The Telegraph, March 8, Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP
As Putin’s bombs and rockets target and kill innocent civilians in Ukraine – destroying numerous towns and cities – the complacent West has had to recognise that Russia’s invasion changes everything.
As we finally crack down on Russia’s oligarchs and their dirty money, it isn’t just our financial relationship with the country that has to change, but the entire philosophy of our energy policy. Just look at how vulnerable countries in Europe, like Germany, have allowed themselves to become addicted to Putin’s gas and oil. As things stand, Europe is indirectly funding Putin’s war-chest through Russian energy alone.
The dangerous moments in politics happen when the opinion of the political class coalesces and all debate is ended. So it has been with this new religion of Net Zero. Under this banner, whilst virtue-signalling, the UK has allowed North sea oil and gas exploration to nigh on disappear.
The result is that we have moved from a country which only a few years ago was a net exporter of gas with large strategic storage, to a net importer with next to no storage at all.
This wasn’t an accident, it was government policy.
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