Ken's oil for brooms deal: fuel for us, a clean-up for Caracas

[Stockholm]

The point at which President Hugo Chávez decided that London should serve as a model for services and governance in Caracas was not immediately apparent. He came in May, visited City Hall amid much controversy and fanfare, and was soon gone.

But the result of his visit is likely to be an extraordinary deal struck with London's mayor, Ken Livingstone, that would see Caracas benefit from the capital's expertise in policing, tourism, transport, housing and waste disposal.

London, meanwhile, would gain the most obvious asset the Venezuelans have to give: cheap oil. Possibly more than a million barrels of the stuff.

South American diesel would be supplied by Venezuela - the world's fifth-largest oil exporter - as fuel for some of the capital's 8,000 buses, particularly those services most utilised by the poor.

http://society.guardian.co.uk/localgovt/story/0,,1871226,00.html

I wonder what faux Labour leader Blair thinks of Kens' agreement :rofl:

[Greeby]

1. Why do you think Ken is back with Labour?

Because having Ken as an Independent mayor was an embarassment

[Stockholm]

4. His was re-elected as a Labour candidate? n/t

[dipsydoodle]

2. Not too sure about the buses

Where I am nw of london all the buses are running on LPG. I thought the central London ones had been converted too - maybe I'm wrong. The conversions had been done because bus diesel engines had been found to be one of the main polluters.

[1932]

3. LPG is manufactured during the refining of crude oil, btw.

Or it's extracted from oil or gas streams as they emerge from the ground.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Aha !

I wasn't aware of that. :)