OCCUPY DEMOCRACY - 17th - 26th OCT

OCCUPY DEMOCRACY - 17th - 26th OCT - FRACKING - YouTube



Recorded whilst camping with the Nanas and considering the 3rd anniversary of Occupy London as it approaches and we face so many challenges and threats:

Transcript: 

"We did everything legally and lawfully - First of all
we went to the toolbox marked 'Democracy' and said "OK what's available to
us in our community to prevent this from causing harm". So we went through
everything, petitions, objections to planning ... This year we put in 14,000
objection letters ...

But we're fighting this ridiculous PR & marketing
campaign, not just by the industry, but by our own government trying to shove
this down our throats

You only have to look at what our politicians do after they
stop being politicians. And you can tell who they gave the favours to by who
they're working for now.

..you can't talk to people about fixing the system, without
them first being acutely aware that it's broken. Because, like Balcombe - most
people didn't know that it was broken until they had to call on it for help ..
and suddenly when you call on it for help, you realise it's a façade

Make time to be outraged.

I have to do it because if I don't, I leave this mess for my
granddaughter to clean up.

So, get to Parliament Square, get to a local anti-fracking
group, form a group, be a lone protester. Stand outside what annoys you most
and do something, but just do something."

Reaching for the matches...

I have felt a lot like Russell Brand about voting ie: how the hell could I choose a 'best' when I despised and mistrusted the choices? BUT... I have looked at this from all sorts of angles and as far as I can see - there is little chance of changing the system of government into an honest, people-serving body (or scrapping it and starting over), without infesting it with unselfish, good-intentioned people first. Once diseased with people like us - it can be re-formed into a thing that serves our needs; in a transparent and clinical way (not darkly corrupted by self-serving, connected individuals acting for their own agendas).

So for me I am going to put some energy into our system of government - and the only party I have found to support is the Green Party. Not sure if this party changed or if it has only come seriously into view as a result of independent media/internet/social networks etc.? I was genuinely surprised when I discovered the policies of the Green Party - not only in relation to fracking but across the board I find myself in agreement: education, employment, public ownership etc. I also respect this bit: "policies that can only be changed via democratic majority voting at 6 monthly conferences". When we get a party in office based on the promises they made to win votes - they don't then involve us in the decisions they go on to make about the other stuff that happens outside of the policies they mentioned at the start. So we get 5 years of them working without our input - doesn't read like a democracy, feel like one or in any way resemble one.

We grew the anti-fracking movement over the past three years from a handful of groups to over 280 now (and still growing) - residents across the country have become ACTIVE in the defence of communities - perhaps if those active people were willing to put themselves forward for roles as Councillors or MPs (or actively support those who do)... we could overwhelm the system with our determination and begin to get ownership of our government back. I know there is a bit of 'implied inevitability' about us ending up with a blue or red party in the house... but there was a whole heap of 'implied inevitability' about fracking too and that's not proving a smooth journey for the bad guys.

Anti-frackers could apply their good intent to politics to great effect... hmmm  ‪#‎ActivePolitics‬ 

I don't know anyone who (if they are aware of the truth) wants fracking nor do I know anyone who believes war is the answer to the problems we face and yet our government is currently pursuing both with a fervor and doing so in the name of the British people.

ps...
Just thought of an analogy ... I don't want to keep fighting the fire - I want to make sure the bad guys don't control the matches.

People's Climate March Tomorrow...

In earlier days when less was known about unconventional energy techniques like 'fracking' and few were aware there was threat to notice, our local Residents' Action on Fylde Fracking and the few other groups across the country, were holding public meetings anywhere and everywhere possible.

It was an awful thing to do,
Truly awful

You would take a room of blissfully unaware but curious people who were wondering
…and then you gave them the facts of the processes involved in fracking and there would be silence, then there would be disbelief and at last, anger.

I referred to what we were doing as the bringing of the  ‘Unwelcome Gift’

We only brought truth
But once you knew it
Once you realised the implications
You couldn’t UNknow it
You couldn’t walk away and pretend it was probably going to be ok really

The risks were too obvious once you knew the how and the who of this
And so there you had it… the gift of truth and knowledge
And no-one was going to feel like thanking you for it

I see the beautiful faces of everyone who became active along the way… amidst ever growing crowds of those who continue to receive the unwelcome gift and swell our numbers.

I see them apparently tireless at event after event
But it isn’t really a tirelessness that keeps us going

We ARE tired – pretty near exhaustion at times
But we are driven by a force  more powerful than anything else on earth

--We are protecting our young-- 

…and when that’s what you’re doing – there is no way to stop, no exit door and no end until the threat ceases to be.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow...

The People's Climate March is likely happening somewhere near most people - for us here in the North of England it's the People's Climate March Manchester + Lobby of Labour Conference that most I know are heading to.

Will it matter? Will it have impact? Yes. 

It will have impact on us and on those who need to feel the solidarity and sense the growth of awareness... and as it's coming up to election time - even those in politics are going to have to pay attention.  #PeoplesClimate