The end of oil. The Celtic Oil Dragon

national | anti-capitalism | opinion/analysis

Tuesday June 19, 2007 11:34

by paul o toole

RTE(Refuse to Tell the Electorate ) do it again

RTE, renouned for steralising any event or occurence to save our delicate constitutions from even minimal shock, ran a programme last night at 9.30. The subject-Peak-Oil.

As a thought provoking piece of entertainment the show was adequate. As a rounded piece of analysis it failed miserably- as do all of RTE's productions. RTE's mandate to the public is to inform, the freedom of the press is supposed to ensure this. RTE's licence is granted under this and many other caviats but as the main National Media Provider it follows government policy rather than lead a free press.
Because Few people in Celtic Tiger Ireland care to know about the bloodshed that our government are participating in, does not mean RTE should shield us from that reality, after all, that bloodshed is what is sustaining our economic growth and dont be fooled, but RTE will never tell you this

While the show did verge on showing the certain reality facing us all when the global economy collapses due to the rationing of the one thing which made it all possible. And it did offer some alternatives, none of which have any basis in a future reality, it also exposed Irelands vunerability to certain crash when oil does 'peak'.
We have moved from the 1920's when oil was our slave to now when oil is our master. RTE has given us all something to entertain our selves with, occupy our minds with, and discuss at coffee breaks and lunches for those so inclined.
What RTE failed to do is to look at the politics behind oil consumption, the politics behind the 'free' market economy, the politics behind globalisation and the politics which no one wants to ever see at all-especially RTE and its viewers-the real cost of oil.
When oil was at 50 usd a barrel in 2002 Bush said it would come down to35 dollars a barrel after he 'liberated' Iraq, it's now at 80 dollars a barrel- and it wont be comming down.
The five major oil Corporations are a huge lobby in Washington, not that you need to lobby washington given the Bush/Cheney connections and business dealings to the Saudi Oil/Royal family, but because the West needs oil and most of it is in the East.
What RTE diddnt say is that 50% of working class Americans taxes go directly on military spending. The politicians send the military to war in order to secure this oil by creating pretexts to justify the attack, the corporations move in and stick their label on the barrels and sell it back to us and we buy it. The funny thing is that the oil companies-the richest businesses on the planet-never pay for the oil, they steal it. The whole game is basically armed robbery. Not only do ordinary people pay with cash for this oil, they pay with their lives. American and British soldiers fighting with their lives, so as oil companies can get the resource and sell it back to ordinary people. Not to mention the millions of innocent people killed in the Middle East, the latest figures form Iraq stand at 750,000, 265,000 were kids. There is massive criminality involved and it starts at the top.
Irelands role in this criminality is to participate by allowing Shannon to be used in the invasion of Iraq and continnue it's occupation. The blood will continnue to flow, probably even more-so when the global economy goes into decline. Mabey the end of oil will be a good thing for us, For Iraq, I'm sure it will, but how many will we have killed by then.