Read John Ashton’s Shell Smackdown

by | Mar 18, 2015 | Uncategorized

shell desert

John Ashton, who served as Special Representative for Climate Change at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from 2006 to 2012, delivered a speech last week at the Conseil Francais de L’Energie 4th European Energy Forum in Paris where he took apart both the CEO of Shell and the fossil fuel industry in general. It’s also an interesting depiction, from someone who has spent decades on the front lines of the climate battle, of how these fossil fuel megacorporations operate.

Here are some of my favourite excerpts:

You are not detached, and in reality your authority is compromised by your obvious desire to cling to what you know, whatever the cost to society.

The psychopath displays inflated self-appraisal, lack of empathy, and a tendency to squash those who block the way. All these traits can be found in your text. There is a touch of psychopathy in the story of your face.

I have lived in a period when politics has been linear, and therefore predictable. You are skilled at navigating linear politics. Corporations became ever more skilled at rigging the choices made by linear politics for their profit against the public interest. That is one reason why linear politics ending.

 

Read the whole speech here.

Heritage Corporate

by | Jul 2, 2014 | Uncategorized

About 21 or 22 years ago, Michael and I worked together in the financial services industry. We started on the same day, working for a company that has long since disappeared. It was the first sales role either of us ever had. Our manager was completely insane and the two guys that owned the company were pretty dodgy. So after about a year, Michael quit and took a job working for a guy called Rupert (not *that* Rupert). These days Mike runs the business – Heritage Corporate. They do Buy & Sell side advisory – a boutique firm that specialised in buying and selling transport businesses. We just re-built their website. It’s great to see old friends go from success to success although I can’t imagine working in the one business for twenty years. I think in that same time I’ve probably had ten different jobs.

heritage corporate