Maybe you’ve been following the recent trial in Preston of anti-fracking activists who were arrested while occupying a Cuadrilla fracking rig in Lancashire. The court found the activists guilty of aggravated trespass and assault.

The UK Coalition Government is dancing to the tune of the fracking companies

The Frack Off Extreme Energy Action Network has published information about the revolving door between government, Cuadrilla and other oil and gas industry companies, and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE), which  released a report on fracking last month (June 2012). Until last year Lord Browne, Chairman of Cuadrilla, was President of the RAE. He owns 30% of Cuadrilla and is also a non-executive director of the Cabinet Office.

The new RAE President is Sir John Parker, former head of Anglo American company, which has fracking interests in South Africa.

The UK government has issued a report on fracking that recommends the process should continue. One of the members of the panel behind the report was British Geological Survey (BGS), which receives funding from companies that frack – including Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon, BG Group and Schlumberger.

Funnily enough, a BGS survey of shale gas (methane) in groundwater will not include sites that Cuadrilla has fracked in Lancashire.

Graphic from Nature Sept 2011

Another example of the democratic deficit

This is another example of the way in which a supposedly democratic government has allowed itself to be captured by corporate interests, instead of representing the people it’s accountable to – us, the public.