Energy bills

[Hoonercat]

Are you saying the reason for the war in Ukraine is because the USA wanted a bigger slice of the European energy market?

In a nutshell yes. Of course. Why else would they be there?

Not just to supply into Europe but for themselves and to control the oil/gas (specifically) and one assumes, to piss off Russia.

Why else was Biden and the rest of the Biden mafia so embroiled in Ukraine before he became pres?

They don't control the supply into Europe. It's the buyer's decision as to where the shipment goes and who it is sold to, not the US exporter's.

[Yorick]

Some of it may be.

Name ONE.

You need to relax and let it all go

That is very true but I am reassured that you are in fact unable to name a single "tinfoil-hat/nutjob/conspiracy" comment.

I suggest that is because so many of them have come to pass and are now being passed off as unimportant old news by the mainstream media. Like for example the Hunter Biden Laptop or embedded FBI agents or deep state censorship of social media platforms, shadow banning political opponents etc. etc. Yeah, to the untrained eye they do look a bit nuts. But in all seriousness, the crazy part is it's all being played out in front of our eyes and people still can't see it.

I haven't even mentioned the great reset yet. Now that IS a conspiracy...

Thankfully I didn't understand a single word of that

Crack on

[Ant]

Some of it may be.

Name ONE.

You need to relax and let it all go

That is very true but I am reassured that you are in fact unable to name a single "tinfoil-hat/nutjob/conspiracy" comment.

They usually do that, make an attempt to call someone out, then back pedal when asked to name something. I had one in the other thread.

[Screwdriver]

They don't control the supply into Europe. It's the buyer's decision as to where the shipment goes and who it is sold to, not the US exporter's.

I suppose I am being simplistic but if we are agreeing to buy more LPG from the US or the US is agreeing to sell us more of it, what do they get in return for this cooperation?

"The two countries also intend to collaborate on accelerating green initiatives such as decarbonising the aerospace industry, boosting the electric vehicle market and developing energy efficient appliances. They also plan to further collaborate on nuclear, hydrogen and carbon capture projects.

Sunak said: “Together the UK and US will ensure the global price of energy and the security of our national supply can never again be manipulated by the whims of a failing regime.”

If I was a cynic (!) I might suggest this "deeper collaboration" is the foot in the door for US corporate interests...

You know, like they are doing with the NHS.

So we resist being manipulated by the "whims of a failing regime" and instead by the whims of the most powerful nation on earth. Watch this space. Tinfoil hat at the ready (if I'm wrong).

[Ant]

If I was a cynic (!) I might suggest this "deeper collaboration" is the foot in the door for US corporate interests...

You know, like they are doing with the NHS.

What exactly is it that they're doing with the NHS?

[Screwdriver]

If I was a cynic (!) I might suggest this "deeper collaboration" is the foot in the door for US corporate interests...

You know, like they are doing with the NHS.

What exactly is it that they're doing with the NHS?

It did come as a bit of a shock to me quite recently about how many GP surgeries are now owned by corporate US enterprise...

https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=us+involvement+in+nhs

[DefTrap]

Can we just have a single conspiracy thread rather than it being on effing all of them?


Most of the 'covid conspiracy' stuff is total nonsense by the way, it's just that it's straightforward to debunk, and they don't like that.

[Ant]

If I was a cynic (!) I might suggest this "deeper collaboration" is the foot in the door for US corporate interests...

You know, like they are doing with the NHS.

What exactly is it that they're doing with the NHS?

It did come as a bit of a shock to me quite recently about how many GP surgeries are now owned by corporate US enterprise...

https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=us+involvement+in+nhs

Well GP surgeries are private practices anyway. So that's not really an NHS being sold off thing.

[Screwdriver]

Well GP surgeries are private practices anyway. So that's not really an NHS being sold off thing.

OK loose lips sink ships, I didn't think I really needed to be so precise in my concerns regarding NHS privatisation since I mention it only in passing with reference to what's happening to our energy suppliers.

Yes GP surgeries are private contractors to the NHS (loosely!). Where do you suppose they get their money? What happens when they get bought up en masse by large corporate enterprise? That's just one small part of the NHS system which is being eroded and snapped up by overseas corporate entities.

Once a large commercial enterprise gets a foot in the door, they will eventually dominate the room.

[Mussels]

.

[Screwdriver]

=

I'll have less of that thanks. I can only take so much.

Once again some snide "conspiracy nutter" jibe with an added dig at a horrific debilitating disease. Thanks for that. Says more about you than it does about me.

@weeksy, I'll be disappointed if these unnecessary insults are still here tomorrow. This topic is "energy" not "Screwdriver". I have a dedicated thread for that if you want to poke fun at my illness.

[Mussels]

MS doesn't make you a conspiracy theorist although I concede it can manifest in strange ways.

[Screwdriver]

MS doesn't make you a conspiracy theorist although I concede it can manifest in strange ways.

Do you "concede"? Wow. Is that patronising or condescending? You're still parroting "conspiracy theorist" which is obviously meant as an insult but is as boring as it is moronic. The phrase has become increasingly meaningless as a riposte to my outlining so called "conspiracy theories" now that so many of them have been proved to have been true all along.

Might be more useful if you could give us the benefit of your vast wisdom in the topic at hand. You certainly know nothing about me.

[weeksy]

It might be more about what drugs he should be on.

I'll have less of that thanks. I can only take so much.

Once again some snide "conspiracy nutter" jibe with an added dig at a horrific debilitating disease. Thanks for that. Says more about you than it does about me.

@weeksy, I'll be disappointed if these unnecessary insults are still here tomorrow. This topic is "energy" not "Screwdriver". I have a dedicated thread for that if you want to poke fun at my illness.

I'm disappointed in many things on this forum. Very few though are down to moderation.

Just so people know, you're supposed to be grown ups, adults, responsible, many of you have raised children. It's all a bit fucking pathetic, not just one side, but on more than one side. I'll keep saying it time and time again, if there's something you don't like, REPORT IT. Tagging me in (incorrectly so it never worked) is utterly pointless.

I don't always act on single instances of reports.. but I will then read it.

But let me be clear... I'm not your bitch, anyones bitch, i'm not a school teacher, i'm not a nurse-maid, i'm just an IT guy who built a forum. I don't actually have massive levels of empathy, sympathy or emotion. If i start getting the ban-hammer out, i'm likely to throw it out in all directions and ban more than one of you lot

Be careful what you wish for, it may bite you in the arse

[weeksy]

I've edited a few posts... TBH it's a fucking ridiculous shit storm in a tea-cup for me.

1 poster makes a comment, then poster 2 doesn't like it because it was personal (i don't think it was), it's all down to interpretation and perception and in honesty half of this forum are that bitter, twisted and just unhappy with the world that the line becomes quite vague to me as to whether things are personal or things like "crackpot-theorist" are really insults.

You can't come into a forum with things that are so far removed from general public perception and not expect someone to say "hold on a minute". I don't see that as a realistic expectation.

It's not quite up there with all politicians being lizards.. but many things written here are that far removed from the general view of the pubilc, that's how they're seen.

[Hoonercat]

They don't control the supply into Europe. It's the buyer's decision as to where the shipment goes and who it is sold to, not the US exporter's.

I suppose I am being simplistic but if we are agreeing to buy more LPG from the US or the US is agreeing to sell us more of it, what do they get in return for this cooperation?

Headlines?
This LNG 'deal' isn't really Sunak's or Biden's, it was initiated by Kwarteng in the spring with US exporters and followed up by the UK energy taskforce in October (though the US govt would no doubt have oversight). The UK govt essentially acts as an intermediary/facilitator between US exporters and UK importers, after which the private sector takes over the negotiations.
Worth noting that alot of this imported LNG gets regasified and piped to Europe for profit. It's the private sector making the profit, but the agreement was initiated between UK and EU.

[Screwdriver]

Earlier this year Bulgaria agreed to buy 7 shipments of LNG from US exporter Cheniere Energy. The cost was cheaper than Russian pipeline gas, because US LNG is cheap (unlike Russian gas, unless you're China or India). The Bulgarian company is state owned, so it buys at US prices for domestic use.

Most of the US LNG shipped to Europe is bought by private companies such as Total, Naturgy, Centrica etc. They have long-term contracts with US suppliers, buy at US benchmark prices and sell at European benchmark prices, which last month were 4x higher than US prices (I believe they were 6x higher at one point). So while US exporters are seeing big profits, it's the European importers/resellers who are making huge profits by reselling at highly inflated prices.

It's also worth mentioning that US LNG exports have been approx doubling every 2 years since 2016, way before Russia invaded Ukraine. Even prior to the war, the US was poised to become the world's largest LNG exporter by 2024 due to its increase in infrastructure. The demand has always been there, exports have only been held back by the lack of terminal capacity to match that demand.

You seem to be suggesting that the US is responsible for the war, pouring tens of billions into Ukraine, mainly for the benefit of European and Australian energy companies, who have seen record export volumes as more US exports head to Europe, rather than Asia

The US deal with Bulgaria is apparently in dispute, largely over pricing due to the inefficiency of shipping liquid rather than piping gas.

https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy ... efied-gas/

I do not see the long term nature of this development as any kind of rebuttal to the notion that this is typical empire building being orchestrated by the US for the benefit of American corporate interests. In fact, due to the (conspiracy alert!) undisclosed meddling around that time with then VP Biden installing his son into Burisma and sacking the Ukrainian chief investigator who had been investigating fraud (!), I say it points to a plan.

Supply and demand is way too tricky to untangle in such a fierce environment but clearly, the best option for the European continent is to have a robust gas pipeline delivery system. That doesn't bode well for US interests unless 1. They control (or proxy) local gas supplies such as in Ukraine or 2. Somehow stop existing competing suppliers like Russia.

It's all very well the US having huge reserves or capacity to export LNG but who are they going to sell it to with all of the overheads that entails when continental Europe has a good working system? Not so good now though is it?

I am not suggesting the US is responsible, I am outright saying it. There have been opportunities for years, decades even for a peaceful political solution to Putins warnings regarding NATO and/or the EU adopting Ukraine into "our" western world. I flagged it ages ago:

"Fri Apr 09, 2021 12:15 am

I thought it would be China first, going after Taiwan now the west no longer has a strong President in the US.

But it seems Russia will be making the first move.

America is now run by a shady backroom cabal of big tech, global corporations and (one assumes) the Obama/Clinton shadow cabinet. All they are interested in is helping themselves to truck loads of money and imposing their fantasy version of social morality. There is no world order any more. America is weak.

For anyone still wondering why the US so called election matters to us here, this is why..."

But howls of "conspiracy theory" etc. plus the fact that inside information refutes the media narrative everybody accepts as "the truth" meant the thread got locked long before the inevitable happened and Russia did in fact invade. Putin gave plenty of warning, the were plenty of opportunities to prevent bloodshed, they were not taken.

I do not pretend to be able to follow the money trail. My gut feeling is, no one really knows where all those billions have disappeared to and that is no accident. Chances are it goes in a circle, out of the taxpayers pocket, into Ukraine, back into unimaginably wealthy global corporations. Naturally a fair few millions (billions?) have to grease the palms of politicians but that connection is effectively if not sometimes literally, a state secret. We are just left to wonder how a life long politician on a mediocre salary ends up buying islands in the Bahamas.

I can't resist mentioning Sam Bankman Fried since were talking Bahamas. He ran a Ponzi scheme (FTX crypto), committed extraordinary fraud syphoning off billions but was paying off the right politicians with it. Sorry I mean, giving generous donations to the Democrats (and yes even a few republicans). I don't rate his chances of living long enough to testify as to exactly where all that money went.

Finally, I do not know which Australian/European energy companies you refer to. I would hazard a guess they are not necessarily owned by Australians or Europeans though. Remembering that behind ALL these vastly wasteful and destructive shenanigans is a cabal of asset management companies who effectively own everything. It is not the level of wealth that these corporate entities own that is the problem, it is the concentration of that wealth into so few individuals hands.

[Ant]

Well GP surgeries are private practices anyway. So that's not really an NHS being sold off thing.

OK loose lips sink ships, I didn't think I really needed to be so precise in my concerns regarding NHS privatisation since I mention it only in passing with reference to what's happening to our energy suppliers.

Yes GP surgeries are private contractors to the NHS (loosely!). Where do you suppose they get their money? What happens when they get bought up en masse by large corporate enterprise? That's just one small part of the NHS system which is being eroded and snapped up by overseas corporate entities.

Once a large commercial enterprise gets a foot in the door, they will eventually dominate the room.

Well, the practices get paid per NHS patient that they see, which is why you get such small slots, as the more they see, the more cerching £££ they get.

What it would mean for the patient, or indeed the NHS if the practice changes hands, I don't know, apart from at face value, the owner of the practice simply changes hands from one private GP or partnership of GPs to another? Unless it's not as simple as that.

[Screwdriver]

...and with that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. You deserve a holiday.

I'll pop back when a few more "conspiracies" end up as yesterdays news.

[DefTrap]

...and with that, I wish you all a Merry Christmas. You deserve a holiday.

I'll pop back when a few more "conspiracies" end up as yesterdays news.

You know what they say about stopped clocks.