The longer it takes, the more likely it is that someone else...

The longer it takes, the more likely it is that someone else will get there first, or a leapfrogging technology will appear, or they will run out of money (again).

Are they running a hard nosed cash machine or enjoying dabbling in an experimental lab at shareholders' expense?

I'm here for the UK shale anyway, which the Cuadrilla announcement a couple of days ago (see separate thread) is bringing to public notice.