WHAT a great moment, many people may have thought, when Tony Blair was pictured shaking hands with Gaddafi in Libya. Surely, now this meant an end to terrorist threats and another major step to world peace?

Wrong! As oil companies have revealed during the last month, many oil fields are running out far quicker than expected and, as we squeeze the last few drops out of British oilfields, new sources have to be found.

No surprise then that at the same moment Tony's sweaty palm was being squeezed by the Libyan dictator, Shell was busy completing a £110 million pound deal to extract oil from Libyan sources. Once again it's money and not principle that rules the roost.

Eddie Vee,

Official Monster Raving Loony Party,

Wenham Road, York.

Updated: 10:43 Monday, March 29, 2004