Sea Extraction contracts to the betterment of the country and population while at the same time, allowing the exploration companies to make sufficient profits to make it worth their while.

I know policies that allow both Private companies and the Country as a whole to benefit are very Tory but they're not all bad if negotiated correctly

I have no faith that the government would do that. They've shown no interest in putting the population before company profits so far.

Well if you're going to be "Chicken Licken" about it then you're not really adding to the discussion

It's hardly that.

Energy prices are literally going up tomorrow by another 3.5% while energy companies are making record profits and people are struggling to pay their bills.

But sure, the government will drive a hard bargain for the same people wanting a bigger prize.

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:08 am I have no faith that the government would do that. They've shown no interest in putting the population before company profits so far.

This sounds more like an issue with rich people and envy, if someone gets rich but thousands get a job, pay tax and contribute then it's a positive thing. Even if people are simply removed from the benefits pool, it's less money the government need to find and their spending stays in the local areas, everyone wins. The fact one of the people who wins has a Maybach I really don't care about.

I can sit and heat my home with gas while my housemate struggles to get a job.
Or I can heat my home with gas we produced and my housemate has a job.

Dave!

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:29 am It's hardly that.

Energy prices are literally going up tomorrow by another 3.5% while energy companies are making record profits and people are struggling to pay their bills.

But sure, the government will drive a hard bargain for the same people wanting a bigger prize.

That you can blame directly on ideological renewables.

Dave!

Sure it's politics of envy, you got me

Norway are making money from us not getting the gas out of the ground.

Why shouldn't we do the same and directly help our own country then ?

(Just to add to the above)

The Norwegian sector is mainly 2 weeks on, 4 weeks off and all the rigs I've been on have a makers man policy. So if a job takes over 24 hours then the "makers man" so whoever produced the item comes to fix it. There are also incredibly good bonuses for having to stay longer, £1200 to £1500 a day for a regular engineer on the Spitzbergen.
The UK is 2 on 2 off and if you stay an extra day for someone in my position it would only be £3 or £400 and rig managers would get maybe £1000. The Norwegians are far more expensive to get it out of the ground and skill wise we are pretty much evenly matched.

Dave!

(Oh and fuck you Trump, to keep this part on track )

It's not that we shouldn't, it's that we won't.

It's been confirmed multiple times that anything dug out of the north sea will be sold on the open market, therefore it won't change how we source and pay for fuel in any way.

Ah... the "Everything is shit so no point in trying" argument

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:39 am It's not that we shouldn't, it's that we won't.

It's been confirmed multiple times that anything dug out of the north sea will be sold on the open market, therefore it won't change how we source and pay for fuel in any way.

(I edited my post above but it doesn't really change either of our points. )

We can do if we wanted to, the current and previous governments didn't want to.

The money from the industry would still come into the UK though, whether the product does or not.

Dave!

It's very funny to me that I'm the ideologically blinkered one to a bunch of people waiting hopefully for the uselesss cunts in charge to do something they've never once hinted they'll do

I remember arguing that we shouldn't vote for these people 2 years ago because nothing would change and I was wrong then too

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:39 am It's not that we shouldn't, it's that we won't.

It's been confirmed multiple times that anything dug out of the north sea will be sold on the open market, therefore it won't change how we source and pay for fuel in any way.

An oil company will make some money. But it won’t affect the global oil price and therefore it’s not going to achieve the intended effect, so it’s just enriching a private organisation.

Zed is correct.

Jobbo wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:53 am

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:39 am It's not that we shouldn't, it's that we won't.

It's been confirmed multiple times that anything dug out of the north sea will be sold on the open market, therefore it won't change how we source and pay for fuel in any way.

An oil company will make some money. But it won’t affect the global oil price and therefore it’s not going to achieve the intended effect, so it’s just enriching a private organisation.

Zed is correct.

And the thousands of well paid people it can employ in the UK........

I left the UK side to and massive amounts of tax because unions and stupid government decisions were destroying the market in the UK. I'd much rather not pay 48% tax on my earnings but that's what they did to the industry.

Dave!

Jobbo wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:53 am

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 10:39 am It's not that we shouldn't, it's that we won't.

It's been confirmed multiple times that anything dug out of the north sea will be sold on the open market, therefore it won't change how we source and pay for fuel in any way.

An oil company will make some money. But it won’t affect the global oil price and therefore it’s not going to achieve the intended effect, so it’s just enriching a private organisation.

Zed is correct.

Given the choice though I'd rather pay Jobbos lawyer services than Svein and sons lawyers given the choice. I don't care who gets wealthier as long as it's spent in the UK if possible.

Ultimately if we spread the wealth we all benefit.

Dave!

I don’t think additional fields being opened would make any real difference to our energy prices as they are traded globally and no company is going to sell its products cheaper than it needs to, ie to us rather than somewhere else willing to pay more.

There is an argument that opening additional fields would create more jobs here and the benefits that would create for us, but more money being earned is inflationary so will probably increase prices, not lower them.

We're not spreading the wealth though. The last 10 years has seen one of the biggest consolidations in wealth in history.

IanF wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2026 11:14 am I don’t think additional fields being opened would make any real difference to our energy prices as they are traded globally and no company is going to sell its products cheaper than it needs to, ie to us rather than somewhere else willing to pay more.

There is an argument that opening additional fields would create more jobs here and the benefits that would create for us, but more money being earned is inflationary so will probably increase prices, not lower them.

You can argue the latter about every business. But having millions of people employed and financially independent is better than millions of people unemployed. The good thing about heavy industry is that the supply chain is enormous. Remember when JLR went offline for a few weeks and 5000 independent businesses in the UK got very nervous.