‘You are welcome to use fracking in my backyard if it helps defeat Vladimir Putin’
Let’s get controversial, for a change. Fracking for gas was the issue that indirectly brought down Liz Truss, as Labour tried to ban it for ever.
It split the Tories and caused a parliamentary brouhaha bigger than anything Extinction Rebellion could create.
I don’t agree with my party. When it comes to fracking, I am a Yimby – Yes, In My Back Yard!
They can erect a “nodding donkey” in my scruffy yard any time they like, as long as they pay me a lot of money.
The UK is sitting on vast reserves of natural gas, and if it takes American-style exploitation to create long-term energy security, then I’m up for it.
It might just happen. The Tories will end the moratorium on fracking, and half of the most recent 59 exploration licences are in Yorkshire.
This isn’t – or need not be – a political thing. We need our own energy resources whoever is in No10, and we’ll be reliant on gas for many years.
Fracking could make us self-sufficient for most of the century. Most homes in England and Wales are heated by mains gas, around half from the North Sea but also imported – £19.6billion of the stuff in 2021, largely from Norway, but also from Qatar, the US and, historically, Russia, although not any more.
Additionally, we exported £3.4billion of gas in 2021, an increase of 167% on the previous year.
It’s a huge, vital industry.
Naturally, any moves to put drills in the ground will trigger disruptive protests by activists who would prefer pensioners to live in cold homes than benefit from industrial development.
But with genuine consultation and proper compensation for those directly affected, I believe fracking could become acceptable.
This long-established process turned the US from a nation dependent on Arab oil to an energy exporter.
If we are to beat Vladimir Putin’s subjugation of Ukraine, there will have to be sacrifices. This one looks like a no-brainer to me.
In our most recent poll, Mirror readers were split 50-50 on the issue. I’m with those in favour.
