Well in diary form what happened yesterday. Our friend came yesterday to say he was going to a fracking meeting in Kirby Misperton, and he then reported back. This was a meeting with the Third Energy group in favour of fracking. So the experts were on hand to give their side of the story. First thing they said not to listen to all the stories coming out of America, we had far more stringent rules and guidelines here in Britain. The geologist said that we are in an area where no small earth quakes happen, that they had to go through a 'salt pan' anyway and of course that they did not use any 'deadly' chemicals'.
Well they would say that, and my own fear has really been about jeopardising the water table, so I am taking it all with a pinch of salt. No great fleets of lorries taking away the contaminated water, the man said he would be lucky to get 5 lorries together let alone 100.
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| This was the opposition to fracking, well behaved so J said. |
Most of the afternoon was spent with people popping in and out Jim who always needles me about fracking chatted away, I am not sure he was convinced about the benefits as he argues!
There was a second meeting in the evening at the pub about village events, dates and food was worked out and Jo mentioned a 'Beetle Drive' something I have never played but funnily enough I had bought the game last Xmas for the grand children but Ipads are the firm favourite as far as they are concerned. Anyway J turned up this morning with some plums and has taken the game away, the idea is to have a fish and chips meal and play the game in the pub.
One of the 'falling outs' in the village had been when The D's had erected a small wind turbine on their smallholding, apparently uproar ensued at the time and there has been a certain coolness on the North/South divide of the village. Unfortunately one of the D's trees fell on their neighbour's garage, which added to the hostility, and the neighbour got his air rifle out and shot at the wind turbine. You can't make it up can you? ;)
Blimey, it's all excitement up there in your part of the world!
ReplyDeleteA certain amount of diplomacy is needed of course,;) but the fracking just down the road is obviously exciting with their 'camp'. As for the village, pussyfooting around is the best option, though Paul my partner is now a co-ordinator on one of the committees.
ReplyDeleteI suppose these things happen in towns too Thelma, but of course in villages everybody knows everybody and word spreads like wildfire. I love village life but I did live in Wolverhampton for almost twenty years of my teaching career and I didn't even know the folk in my own street apart from my neighbour.
ReplyDeleteI think it was also the same for us living in a suburb in Chelmsford, probably the stories did take place but you were unaware of them.
DeleteThey are trying to frack here too. They say it's safe, but I'm afraid I'm very cynical and don't believe a word of it.
ReplyDeleteArilx
Some countries have refused it altogether, Ireland is one. We really don't need another source of fossil fuel, and littering the countryside with wells is stupid.
DeleteD's irate neighbour and his rifle have me laugh. Let's bear in mind that Don Quixote fought windmills too. Which I always took more as a social comment than a sign of madness.
ReplyDeleteU
*The three things against turbines is of course visuality, noise and killing of birds, but this one is a small one down by the river. Don Quixote does come to mind though ;)
Delete* NIMBYISM strikes again
Sounds like the village of Doc Martin. Hoping the citizens hold the frackers to their claims. We usually find out years later that they stretch the truth or outright lie.
ReplyDeleteYes the British are an eccentric lot, also now we are so divided whether by class, or our right to defend our own castle to the death comes to mind. In America you have real guns, air guns don't count for much but it was a police job in the end. As for fracking, the push is coming from the government, so we have all our conservative councillors voting for it, surprisingly the people voted about 1500 against and 36 for. This was dismissed by the conservative leader as 'not important!
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