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" One touch of nature

makes all the world kin "

William Shakespeare

Collapse of UK Fracking Industry Predicted

September 22nd, 2013

I know I have put up rather a lot of posts on the fracking threat in the UK recently, and I don’t want this subject to dominate the blog. I’m also aware of the many threats we are living through at the moment, including the awful events in Syria, and in the Arctic a few days ago, but I have focused on fracking for three reasons: (1) The more you look at the story the more you realize what an assault it represents on the Earth and on the landscape that we love. (2) Psychology and the weirdness of human behaviour interests me, and the more you look at the story of fracking, the more bizarre it becomes: it doesn’t make sense at any level from the environmental through to the economic: it is a story of corruption, misinformation and callous greed on a monumental scale.  (3) I know there have been decisions taken by the UK government where no amount of protest made an iota of difference – just think of the Iraq war protests – but there have been spectacular successes: think of the Poll Tax, GM control, the attempt to sell off the public woodlands; and I believe that common sense really can prevail on this one. If I was a betting man I would put money on the collapse of the fracking project in the UK during the next two years. It may not die immediately – it may be a protracted death, but I predict its collapse during 2014/5.

Naively optimistic? Take a look at this 4 min film of what has just happened in Colorado. Do you really think we will accept this in Britain?  Take 4 mins to watch this. But of course we don’t have to worry do we, because we never have flooding here!

http://vimeo.com/rewilding/frackflood

If you are not concerned after watching this you must be mad! Oh, but wait a minute – many politicians in the UK are not concerned – apparently. But remember ‘No snowflake ever thinks it started the avalanche’ – you may think your voice or actions won’t count, but collectively they do. Next year is the run-up to the next UK General Election. If we all tell our MPs next year that we won’t vote for them if they don’t stand up against fracking that should make a difference. I have inside information on how MPs work – they look at their in-trays. The stacks of letters/emails/surgery appointments that are the highest get the most attention. I’m going to see my MP and I’ll just say ‘Have you got four minutes?’ And then play him this movie on my iphone and say ‘You want this?’

Here in Lewes a group of concerned citizens have organised a public debate on the topic on 6th October, a screening of Gasland II with a discussion with the director afterwards on 22 October, and a group of us have produced a quick-to-read fact sheet that addresses the Myths that people believe about fracking – just two lines per myth to bust them. We’ve also produced a page of supportive explanation for those who want to know more, or who don’t believe what we’ve said and want to check sources. SEE IT HERE. Please feel free to distribute this, make leaflets out of it, whatever you like.

On 28 September there will be a worldwide ritual to protect Albion, and Mother Earth, from fracking. If you’re a materialist you might say ‘Flakey hippies thinking that meditation and magic can make a difference!’ If you’re an idealist (see yesterday’s post on The Sacred History) you’ll say: ‘Aha! They are working on a level that is causal to the physical – how sensible!’

By the way, neither I nor OBOD is organising this worldwide ritual. We have had phone calls and an email from the police asking us if we are.

I’ve started a blog to encourage the collapse of the UK fracking industry – and to give space for me to rant without worrying about whether I’m boring you with too much on this subject! Happy Equinox!

5 Responses to “Collapse of UK Fracking Industry Predicted”

  1. As an OBOD member and follower of your blog, I’m very pleased that you’ve devoted so much time and space to this subject. I will be in Glastonbury next weekend, joining hopefully a great many people for the Albion healing ritual. It will be interesting to see if 1.5 thousand people can squeeze into Glastonbury High Street!
    It seems that the Prime Minister has a vendetta against our land and is determined to physically damage it in as many ways as he can. The aborted sell off of our forests, this fracking pantomime, the pointless killing of thousands of our badgers, (which apparently is falling way beyond target!). He is also guilty of kicking his heals where protection of our bees is concerned and appears to be doing nothing to aid our ailing ash tree population.
    Is this revenge against Albion for the death of one of his offspring a few years ago?
    And you’re right about next year’s start up to the General election. I have a bumper sticker. It reads “I am Druid and I vote”!

  2. Thanks to your frequent postings on fracking, I’ve kept up to date with all developments and kept my fires stoked. I make a point of sharing them on Facebook but, like you, I’m a bit concerned that I’m boring people. Of all my posts, the fracking ones receive least response. For a month or two they received no response, but then I discovered my settings had been changed so that only people in Oxfordshire got my messages! Even so, now that I’m public again, it’s only Americans who respond. The Brits, like me this time last year, seem to be persuaded that fracking is our only alternative to nuclear. In fact, our only alternative is self-discipline in the use of fuels. Only two thousand years ago, our people were putting their most valued objects into holy wells and sacred springs. How did we get here from there? PS. Would it be easy for me to organise a screening of Gaslands in our village hall? Go, Lewes!

  3. Hi Philip, I love your blogs, am a member of OBOD, go to Balcombe to show support when I can and am grateful for your posts about Fracking. Together we so need to share the considered approach to this. I feel it is such a threat to our security and potential ability to produce food and have unpolluted water for future years and generations. Anyone who is not opposed to fracking just doesn’t know enough about it. The government approach needs to change to one of concern and not desperation to balance the books. The economy is in big trouble. Financial guru, and energy expert in the House of Lords is too powerful for the good of the nation perhaps. The economics of fracking and the carbon cost of extracting fossil fuels in this way just do not add up to long term benefit to anyone other than speculative investors who sell on a perception of a profitable opportunity. The Environment Agency have failed us so far with their inability to independently obtain comprehensive all risks assessment, and make decisions based on fact rather than opinion from within the invested industry. The Commons Library now, has at last compiled a report, available on line by searching Fracking Parliamentary Briefing for MPs and following links. I felt despite being funded by industry, with Cuadrilla’s name all over it, and weighted perhaps in favour of Fracking, there are still some concerns hi lighted. It is a shame MP’s don’t read it before they make sweeping statements to the press and public, it just feels like we know more than them. I have had contact with Norman Baker who informs me he has spoken at length with The CEO of The Environment Agency and feels licences should not be issued if there is any risk to public health or the environment. Let us hope The Environment Agency just save the day. For insight into why individuals in positions of influence and responsibility lead us to a path of ruin Snakes In Suits by Robert D. Hare and Paul Babiak gave me some valuable insight.

    p.s. think I know how the global call went out 🙂 xx

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