("Clear Thinking in Troubled Times": Winnipeg Free Press, Nov 21st, 1995)
"People have the right to the truth Unvarnished Even uncomfortable But never subjugated to a cause, however noble or well-meaning They have the right to clear thinking Slogans, boycotts and protests don't offer answers (I)t has been suggested that Shell should pull out of developing nations altogether The oil would certainly continue flowing The business would continue operating The vast majority of the employees would remain in place But the sound and ethical business practices synonymous with Shell, the environmental investment, and the tens of millions of dollars spent on community programs would all be lost Again, it's the people of developing nations that you would hurt It's easy enough to sit in your comfortable homes in the West, calling for sanctions and boycotts against a developing country But you have to be sure that knee-jerk reactions won't do more harm than good Some campaigning groups say that we should intervene in the political process in developing nations But even if we could, we must never do so Politics is the business of governments and politicians The world where companies use their economic influence to prop up or bring down governments would be a frightening and bleak one indeed" (ha ha)