Parliamentary statement on Lindsey Oil Refinery

Pat McFadden Business Minister made the statement typically totally avoiding the main issues in dispute. The Secretary of State, his oily Lordliness Mandelson restricted to the Lords was unable to repeat the outrageous statements of his radio performance this morning and McFadden seemed to mainly content himself with hiding behind the statement by the oil company Total which has so far satisfied none other apparently than this junior minister. A striking question by Frank Field terminated questions to the Minister which I will post on this blog together with other worthwhile points made once they are published by Hansard in a few hours time. It is difficult to see anything other than escalation of the industrial disputes being the result of these totally unsatisfactory statements from the government.