Here’s chief executive of Areva, Atomic Anne Lauvergeon, needing some affection:

My dream is that in future we will be helped and defended by Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, as well as by Nicolas Sarkozy.

And you have to think, good grief, isn’t the nuclear industry helped, defended, subsidised, bailed-out, and generally treated like a cute little puppy enough by governments around the world?

‘My dream is that in future we will be helped and defended…’? What you have here from Ms Lauvergeon is an implicit admission that her company and its shoddy products couldn’t exist without government help. Areva, she’s saying, is basically a parasite.

Areva’s had so much love and attention but it wants more, more, MORE!

Here it is again:

Global energy giant Areva submitted the second and final part of its loan guarantee application to the [US] Department of Energy Dec. 2, asking for the federal government to guarantee $2 billion in loans to finance its proposed Eagle Rock uranium enrichment facility near Idaho Falls.

That’s a lot of help and defending you want there, Areva. Do really need that much? You’re very needy, in fact. We’re worried about you.