ABSTRACT
We have no idea how many times the words Brent Spar, known to almost no-one before May 1995, have appeared in print or on radio and television programmes subsequently, but it must run into tens, if not hundreds, of thousands. By any standards, the Spar has had an amazing impact. Almost all commentators, no matter which side of the many divides they come from, seem to believe that the events surrounding it represent some sort of turning point; things will never be quite the same again. But a turning point in what? And which ‘things’ will never be the same again?
