[Mower]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', ' ') They could literally make twice or three times as much money selling half as much oil as they are now. Why would you not do this in a capitalist system?

[Eli]

Yeah, the US rolling into SA and controling Mecca and Medina would be no problem for the US military. Seeing as how we have taken care of that whole Iraq thing.

[RockHind]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Madpaddy', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')ut how do you know he's king?

[venky]

I think the kingdom of Saudi Arabia will remain stable atleast for the next couple of decades as the surviving sons of the founder take their turns at the throne. As per the succession scheme, all the 44 sons (many of them are already dead) of King Saud have a claim to the throne. The youngest son is reportedly in his early 60's so perhaps the current generation might carry on for another couple of decades.

The test will come in passing the leadership to a younger generation. There are as you can imagine, hundreds of grandsons and no clear scheme of succession among them. It will interesting to say the least how that will play out.

[KiddieKorral]

So someone finally opened the box and looked at Schroedinger's King, I see. This will get ugly, I'm sure of it.

[BabyPeanut]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', ' ')They could literally make twice or three times as much money selling half as much oil as they are now. Why would you not do this in a capitalist system?

[zed]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BabyPeanut', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', ' ')They could literally make twice or three times as much money selling half as much oil as they are now. Why would you not do this in a capitalist system?

[Eli]

Well just to argue the point that it would make sense at this juncture for SA to "do some much needed repairs" and reign in there oil production.

Well first, things have changed dramatically since the 70's the North Sea was just beginning to come on line and the non-opec countrys had no where to go but up.

Today all the non-opecs are in decline except maybe Russsia but they don't seem to be trying there hardest to increase prodcution right now. All the big discoverys are gone and now in decline. It is also not just about US demand anymore you have China and India coming on now too. The world oil demand is much higher now than it ever was in the 70's.


But if I was a SA oil minister and I new that we were having to pump more and more sea water to get the same amount of oil I would consider slowing production down. If my geologists came to me and said "sir we are running out of good fields". I would slow things down to make sure that for the remaining oil I had I got the very best price.

The key here is that SA has to be at peak or very near peak if they are it would make total sense to do it. It really wouldn't even be an artifical manipulation of the market either it would just be supply and demand at work.

If SA is close to peak, oil should be north of 100 dollars a barrel and all the worlds economies be damned. If the bottle is half empty, it is time to slow down and make the rest last as long as possible.

[SchroedingersCat]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('KiddieKorral', 'S')o someone finally opened the box and looked at Schroedinger's King, I see. This will get ugly, I'm sure of it.

[Eli]

Oh I don't know if they are selling oil today for 60 dollars and they could get 100 that would be allot of money to pay people to keep busy.

[MrBean]

One of the very few top politicians with at least some back-bone and wisdom. A loss for all of us, RIP.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050806/ap_ ... /obit_cook

[julianj]

That's terrible news.

I'm saddened.

I suspect under his mask of grief, Blair will be glad that an irritant is gone.

[fossil_fuel]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')arned by Downing Street that a tabloid newspaper was about to disclose his long-standing affair with his secretary Gaynor Regan, Cook immediately told Margaret he was leaving her. Margaret Cook wrote a book accusing her former husband of being a drunk and a depressive.

She said his intelligence and ability were unmatched, but he had "absolutely no natural courtesy or sympathy."

Cook, who later married Regan, shifted to the right of the party under Blair's leadership but gravitated back to the left following his demotion, earning a reputation as a leading Cabinet "dove" opposed to invading Iraq without a U.N. mandate.

[stu]

He was a very analytical politician who was respected for his opinion and thoughts.

He was also the most high-profile anti-war politician in the UK. Yes he had an affair but then so again so do loads of people. He is a politician after all.

[MicroHydro]

Drat. I was hoping it was the dreadful SciFi author of the same name who died. Can anyone save us from Coma 2?

[bobcousins]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('fossil_fuel', 'I') don't know much about him, but judging from the article, the guy sounds like an ass. Does he have any other redeeming characteristics or actions, other than opposing the war?

[HoveRoyal]

So Cook dead, & Mo Mowlam in hospital. See a pattern here yet?

[tokyo_to_motueka]

out of hundreds of "fake labour" mps, how many of them were willing and able to publicly stand up to blair and his right-wing junta of murdoch siccophants?

they can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Robin Cook made plenty of mistakes. who doesn't?

but he showed true courage and honesty in opposing an illegal war promoted by a bunch of war criminals.

he will be sadly missed.

[stu]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('HoveRoyal', 'S')o Cook dead, & Mo Mowlam in hospital. See a pattern here yet?

[Madpaddy]

Stu,

What about Dr Kelly, This is scary shit.