From: [email protected]
Thanks David. Liz Truss’s announcement that she’ll lift the moratorium on shale gas exploration, as long as there is local support, is indeed fracktastic — I felt the earth move when I heard the news — and we’re excited to join you in helping to ensure the UK’s energy security. As you requested, we are focusing initially on a plan for Blackpool and adjacent sites. Thank you for the “Welcome to Frackpool” idea. It is inspired and something we should build on, though perhaps it works better as the hidden philosophical underpinning of our strategy. Let’s keep it in reserve, though.
We’ll be in touch.
Rutherford
Find me on Strava, KoM Sydenham Hill, PR London to Brighton: 4h 17m
From: [email protected]
We love the thought your team is giving to slogans. “Shale gas: it’s fracking brilliant” — genius. But again, let’s keep our powder dry for later in the campaign. As I said, I see four prongs to our strategy: the national story, drilling regs, local consent and incentives.
Drilling rules. Obviously one of the big issues is the very strict regulations that require work to cease for hours if the seismic activity exceeds 0.5 on the Richter scale. That’s a total block on drilling and we need to get that limit raised. In the US the figure is 4.0, which admittedly would be quite shaky in the more densely packed UK but it’s nothing you wouldn’t pay good money for at Alton Towers. We are hopeful here since no change effectively means no shale gas. The good news is Jacob Rees-Mogg is in charge of this and our sources say he’s OK with anything that can’t be felt in Somerset.
On the national campaign we see an appeal to a higher cause. There’s an energy crisis: we need to get to our own gas. Fracarys will keep Britain warm and working. This will play well everywhere you aren’t drilling, which happily, is most places.
The local approval part is definitely a pest. Winning support will be tricky, especially if we get the seismic limits lifted. There are two parts to this. The first is defining local approval so that it means a handful of councillors we can work on rather than say, a borough-wide referendum. The second is shaping the local narrative so that residents can see past any minor inconvenience (lorries, protesters, earthquakes etc) and raise their eyes to the bigger picture. In other words, cash incentives.
We see a menu of options here. First is broad civic benefit. Local jobs, promises to train residents and to use local supply chains. We should invest in the community; a new sports centre, some road upgrades which would suit us anyway. Sponsorship of local sports teams or community activities.
We thought of asking Jim Ratcliffe at Ineos if he wants to buy Blackpool FC. I know he’d prefer Man United, but he can get Blackpool a lot cheaper. With his cash they could be in the Prem in two seasons. And what’s a few aftershocks when you are pushing for a Champions League spot. I’m sure we could change the team’s nickname to the “Frackers” or the “Shalers”. I know the fans call them the “Pool” or “the Seasiders”, but neither is very dynamic. We want a team that sounds intimidating, steaming into the opponents’ territory and hydraulically fracturing it up a bit.
Rutherford
Find me on Strava . . .
From: [email protected]
That’s great. Do you think Jim’s serious or is it just the only club that hasn’t said no yet? Not sure we should rename the team the Blackpool Quake. Fans get sniffy about new names. Also our data team did test your idea of “the Tremors” as a nickname but amazingly it did not play as well as you’d have thought.
Ultimately we may need a cash offer. It’s a bit of an ask to live in an eco-protest hotspot. No one wants Extinction Rebellion blocking their trunk roads or Swampy tunnelling under the aquatic centre.
How do you feel about offering to pay some of the locals’ gas bills while you are successfully extracting? It’s more expensive than a one off community investment but it puts a real incentive in people’s pockets at a time when they are thinking about it. No need to rush on this till we see how things stand. No point in spending if you don’t need to.
PS: Hadn’t clocked your London/Brighton time. That’s seriously fast. Might give it another crack this weekend.
Rutherford
Find me on Strava
WhatsApp to: [email protected]
Phew. 18 mins off my London to Brighton time. Not in your league but under 4 hrs. Fracking brilliant, as we like to say.
