As oil price leaps, Saudi forced onto PR front foot

Australia's prime minister called for a blowtorch to be applied to OPEC to up oil production, Portugal's economic and innovation minister wants an EU investigation into oil market speculation. Whatever the reason for oil at $140, Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, is under scrutiny: is it doing enough to ease the pain?

In an attempt to take the heat out of situation, the Saudi government has called for a meeting between oil producing and consuming nations about how to handle the price surge. It's not quite clear what this summit meeting will achieve, but, with the money rolling in, it doesn't do any harm to appear to be concerned.

A world pissed off with high oil prices might be just the thing to tempt Saudi into a higher public profile. Abu Dhabi, also sloshing with oil cash, can trumpet its carbon-free Masdar project. Dubai has its Blue Communities coastal living initiative. It may be time for Saudi to lead the world in some technology of the future, not an irritant of the present.