Locally the opposition to this dangerous industry is not going away and continues to grow as more people become aware of the facts. Francis Egan said today that he is committed "to engaging with local communities to reassure them operations can and will be carried out safely" and we would absolutely welcome this. For nearly four years we have asked for an open, public debate with Cuadrilla but they never come. Maybe I can take this opportunity through The Gazette to invite representatives of Cuadrilla to join us in a genuinely public forum at the earliest opportunity. Our deep concerns have kept us from our normal lives for years now and mumblings of reassurance are not enough. We have questions and would like them publicly answered in full.
With dire warnings of the potential effect of this industry on our health from the Medact Report, revelations in the now un-redacted DEFRA Report that herald warnings for our rural economy, increasing investor reluctance and the announcement by the Dutch government of a five year ban, it is clear that fracking in the UK is dangerous, past it's opportunity and worthless.
The community will continue to oppose this and although we may not have the power and money of this industry, we operate from a position of protecting our young - which makes us unstoppable.
*Please CLICK HERE if you can help us x
The community will continue to oppose this and although we may not have the power and money of this industry, we operate from a position of protecting our young - which makes us unstoppable.
*Please CLICK HERE if you can help us x
Well, first of all, congratulations, Tina, for winning the first battle to save the people in the two Lancashire hamlets targeted for shale gas exploitation. That in itself is a remarkable achievement, and I am sure you have inspired people around the country, and around the world. As we know, the facts, the truth, is on our side. Even in the USA, the most gullible and politically docile and environmentally destructive nation in the world, some States have woken up to the realisation that they must ban fracking rather than be killed by it. And for all the crap that comes out of Hollywood, at least they have Erin Brockovich as a role model.
ReplyDeletePlease do keep up the good work in Lancashire. I know it must be depressing and enervating, but the world is watching you, and supporting you, and learning from you, including in my native Yorkshire, and in here in Cheshire, where I now live. Cuadrilla (and Centrica) have invested a £100 million to date in exploitation for shale gas in Britain. And as we know, some high-profile Tories have personal financial interests in shale gas, and others have put their reputations on it. On October 21st 2013 Rupert Murdoch (who has invested in shale gas in Israel) tweeted “Cameron” to “start fracking now . . . or lose the election”. Two months later, Cameron invited the BBC and the rest of the media to follow as he went around the country campaigning for fracking.
This is why, Tina, what you have achieved is remarkable. You are fighting the forces of the “capitalisation” of energy, and of big Media, of the oil/gas lobby, and the Government. On the face of it, it seems unlikely that you will win, short of, pray, a miracle. But please don’t expect the Church of England to pray for you. Two years ago the C of E stated it "has no policy for or against fracking", and at the same time claimed ancient mineral rights beneath our homes (which, apparently they have according to medieval law, and so can claim royalties on fracking wherever it occurs in England). You will know that Archbishop Justin Welby (a close friend of colleague of the “Reverend Lord” Stephen Green, the corrupt chairman of HSBC) is a former bottom-line lickspittle for Elf Oil (notoriously the most corrupt of all oil companies that have exploited Africa).
I think you have seen my email (in reply) to the Bishop of Chester, Peter Forster, but here it is for the benefit of anyone reading this who hasn’t: http://www.markpickles.co.uk/poli6.html
As we know, those who follow the ideology of Capitalisation hate renewable energy. The Sun and the Wind cannot be owned and sat upon and militarily ring-fenced. If you think about it, the capitalisation of energy is the root cause of all recent wars. Nato sent 9,700 “strike sorties” to carpet bomb the cities of Libya (which before 2011 was the richest country in Africa) not because they feared Gadaffi was about to unleash a genocide, but because Gadaffi had decided to pull his nation out of the petrodollar and encourage African economy and banking autonomy.
And so it seems, Tina, that all the forces of the world are against us, political, military, neoconservative, neoliberal and clerical, and yet the Blackpool ‘Nanas’ have spoiled the party, and we love your for it. Love will win. Everything else is corrupt and meaningless.