The Socialist 9 February 2006

Iraq: End the occupation

End the occupation

Socialists must build a united workers' movement to fight divisions

Bush not going Green

Strike for pension rights

Victory for trade union militancy

NHS - hands off our GP services!

Fighting the far-right BNP

Get organised, get active!

Campaign for a New Workers' Party

Venezuela: Women occupy Caracas factory

Venezuela: We are a mighty river

Sri Lanka: Back from the brink of war?

Are Trotsky’s ideas of socialist revolution still relevant today?

Previous issues, etc

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Bush not going Green

HAS US president George Bush, the die-hard neo-conservative former Texan oil man, gone green? His state of the union speech attacked his country's "addiction" to imported oil. Instead, he proposed all manner of alternative clean fuels and technologies that his administration was funding research into.

But Bush's 2005 energy bill, approved by the Republican-dominated House, gave 93% of $8 billion in tax breaks to companies involved in fossil fuels and nuclear energy and only 7% to renewable energy research. He gave billions to oil companies to 'incentivise' oil exploration while companies such as ExxonMobil are making billions in profits because of current record highs in oil prices.

The energy bill also opened the door for such companies to get leases to drill for oil in the Alaskan wilderness, thereby threatening pristine natural habitats.

Moreover, there is little incentive for capitalists to switch producing petrol-driven automobiles to electric or fuel cell-powered vehicles. Clearly oil will account for nearly 100% of fuel for transport in the foreseeable future. Only a workers' government with a socialist energy/transport policy can end capitalism's addiction to the 'black gold'.

In this issue

End the occupation