Subject: Re: considering coat tailing OXY
"(Look at small UK oil companies since the Labour government came to power - they have been hammered - as the government decided to cut them off at the knees to help with the environment. Which is an odd decision, as the UK will just have to buy more foreign oil and the reduction in supply form the North Sea will have zero impact on global oil prices)."

From memory, and happy to be corrected if I'm wrong, I think the UK buys foreign oil anyway. The oil produced locally isn't used domestically but itself sold on world markets. This maybe because it is a thicker oil than what is used in the UK(?). During the energy price spike a couple of years ago there was some talk about increased production not being used here.