Gasland is a strange place. Having ‘exposed’ the Guardian Cif’s  most prolific pro fracking comentators, Foilist, as having posted a novel’s worth of pro fracking content since January, much of it while working for DART ENERGY on a fictional North Sea Oil rig – i was duly rounded upon by other members of the  not quite so fictional  organization UGAG – the  Unconventional Gas Astroturf Group. The general feeling was that by exposing Foilist’s identity and  employer I had done Cif and the general public a grave disservice – I had made it impossible for him to continue to post and thus share his awesome ‘fracking’ knowledge without possible reprisals from his employers. The usual suspects were not amused:

Yetypu Guardian Cif 16th Oct 13

Apropos your need to ‘expose’ everyone you disagree with – are you proud to have driven such a knowledgeable & experienced contributor as foilist from CiF? Do you really think CiF is the better for being confined to the one-sided, superstitious & ignorant?

Those of us who have been employed know very well that we cannot in our spare time act in ways that attract undue hostile attention to our employers.

Since you don’t seem to realize this & were quite happy to imperil someone’s employment, as well as deprive CiF of a thoughtful & useful voice, I can only assume you have never had a ‘proper’ job, or one with any degree of responsibility.

Yetypu Guardian Cif 17th Oct 2013

You have done a shameful thing – no need to be so self-congratulatory.

Geologybob Guardian Cif 17th Oct 2013

you already diminished CIF by removing Foilist’s ability to add expert comment. There are people on CIF who wish to learn as much as they can about fracking so they can decide one way or the other.
Foilist had more knowledge of the process than anyone and you blew that for the rest of CIF by naming him and making it impossible to comment in anonymity from his bosses. Of course you hid behind the paranoia and bluster of claiming astroturfing as if Foilist has never openly spoken of being a engineer in the industry.

Their response is typical of the oil and gas industry  which according to the Financial Times is the UK’s most corrupt business sector. Typical why?  Because their statements are inaccurate and purposely misleading. Typical also because their arguments contain abusive components – ‘never had a proper job‘, ‘paranoid‘, ‘shameful‘ etc – the oil industry is characterized by its aggression in defense – illustrated all too clearly by Chevrons present litigation’s against local communities in Ecuador and Poland.

Foilist had in fact  revealed his identity publicly on the Guardians Cif back in 2011. When you sign off public posts with your name followed by ” Senior Drill Engineer, DART ENERGY” and then go on to post a novels worth of pro fracking propaganda, much of it while at your office,  it exposes the lie that  “those of us who have been employed know very well that we cannot in our spare time act in ways that attract undue hostile attention to our employers” or that  I blew it ” for the rest of CIF by naming him and making it impossible to comment in anonymity from his bosses“.

To fully understand just how misleading these comments really are have a look at who is posting above Foilist when he publicly stated he worked for DART ENERGY back in 2011 :

Geologybob Guardian Cif 21 September 2011 5:12pm

a process of hydraulic rock fracturing involving explosives and toxic chemicals.
Explosives? errr the clue there is the word hydraulic.

Foilist Guardian Cif 21 September 2011 5:14pm

“banned ‘fracking’ – a process of hydraulic rock fracturing involving explosives”

Completely untrue- hydraulic fraccing uses hydraulic energy (the clue is in the term “hydraulic”)- ie the surface pump pressure overcomes the fracture pressure of the formation. No explosives are used……………………………………..
…………

Yours,
Nick Thwaites,
Senior Drilling Engineer, Dart Energy.

Here is the link if you want to check for your self. Are we to believe that Geologybob, posting two minutes before Foilist, never revisited the thread  so remained unaware of  Foilist’s true identity?  Unfortunately for Geologybob’s  defense he posts again on the same thread later that same evening. Oh dear Bob.

In fact, in a typically  reciprocally supportive public interchange between themselves after i had first pointed out Foilists employer,  Geologybob and Yetypu tell us:

GeologyBob Guardian Cif 30th Aug 2013 6.45pm

I think if you go back further in Foilist’s history, you will find that he has openly mentioned Dart in the past. But perhaps it was prior to your joining “the community” as you put it.
Hopefully that hasnt caused too much disturbance to your tinfoil hat.

Yetypu Guardian Cif 30thAug 2013 6.55pm

I was certainly aware he currently/ recently worked for Dart.

Apparently  my ‘paranoid’ and  ‘shameful’ thing was pointing out something they already knew. Strange.

Foilist, Yetypu and Geologybob  have for some time been appearing on the same energy related Cif threads  lobbying for oil and gas –  obfusticating and paraphrasing each other like an unfunny version of the Three Stooges. It could it be that they are all just hugely enthusiastic about fracking – after all whats not to love about it – right? Obviously they all work in the oil and gas industry and make no secret of this, though Yetypu tells us he has now retired. This must be how he finds the time to advocate continued oil and gas production on another 44 online forums.

And what exactly is so strange about all that?

Welcome to Gasland.