Oil prospects in the Celtic Sea

As long as our corrupt bastard politicians don't give it away at a knock down price - I think it's quite exciting myself.

$1 trillion, how does that figure arise?

Seems suspiciously round, doesn't it?

This would give fairly permanent credence to the whole "luck of the Irish" thing if it turns out to be real. Economy run into a hole? Not a bother lads, we just found a trillion at the end of a drill-bit shaped rainbow, will you take cash or cheque?

More seriously though, its a big risk and the ones needing the luck will be the exploration companies, so best wishes to them, most of these expeditions come back empty handed. Have they already agreed the taxation and royalty clauses with the government, or are they waiting until after a significant find is struck? Or just operating under the general aegis of existing legislation?

later10 wrote: »

Irish people need to get over their serf complex tbh, and stop pretending that opportunity and wealth is beyond their supposedly innocent, unassuming, humble ara-shure-wat-would-i-know-about-money self pity. This attitude seriously pisses me off.

You've your parties muddled up I'm afraid, this particular train of thought is the spawn of the political far left/conspiracy theory gallery.

eigrod wrote: »

I cannot agree.

It depends on how you define Opportunity and wealth though. I firmly believe that all most people want is enough, maybe a little more than enough, to lead a good quality of life. A quality of life without boredom and with a purpose to getting up every day and doing a decent days work.

Of course there are a number (significant enough) who don't want to do that and want to be provided for by the State.

But then there is the number (again, a significant number) who are greedy, who want far more than 'enough'. In my opinion it is these that fuelled the problems we are now paying for. Perhaps "Chosen few" is an incorrect description, but there was undeniably a coctail that existed (and still exist) in banks, politics and business that went on a get (personally) rich quick roadtrip that should not have been allowed to happen. They were clever enough to ensure that all boats rose in the tide, hence the cocktail was allowed to stay together for far longer than it should have been.

This is exactly the kind of attitude from which we need to release ourselves. The idea that there is a somehow universal understanding of “enough“ is ludicrous enough... it is also unworkable and unnecessarily inhibitory. Why shouldnt I want helicopters and horses in my future, why shouldnt I want to see South America and the North Pole in the same week if I could afford it. We have forgotten the joy in money, the stuff is terrific fun. It is best enjoyed copiously in my opinion. I want to gather and blow as much of it as is humanly possible over my anticipated years on this planetç and like many others, dont particularly appreciate that being referred to as greed by people who seem to believe that there ought to be a prescribed limit on money - or fun, as one natural extension.

Besides, we are human beings - wonderfully unsatisfied creatures, and rightly so. We didnt leave our more lethargic and unambitious siblings deep inside the caves, nor seek out frontiers beyond the swamp to be satisfied with “enough“.

creeper1 wrote: »

I'm not impressed with all this talk of drilling for oil. My home is in the west of Ireland. I have moved abroad to Asia to escape recession and make a few bob.

Yet one of the things I appreciate about Ireland far more now than when I lived there is that Ireland is truely alive. The grass, the sea and the mountains, the fresh air.

I am in Asia. It's all dead. So, so many people. Pollution everywhere. The grass can barely fecking grow. There aren't even any birds in this dead place. There are few farms. THose that do exist keep their animals inside in appauling factory conditions.

Why am I saying all this? I believe our fish and our environment is more important than any oil. It would break my heart if some oil company spilt oil in the ocean off Donegal and killed all the fish.

I see no benefit and only drawbacks of oil exploration.

I fly over parts of east scotland in a chopper on my way home from work off a oil rig & i have to say it's beautiful beaches & countryside & no sign of pollution after decades of drilling & gas production which has created 10's of thousands of jobs & is giving me a excellent standard of living at home while unfortunately the rest of ireland sink's.I'd love to see the an oil boom here with the thousands of highly paid jobs for normal joe soaps like me & my son in the future.there's guy's out here earning £40,000 sterling a year for sweeping deck's.you can't live & pay the bill's on beautiful scenery as you found out the hard way by emergrating,maybe it might be the only way for you to come home to your family some day.

WalterMitty wrote: »

Well the resources of the earth are limited and humans get easily bored with current situation and want more. When a guy gets his dream car, theres always a newer one a few months later that catches his eye. Any pleasure that is bought with money is short lived and ultimately frustrating. It is the desire of all the billions of poor on this planet to live like americans that will see the earth destroyed.

Yes because everyone deserves to live in poverty and toil in muck:(

Wishing to improve ones life and provide better life for ones children is what has dragged humans out of caves, now its somehow a "dirty" concept.

Tho I am not suprised that some environmentalists would see nothing better than for humanity to "return to nature" :rolleyes:

Increasing global standards of living is the best thing that could be done for the planet, more prosperous countries have lower birth rates often below replacement, leveling and eventually falling population would help the planet, keeping people poor will only ensure things get worse for us and the environment.