A PS to the approval for the giant Gorgon gas field in Australia on Wednesday: the decision was made by Peter Garrett, the country’s environment minister, who will be better known to readers of a certain age as the (former) lead singer of Midnight Oil.
Even as a minister, Mr Garrett cuts an imposing figure; as a rock star, he was extraordinary (you can get a sense of him on YouTube.)
Disgruntled former fans who feel betrayed by Mr Garrett’s move into conventional politics will not be cheered up much by his support for such a massive fossil fuel project. But perhaps the clues were there all along.
As Mr Garrett observed in the lyrics to Blue Sky Mine, one of Midnight Oil’s biggest hits:
And the company takes what the company wants
And nothing’s as precious as a hole in the ground
