EnviroSpin Watch

Not NIMBYs - Defenders of the Last Wilderness for Us All.....

"This is the hour of the Shire-folk, when they arise from their quiet fields to shake the counsels of the great." (J.R.R. Tolkien, 'The Council of Elrond', The Fellowship of the Ring).

I am not by nature a campaigner, more an academic observer. Hence the normal character of this blog. But there will be one exception for which I do not apologise - attacking the absolute stupidity of government policy on promoting wind farms in some of our last remaining wilderness (see Blog below). Here is a telling comment, taken from a letter to The Independent (November 14), by John Kelly, F.I.E.E: "Any engineer or scientist who takes the time to study, dispassionately, the arguments of the wind energy supporters will come to the conclusions that wind power can never, be it on-shore or off-shore, deliver what it claims in terms of numbers of homes supplied or in reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, and that the power that is generated is at such a high cost that it is only economically viable by virtue of a package of subsidies which, according to official figures, will be worth a billion pounds in 10 years' time. This must be found from the consumer to boost the profits of a few multinational corporations and shrewd investors." "It is time that this whole charade was recognised for what it is - the greatest scam since the South Sea Bubble." Absolutely, sentiments that echo to perfection the scathing denunciation of wind farms by the world famous environmentalist, Dr. David Bellamy (quoted at the head of my previous blog).

But the real battle is on the ground, in the Shires, where good folk care passionately for their landscapes and wilderness. Here is a list of just a few of the splendid web sites where the little people are fighting back for beauty and nature against the increasingly ugly and aggressive wind-farm orcs. And isn't it splendid that the internet allows this democracy against overblown organisations. Please give them your support in any manner you can.

The Hobbits Fight Back

Abingdon, Crawford and Elvanfoot (ACE);
Barningham High Moor;
Campaign Aganist Turbines at Shipdham (CATS);
Cefn Croes Wind Farm;
Clydebelt;
Community Against Bake And Trerulefoot Turbines (COMBATT);
Friends of Eden, Lakeland and Lunesdale Scenery (FELL);
Friends of Rural Cumbria's Environment (FORCE)
Marton, Askam and Ireleth Windfarm Action Group (MAIWAG)
Meikle Carewe Windfarm Action Group (McWAG);
Not on Ark Hill (NOAH, Angus);
Not in North Argyll (NINA);
Protect the Flint Hills [One US Site for Interest];
Save Our Borders Scenery (SOBS);
Save the Vale Action Group (Hardy's Blackmore Vale);
Say 'No' to the Scoutmoor Windfarm (Lancashire);
Say 'No' to the Whinash Windfarm;
Skye Windfarm Action Group (SWAG);
SOS Porthcawl (An Offshore Example);
Tairgwaith Action Group;
The Wight Against Rural Turbines (ThWART, Isle if Wight);
Views of Scotland;
Walkerburn Action Group.

Bravo to them all! Thank you so much. Philip. Lunch - and to raise a glass to England!! Rugby, of course! Watch out you Wallabies next Saturday!