To refute the claim that unconventional extraction is 'in the national interest' : This is Bloomberg last year: Extracting gas from shale in areas such as the Bowland basin in northern England would cost $7.10 to $12.20 per million British thermal units - evidence to a House of Lords committee. The greater cost, because of higher land prices and lack of rigs and infrastructure, is close to the $8-to-$11 range in which U.K. spot prices have traded in the last two years. We should add: This may not include road repairs, nor radioactive waste water treatment plants, and almost certainly doesn't include the policing costs....so the gas, at an optimistic level of cost extraction, could be more expensive to produce than you can sell it for. Bloomberg base all that on UK production only being double USA production costs - they know we (Europe) won't allow radioactive waste water injections back into ground to get rid of waste, nor open pits.. so different infrastructure is needed. Other analysts say it could be x5 more expensive in the UK. i.e. a really bad idea to drill... Don't even start. If they go bust, what are we left with?

Cuadrilla PR man admits George Osborne's shale gas revolution won’t cut energy bills http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/cuadrilla-pr-man-admits-george-osbornes-shale-gas-revolution-wont-cut-energy-bills-8656246.html

The View from Europe: America’s Shale Boom Looks More Like a Blip http://www.desmogblog.com/2014/03/04/view-europe-america-s-shale-boom-looks-more-blip

The NEF blog - Why I'm Against fracking http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/why-im-against-fracking

Letter from Banker to the Financial Times http://liberalconspiracy.org/2013/08/12/banker-destroys-argument-for-shale-gas-in-a-short-letter/

Article by Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party http://www.leftfootforward.org/2013/08/the-british-public-can-see-fracking-is-no-answer/

Shale gas expert David Hughes debunks minister’s math http://commonsensecanadian.ca/VIDEO-detail/bc-lng-shale-gas-expert-david-hughes-debunk-minister-coleman-math/

Taxpayers to pay for fracking pollution if companies go bust http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/dec/11/taxpayers-fracking-pollution-companies

Dashed hopes of cheap gas as fracking giant Cuadrilla scales back http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/456251/Dashed-hopes-of-cheap-gas-as-fracking-giant-Cuadrilla-scales-back#.UuWwMY7sNTQ.facebook

“The prime minister promised one of the most stringent regulatory regimes for fracking in the world but his government appears more interested in tax cuts than managing risk. It really doesn’t matter if you are pro or anti fracking, this proposal would simply ensure that when things do go wrong shareholders, not taxpayers bear the cost for cleanup if companies go bust or cease trading. If government’s response boils down to concerns over cost of insurance it sheds an interesting light on just how safe they really think the technology is.”

— Rob Cunningham, head of water policy at the RSPB

EU plan for fracking law threatens UK's shale gas boom http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10518120/New-EU-fracking-law-plan-threatens-Britains-shale-gas-boom.html