Happy Christmas

Winter trees, Shearford Lane, Barnstaple.
Memories from a couple of years ago, when it was cold.
This field is very wet today!

Let them eat cake

As austerity bites, we are not only destroying our own countryside with wind turbines for no good purpose except to make some people rich, but we are giving aid to the poorer nations of the world, so that they can have wind turbines too. What madness!

Christopher Booker says:

"It might seem rather quixotic for a government that recently had to borrow £8.6 billion in a single month, in order to cover its ever-widening spending deficit, to then lash out £1.8 billion in foreign aid to build wind turbines in Mexico to supply Walmart with electricity, or to provide solar panels to some of the poorest countries in the world on condition that they don’t build the proper power stations they need to become richer.  "


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/9730469/The-polluters-the-EU-says-dont-have-to-pay.html

In Mexico, energy companies are opposed by the local population.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/31/mexico-wind-farms_n_2049097.html

"The largely indigenous residents of the Isthmus complain that the wind farms take control of their land, affect fish and livestock with their vibrations, chop up birds and pit residents against each other for the damage or royalty payments. They also claim they see few of the profits from such projects."

Lost Horizons update

Lost Horizons can now be found at:
 
http://www.losthorizons.org/

Lost Horizons

Scottish Wind Farm Protest

Small turbines and planning permission

"WORK has started on a controversial wind turbine development near Chulmleigh before being given the go-ahead by council planners"

Cornwall and Devon are being flooded with applications for single turbines. They may not be so large, but they too are changing our countryside and affecting people's lives. As local residents know to their cost, when you have a number of single turbines in your area you are living in a wind farm, yet because of the number of single applications it is far harder to mobilise opposition against each individual one.

This article in the North Devon Gazette highlights a case where the applicants have not even waited for consent before starting work.

Read more here:

http://www.northdevongazette.co.uk/news/battle_lines_drawn_over_chulmleigh_turbine_1_1657409

The area around Mounticombe Farm is a particularly quiet and beautiful one, and loved by many who live in the area for its peace and tranquility.

Llanllwni Mountain Choir

Windmills used make us smile

David Bellamy and Jenny Keal  are holding an exhibition of paintings in Mid Wales in support of Conservation of Upland Powys and Montgomery Against Pylons.


http://www.davidbellamy.co.uk/content/view/120/243/

The Turbine Lament, from Donegal

If you love Ireland, as so many of us do, go to
www.gwig.net for more information about Glenties Windfarm Information Group. The site dedicated to providing information regarding the proposed wind farm at Straboy, Glenties, Co Donegal.

Slay The Array

If you haven't done this yet, it's still not too late to email your objections about the Atlantic Array.

The deadline is 5 pm today.

Go to:

http://www.slaythearray.com/

Fenbeagle - brilliant as always!

http://fenbeagleblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/17/ting-a-ling/

The Turbine Lament, from Donegal

If you find anywhere beautiful in the world, what are the chances that the wind developers will be there already?

"PROTESTORS from Co Donegal have joined a national organisation at the weekend, aimed at regulating the growing number of wind farms."
Read more:
http://www.donegaldaily.com/2012/06/18/donegal-anti-windfarm-campaigners-join-national-group/

http://www.edf-er.com/Projects/ProposedHollowPanson.htm

Exhibitions have been held this Monday and Tuesday for a proposal to put 6 x 126.5m turbines on land close to Ashwater, St. Giles on the Heath, Virginstow and Mount Lane, south of Holsworthy, Devon. This is an area I walked through back in 2006, and know well. As with the the Fullabrook Down Wind Farm, which is built around the small hamlets and villages of Pippacott, Beara, Fullabrook and Marwood, the developers have chosen another example of English countryside at its best, quiet, rural, in many ways untouched by time. The people of Ashwater fought off a wind farm about ten years ago, but - as happened with Fullabrook - developers are back, with an even bigger scheme. The exact location of the turbines is not yet shown on the developers map, but from what we have been told it seems that they may be close to houses in Mount Lane, for example. For farmers the temptation must be great... the going rate per turbine is probably £15,000 a year per turbine, or more. And they will believe the developers when they reassure them that wind turbines are a good thing, and will not impact on their neighbours.

The British Wind Energy website still says this about wind turbine noise:

Myth: Wind farms are noisy Fact: The evolution of wind farm technology over the past decade has rendered mechanical noise from turbines almost undetectable with the main sound being the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades passing the tower. There are strict guidelines on wind turbines and noise emissions to ensure the protection of residential amenity. These are contained in the scientifically informed ETSU Working Group guidelines 199617 and must be followed by wind farm developers, as referenced in national planning policy for renewables18. The best advice for any doubter is to go and hear for yourself!



Tell that to people like Nick Williams (and others) up on Fullabrook, or other wind farm sites in Devon!


There are other "myths" mentioned on this website. I once worked as a salesperson for a company selling a certain product, and I was very successful at first because, after reading the literature and being given the sales pep-talk, I believed in the product. Then I had to deal with Existing Customers... and heard tales of woes that made it impossible for me to continue selling the product with the same enthusiasm.


I have to admit that when I first became involved in the fight against wind turbines I wasn't sure whether wind turbine noise was a real problem.  The Wind Developers were so adamant that it was not a concern that I though they must know what they were talking about. And yes, you can stand near a wind turbine and find it is quiet, I have done this. Yes, some people do not seem to suffer when they live close to turbines.  

But I have also stood close to a turbine and heard the noise when it was bad, and I have met people whose lives have been virtually destroyed by wind turbine noise, people whose properties have been so devalued as to be worthless, and I no longer doubt them. Some of them were against turbines, but some had not minded the turbines at all, until they were up and turning.  They have nothing to gain by speaking out, and much to lose, since speaking out devalues their property even more. I also know that for every resident who speaks out there, will be others suffering who stay silent, for various reasons that are understandable.

Wind Power: The Great Debate

John Constable and Ben Pile can be seen here debating wind power with Jonathan Porritt and Andrew Garrad, at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

There was an interesting moment during the debate when Jonathan Porritt inferred that wind turbine noise was not a real problem. Both John Constable and Ben Pile told him that they knew people who suffered from it, but he did not appear to believe them. Andrew Gerrard (from the Wind Industry) kept quiet.

Even the Green Party in North Devon is now (since Fullabrook Down Wind Farm became operational) reluctantly admitting that wind turbine noise can cause suffering - but there are no wind farms in Cheltenham where Jonathan Porritt, and perhaps most of the audience at this deabte, live.

http://raeng.tv/default.aspx?item=72

Batsworthy Cross.
The Public Inquiry opened on June 12th at Bishops Nympton Village Hall.

David Bellamy

Cadair Idris from the Moors, by David Bellamy

David Bellamy has given this painting to be auctioned to raise funds for the National Oppostion to Wind Farms. More details about this will follow, but for now let us just say what a magnificent gift this is to the campaign to save our countryside and wild places.

Press release from Slay the Array

Atlantic Array 'scaled back' claim is wrong, say North Devon campaigners

NEW PLAN FOR BRISTOL CHANNEL WINDFARM IS 'A DISASTER' FOR NORTH DEVON'S VITAL TOURISM INDUSTRY

RWE npower's plan for the giant windfarm in the Bristol Channel is a disaster for North Devon, according to campaign group Slay the Array. The developer has not 'reduced' or 'scaled back' the proposal in response to public opinion, as has been claimed, but has increased the size of the turbines to be sited near the North Devon coast, the group says.

"The plan on the table is the same as before – but with one option removed", said Slay the Array spokesman Steve Crowther.

"The previous proposal said that they would use 417 big, 300 huge or 188 massiveturbines to create a (theoretical) capacity of 1500 MW. All they've done is remove the smaller-turbine option.

The company have now said that they will be choosing larger wind turbines for the development, ranging in height from 600 feet to 722 feet – almost twice the height of Lundy island.

"The capacity remains the same, and they now say they will use either the huge or the massive turbines to achieve it.

"This announcement is a ploy to make it look as though the developers have bowed to public opinion. In fact, they have not reduced the size of the development at all. Like the 'extra' consultation they announced in January, this is part of a carefully choreographed PR campaign.

RWE have now made clear that they will be developing the southern part of the area they identified, using larger turbines.  The machines will be erected on the Stanley Bank, which lies only 7.5 miles from Lundy.

The windfarm will therefore now be four miles further away from the South Walescoast, but remains only 9 miles from North Devon's surfing beaches and coastal walks.

"The closest point to the North Devon coast is 8.7m away – that's the same distance as from Fullabrook to Huntshaw Cross.

"Everyone in North Devon knows how visible the Fullabrook turbines are from right around the estuary basin – and these turbines will be twice the size of the ones at Fullabrook."

Threat to North Devon jobs

The confirmation that North Devon will bear the brunt of the windfarm's impact is terrible news for the region, says Slay the Array.

Tourism brings more than a quarter of a billion pounds a year to North Devon and accounts for 17% of employment.

"That's one in six people here whose jobs depend on tourism", said Steve Crowther. "People don't come here to see industrial machinery; they come to see unspoiled landscapes and seascapes.

"The North Devon fishing industry remains under threat, and there is no realistic prospect of the development creating any significant quantity of new jobs here, when South Wales has several large and well-equipped docks."

--

A sad lament for the Shetland Islands

How much more wild beauty must be sacrificed for the greed of the wind power industry industry and the self-aggrandisement of politicians?

One thing you can be sure of, all the wind turbines in the world will do little if anything to save CO2 emissions.
Here's an interesting link:

shamwag.com

 

The 1922 Committee

Elections were held yesterday to the Conservative Party 1922 Committee. Whatever else the results indicated, it is interesting to note that out of the 18 members elected Steve Baker, Guto Bebb, Bob Blackman, Karen Bradley, Nick de Bois, Graham Evans, Bernard Jenkin, Marcus Jones, Priti Patel and Heather Wheeler had all signed the letter to David Cameron against offshore windfarms. Of the four who were re-elected unopposed, three (Brian Binley, Graham Brady and Charles Walker) had also signed the letter. Let us hope they will use their influence well. And let us hope that more of them will start to speak out too against offshore wind as well.

To see the list of those who signed the letter, go to this link on our website.

To read more about the elections, go to this page on ConservativeHome.

The Guardian Newspaper

After posting this link on our Facebook page we had some interesting Comments:

Thanks to Ben Pile for this link here:

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/03/09/editiorial-the-guardian-doesnt-give-a-damn-about-accurate-reporting-nor-its-own-editorial-code/

Particularly disappointing was the Guardian treatment of the NOW launch, when they had fun exposing private emails between members of an anti-wind farm campaign group, rather than treating the launch in a serious and balanced way.

Radio Four 9 am today

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01h666h

Warning

The Register button on the NOW website appears to be faulty (or has it been hacked into?)
The figures appear to be meaningless, jumping from the thousand millions to large negative numbers in what appears to be a random fashion.

Let us hope this will be sorted out soon. It is unfortunate for all the many supporters who had registered already.

The Guardian is also displaying private emails from members of an anti-wind farm group. How did they obtain these emails?

Let none of this distract from the importance of the work that is being done in Parliament on our behalf by the NOW campaign. The wind power industry is immensely powerful: we all know that. But might isn't always right.

Here's a poster in a window

Let's see many more!

NOW

A new national Organisation/Charter called NOW is being is launched today:

www.nowind.org.uk

Go to their website and sign up to show your support!

Then print off a poster and stick it in your window.

Greg Harper

"From the Hill,"
A Lament for the Sussex Coastal View

Thanks to Greg for sending us this link to his beautiful but sad song.
He wrote to us
Just when the South Downs have been made a National Park to protect the landscape, this enterprise arrives to expand man's touch on into the unspoiled seascape.


See more:
http://www.gregharpermusic.com/news.html

The worst news for a long time.

Windfarm Vision 1, by Paul Bloomer

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-1760971.

One hundred and three giant turbines, in the middle of the Shetland Islands. It is vandalism on a giant scale.

Here is a reminder of what artist Paul Bloomer had to say (on our website) about this appalling proposal:

http://www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com/scotland/paul-bloomer.html

Louise Mensch

Louise Mensch is a Conservative MP
She wrote this impassioned piece in the Daliy Telegraph:


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/9173642/Wind-farms-We-are-baffled-that-a-prince-of-the-realm-would-ruin-our-land.html

She is one of the many Conservative MPs who have spoken out against wind farms: what is the matter with their leader?

Our list of MPs who have spoken out is on this page:

http://www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com/politicians/politiciansfightingwindfarms.html

It includes a link to those like Louise Mensch who signed the letter to David Cameron, plus the names of other MPS - from all parties - who have spoken out on this issue.

Another North Devon wind turbine

On a trip to Morte Point on Saturday what did we see but this - the largish wind turbine at Mullacott Cross.
More photos on our Facebook page.

Bats

This YouTube video is an important one to watch, not just because of what happens to the bats, but also because of the horror that is being done to some stunning landscapes in Oregon.
Much is made in the commentary of fact that wind turbines are "clean energy" - what about the environmental damage caused by mining for rare earths in China, used in wind turbines, for a start? That is not very clean.
Incidentally, you can hear the turbine noise, and see the shadow flicker, although they do not comment on that.

Batsworthy Cross Pre-Inquiry

I went to the Pre-Inquiry meeting today at Bishops Nympton Village Hall. It was a beautiful day, sunny but fresh, with little wind. I took the X7 bus from Barnstaple to South Molton and walked the rest of the way, maybe three or four miles, along tiny lanes, with bridges over streams, sheep and lambs grazing in fields beside the road and the roadside banks studded with primroses and daffodils, or wood anemones when the road skirted its way around some woods (as in this photograph.)

At the meeting last June, when North Devon District Council's Planning Committee unanimously turned down Npower's wind farm proposal, Bishop's Nympton Village Hall was full to bursting with local opponents of the proposal.

Last June, the only supporters that Npower could find were a few members of the North Devon Green party, none of whom live anywhere near Batsworthy Cross. For the Public Inquiry, one of the North Devon Green Party Members, Rosemary Brian, who lives in the Croyde/Georgeham area, some 25 miles away, has set up a Rule 6 Party called "Friends of Batsworthy Cross."

This hardly seems a friendly name to choose. A true friend listens, and does not impose. Yet again today, the people of the area around Batsworthy Cross filled the hall and made it abundantly clear how much they oppose the idea of having giant industrial turbines imposed upon them.

At the meeting, Rosemary Brian asked if the Public Inquiry could be held in Barnstaple, as Bishop's Nympton was difficult to travel to by public transport. I felt like standing up to say that I had come by bus myself part of the way, and enjoyed the ride, but to be fair, there are some steep hills between South Molton and Bishop's Nympton, and it would have been hard work with boxes of documents to carry as well.

Sensibly the Inspector decided that Bishop's Nympton Village Hall was to remain the venue.

TREA, The Rural Exmoor Alliance (TREA is CPRE Devon, the Exmoor Society, the Two Moors Campaign and several local parish councils) invited Npower to put up a blimp for the site visit. Npower refused this invitation.

The Public Inquiry will last four weeks, and begin on June 12th.

Fullabrook

Near Beara Cross, Tuesday. No turbines were turning when we went up there. They turn them off at times during the noise testing, apparently. Later they were turning, slowly, in the gentle breeze.
Read more about the noise testing that is taking place at the moment:

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/story-15433064-detail/story.html

Village fishing industry at risk from renewables drive, MEP warns

Centuries-old village fishing communities in Fife are under direct threat from the Scottish Government’s obsession with grandiose off-shore renewables developments. That is the warning that Scottish Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson will give to a town hall meeting in St Andrews this Thursday that is set to bring together opposition to wind farm developments from throughout Scotland.

Struan Stevenson, who is Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee, is the keynote speaker at the event organised by Cameron Community Council to raise awareness of the current flood of large wind energy developments currently facing Fife communities. He will explain that the destructive impact of off-shore turbine developments on marine habitats is huge and that affected species, and fishermen whose livelihoods depend on them, will become another forgotten element of the SNP's mad-dash for wind power.

He will highlight the plight of fishermen in Holderness in Yorkshire. Consent has recently been given to Danish company Dong Energy for the construction of a 35 square km wind farm at Westermost Rough, one of the most important parts of the Holderness Coast fishery. The rocky substrate, with plenty of small boulders and crevices provides a near-perfect, but highly sensitive habitat for lobsters. This habitat faces complete destruction, while Holderness fishermen will only be able to fish the area with permission from Danish company, Dong Energy.

Speaking ahead of the event, Struan Stevenson MEP commented:

“The Scottish Government’s current plan for the footprint of off-shore wind farms looks set to cover vast areas that are of huge significance to traditional inshore fishermen in fragile Fife. Fishermen in communities like Pittenweem will be taking anxious notice of the plight facing the industry in Holderness. To see the areas they and their ancestors have fished for centuries sold to foreign energy companies, and to have to ask permission from a Danish company to use the remnants, will be too much to bear for many.

“Scientific evidence suggests that the noise and vibration created by the installation and operation of off-shore turbines is devastating for marine life and seabed habitats. Driving the huge foundation piles deep into the seabed creates sound pressure levels that seriously damage the hearing systems of marine mammals and fish. Displaced sediment can also wreck vast areas of seabed for fishing.

“The SNP government simply haven't thought this through. Why are they going to ruin areas that have been fished for hundreds of years in order to build wind turbines that will last 20 at a push? Why are they going to ruin the fragile village fishing industries of the East Neuk, which add immeasurably to the local economies and cultural heritage of Fife? And all of this in pursuit of a technology that is unreliable and inefficient.”

Among other attendees at the St Andrews event are expected to be key representatives of Trump International Developments, protesting against plans for a huge off-shore array within sight of the proposed golf resort at the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire.

Commenting, Struan Stevenson said:

“Donald Trump’s representatives are right to come along to St Andrews to compare notes on how best to face down the wind farm developers and the Scottish Government. The meeting will welcome any expression of solidarity with the growing numbers in Scotland determined to face down the threat wind farms pose to our unique communities and scenery.”

Matt Baker

We can all watch Countryfile again! Thank you so much, Matt Baker, for speaking out.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9094406/Matt-Baker-questions-effectiveness-of-wind-farms.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/02/21/matt-baker-hits-out-at-wind-turbines_n_1290015.html

Perhaps next time - if ever - the producers decide to do a feature on wind farms, you can persuade them to actually visit some of the poor people in places like Cumbria, Lincolnshire, Wales, Cornwall, and now Devon as well, who are having their lives blighted by wind turbine noise.

And if they are really daring, they could do some real investigative journalism, and find some farmers too, who have regretted signing up on the dotted line, who may also be suffering from turbine noise, who may have seen their farms ruined, who may regret what they have done to their neighbours' lives, but are unable to speak out because of confidentiality clauses.

When it suits the agenda, the media are happy to interview people while hiding their identity with blurred images and altered voices. Perhaps it is time for the BBC to properly investigate the wind industry.

Here is a link to some poignant words from a farmer in the US.

This is an excerpt from his testimony - do read it in full if you can.

"I tried, as did some of the other farmers, to get out of our contracts, but we had signed a binding contract. If you are considering placing wind turbines on your property, I strongly recommend that you please reconsider. Study the issues. Think of all the harm to your land, and, in the future, to your children’s land, versus the benefits from allowing companies to lease your land for turbines."

Is Wind The Answer?

Experts to debate in St Andrews

Public information event organized by Cameron Community Council

St Andrews Town Hall, 7.15pm 1^st March 2012

Love them or loathe them, wind turbines are coming to Fife. From industrial-scale wind farms to back-garden turbines, Fife is facing a torrent of applications.

Fife Council’s Planning Department is currently looking at hundreds of proposals (1). Storms over wind rage in the local press, and are splitting Community Councils.

Now Cameron Community Council has boldly invited leading experts to St Andrews to debate the pros and cons of wind energy.

“Wind power is a relatively new phenomenon in Fife and many local communities are struggling to understand what it means for them. People are frightened and concerned by the prospect of these turbines”, Cameron Community Council Chairman Gordon Ball said.

“As the wind applications have proliferated, so have our questions. As a Community Council, it’s part of our job to make sure our communities have accurate information about the wind farms and turbines we are being asked to live with.“

Mr Ball explained that the he had invited John Mayhew, the Director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland, who addressed a packed audience at Cameron Community Council last summer. Mr Mayhew explained the background to the Government’s plan to make Scotland the “Saudi Arabia of wind’”

“His talk was impressively balanced and informative,” Mr Ball added. “There was no end to the questions from the audience and many people were disappointed to have missed him.”

Mr Ball has now invited experts to St Andrews with huge experience of the impact of wind development across Scotland. “We’re encouraging anyone curious about wind to come to the Town Hall,” said Mr Ball.

There will be a question and answer forum and the meeting is free and open to all.

Joining Mr Mayhew will be Derek Birkett, the former Grid Control Engineer of Northern Scotland and author of When will the lights go out; Scottish MEP Struan Stevenson, who chairs the European Parliament’s Climate Change, Biodiversity & Sustainable Development Intergroup; Dave Bruce, who has wide ranging knowledge on all aspects of wind farm development; and Graham Lang, a local expert on the planning process for wind turbines and co-founder of EFTAG, an internet site which maps all past and present turbine proposals in East Fife.

Two of the four people who run the Coalition have family links to the wind industry

Two of the four people who run the Coalition government have family members who have made money out of the wind industry.

Read this post below from ConservativeHome
(we all know the two are, of course, but we may not have known just how powerful they are)

http://conservativehome.blogs.com/thetorydiary/2012/02/ten-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-group-of-four-that-runs-the-coalition.html

Imagine if they had similar links to the coal or oil industries!

Donald Trump writes to Sir Simon Jenkins

Read more: http://www.artistsagainstwindfarms.com/scotland/donald-trump-letter-to-simon-jenkins.html

Sammy Wilson DUP MP

Sammy Wilson is one of the MPs who signed the letter to David Cameron . He deserves special praise as he is the only MP from the beautiful country North Ireland to do so.
Here he is speaking on You Tube.

Protest in Inverness

Keep the pressure up!
More information to follow, or at http://www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk/

Who are the politicians?

According to an article by Robert Mendick and Edward Malnick in The Sunday Telegraph today,

"In October, a flagship Conservative policy, which would have required local referendums on large-scale projects such as wind farms and housing estates, was quietly abandoned after intense lobbying by RenewableUK. "

Who were the politicians who made the decision to give way to the lobbyists? And did they have any links (family or otherwise) to the wind industry?

We need to know.

The article also describes how the wind energy industry "drafted in eco-activists to drum up support for wind farm projects in the face of local opposition."
(The Windbyte website has some good examples of this kind of behaviour)

As we keep saying - how can anyone call such "eco-activists" Green?

Incidentally, we have a page on our website that lists more politicians who have spoken out against wind farms - in addition to the 106 who wrote to David Cameron. There are some surprising names included, and it is a work in progress, so if you know of any more please contact us.

Good for Donald Trump!

His mother was born in Scotland. My mother was born in England, but her parents came from Scotland, and if she and they were still alive, I know they would be horrified to see the destruction that is being wreaked on this most beautiful country.

Christine Lovelock

ITV last night

There was a programme last night on ITV called "The cost of going Green". It was good that they raised the subject but frustrating to watch, as they were not very critical of claims about wind power. For example, they went to the island of Eigg, and talked about the way the island is self-supporting in electricity, but failed to mention the fact that when there was a drought with little wind, the islanders had to go back to using generators (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/hydro_electricenergy/7858960/Power-rationed-on-green-island-Eigg-after-mild-weather-causes-drought.html)


It's now on iplayer:

http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=306357

Hundreds attend protest in Anglesey

"HUNDREDS of wind turbine protesters rallied outside Anglesey council – as the local authority announced it would temporarily halt debating applications.

Campaigners marched on the council offices in Llangefni yesterday, reflecting the growing anger over the proliferation of “monster” turbines across the island countryside. Protesters also voiced concerns over biomass and bio gas proposals on the island."

Read more here:
http://www.epaw.org/events.php?lang=en&article=uk5

and at the original Daily Post site:
http://www.dailypost.co.uk/multimedia/news/video/2012/02/02/wind-turbine-protest-on-anglesey-55578-30251751/

Windfarms and the Rape of Britain

Listen to Struan Stevenson MEP in this video.

"In his hard-hitting booklet, Struan Stevenson MEP demonstrates how Britain is being raped by the current mad race for renewable energy sources, and particularly by wind power. The manic scramble is responsible for the rape of Britain. "

Read more on the YouTube page.

Struan Stevenson is a Conservative Euro MP for Scotland. He is Chairman of the Climate Change, Biodiversity & Sustainable Development Intergroup in the European Parliament.

Slay The Array Press Release

Campaign group welcomes SW Marine Energy Park announcement:

"This must surely mean the death knell for the misconceived Atlantic Array plan".

Campaign group Slay The Array has welcomed DECC Minister Greg Barker's announcement today that the South West is to be the UK's first Marine Energy Park.

The group, which coordinates opposition to the Atlantic Array, a plan to build up to 417 giant wind turbines in the Bristol Channel, believes that the announcement has been made 'in the nick of time'.

"This must surely be the death-knell for the Atlantic Array plan – possibly the most absurdly misconceived wind energy proposal in what is, let's face it, a crowded market," said Slay The Array spokesman Steve Crowther.

"The Bristol Channel has the second highest tidal range and some of the fastest tidal flows in the world.

"It's absolutely ideal for renewable – and reliable – tidal and marine current energy, which is why it was the site of a very successful trial of marine-current turbines in 2003.

"Yet the Crown Estates and RWE/npower are hatching plans to build between 188 and 417 giant wind turbines – the most unreliable, inefficient and discredited form of renewable energy – between North Devon and the Gower."

While the Atlantic Array developers claimed during recent public consultations that marine/tidal technology was 20 years behind wind, in fact RWE/npower is itself involved in the first major tidal array being developed off Anglesey, he went on.

"The tidal arrays are not on the same scale as the proposed wind-farm, but they are more efficient, more effective and less environmentally damaging.

"Water is 800 times denser than air, so it generates more power at less speed and enables smaller and slower rotors than are needed for wind power. This technology generates at around 60% of capacity, rather than the 32-35% thatwind can offer at best; and as the tides are predictable, all the power generated can be managed into the Grid, rather than wasted."

The Atlantic Array is proposed to occupy an area of 400km2, starting only 9 miles off the North Devon coast. The coastline includes Lundy Island and the headlands of Baggy Point, Morte Point and Bull Point, all owned by the National Trust, and is a haven for walkers, birdwatchers, surfers and seaside holidaymakers.

The area boasts the UK's first Marine Conservation Zone, set up to preserve a unique coral eco-system; one the UK's largest Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty; a UNESCO Biosphere; one of the country's few remaining fishing fleets and some of the country's most famous surfing beaches.

"It is hard to imagine a less appropriate place to line the horizon with turbines, and line the sea-bed with 400 islands each constructed out of concrete and 6,000 tonnes of huge boulders", said Steve Crowther.

"The huge subsidies paid for out of our fuel bills, and an abundant supply of wind turbines – some of questionable quality – has created a wind-rush which makes a few people rich and the vast majority of us poorer.

"In the last three weeks reports from two major think-tanks have shown that theSecretary of State's obsession with wind power is not only costing a fortune and pushing more people into fuel poverty, but is actively hampering our long-term energy strategy.

"Hopefully, Greg Barker's announcement shows that the 'dash for wind' is over, and the Atlantic Array will be consigned to the dustbin of history."


For further information contact Steve Crowther, Info@SlayTheArray.com

01271 813844 or 07775 787579 www.SlayTheArray.com

Misery continues for Fullabrook Residents

Sheep and lambs on Fullabrook Down.

This once peaceful spot is now the site of a giant wind turbine close to the hamlet of Fullabrook. This tiny hamlet is now virtually surrounded by turbines, and as you can read in the North Devon Journal article, (see below) they are making life a misery for Nick Williams, who lives there. Other people living in the area are suffering too.

http://www.thisisdevon.co.uk/Delay-wind-farm-causing-misery/story-14399550-detail/story.html

David Hockney

David Hockney is in the news again, as he has been appointed to the exclusive Order of Merit.

The Guardian lists the individuals in the Order of Merit (there are never more than 14 members at one time)- see more here.

Members include David Attenborough, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh. It seems rather sad that David Attenborough, who has spoken up so consistently on behalf of wildlife and wilderness, appears to have swallowed the Greenwash about wind turbines. He was one of those who spoke in favour of the Glyndebourne wind turbine at the Public Inquiry where the turbine was given approval, despite the fact that the area was about to be designated as a National Park.

Perhaps the Duke of Edinburgh will appreciate David Hockney's presence, to give balance if the topic of wind turbines ever comes up at a meeting.