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Saturday, 1 July 2017

Day 124 in the Cuadrilla House...

Day 124 in the Cuadrilla House… and the good people have grown in number, stature and determination; coming through from a winter start on 5th January, we find ourselves experiencing an unexpected summer. Reflecting from Day 1 to this, I see now an actual cultural shift about us; the way we act, the way we treat each other and are treated, what priorities have changed and where our boundaries have been pushed or pulled to shape the changing of the days… and I see this in all at the roadside. This isn’t happening just to we Protectors… there’s a shift to in the lives and ways of workers and police too. Each at PNR is in the end just a lone individual trying to find their place in this puzzle not of our making. There’s an absurdity to every day too that can bring laughter or tears of frustration, it’s ludicrous that perfectly everyday adults find themselves here, doing these things… and yet we rise and go on because for us, there is no end till this industry ends.



So it’s no longer possible to mark the days by mere truck movements or Pop Up Protests or even that this counting method is relevant anymore… I started by numbering the days of protest at the working site so it was Mondays to Fridays but now, we have night shifts and weekend work too. It’s all up in the air and everyone’s got really good at thinking on their feet – we don’t always get it right and in fact ‘right’ is impossible to define but we try and try and try some more the next day.

This week there’s been movement of the drill rig or parts of the rig or another sort of rig and we’re watching at the storage site in Chesterfield, following trucks, boarding trucks, locking-on in front of trucks (plenty of truck-action in this line of work!) getting pulled over by police, building pallet towers, challenging eviction notices, building community hubs, sorting a massive kitchen, plugging in the tech, creating incredible art, blessing this and that and calling on the various gods of various faiths to strengthen our resolve... and so much more. I really miss monotony sometimes and the word 'boredom' does not exist where we are.

Saturday 1st July marks another change in how we approach things and a ramping up of planning and implementation – organising within a horizontal movement presents a lot of challenges but somehow things happen and we set the bar high – every day in July, actions WILL be taken to stop this industry. No ifs, no buts… just us insisting that we’re fed up and want this bloody done with. A huge push aided by many groups and individuals, online as well as in the fleshy world… and we’re feeling confident in our numbers and resolve. If you’re about, come join us – it’s been a heck of a ride so far and only less bumpy when we are so numerous, we level ourselves out – we need you  See you in the morning? 



*Photo thanks Cheryl








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