Scotland (Central & Southern) – Page 5

BBC Investigates Opencast Mining

THE LOOSE ANTI OPEN-CAST NETWORK

BBC’s COUNRTYFILE PROGRAMME INVESTIGATES WHY A REMOTE HAMLET IS ON THE FRONT LINE OF A PLANNING BATTLE OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.

THE LOOSE ANTI OPEN-CAST NETWORK

BBC’s COUNRTYFILE PROGRAMME INVESTIGATES WHY A REMOTE HAMLET IS ON THE FRONT LINE OF A PLANNING BATTLE OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.

A small village, of just 75 households, is all that may stand between preserving large sections of the English countryside and the expressed desire of the UK Mineral Extraction Industry to see more permissions given to exploiting England’s mineral resources in areas that are more environmentally sensitive and / or are closer to where people live.

The unfortunate village is Halton Lea Gate, located on the Cumbria / Northumberland border and near an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A team from the BBC’s Counrtyfile programme was filming there recently to investigate why this spot now finds itself on the front line of a national planning controversy.

In early August, after a Public Inquiry into an Appeal to grant permission for an Opencast Mine, the Inspector found in favour of the Applicant. The sting in the tale, for all other communities in England, is the reasoning given by the Inspector to allow the Appeal. His reasoning set a new case law precedent, it is argued, which affects all future mineral planning applications in England.

What the Applicant has to replicate in the future, is the argument used here: that there is a national need for the mineral in question, in this case coal. If they can persuade the Planning Authority (or the Inspector, if the Application has gone to an Appeal) that this is the case, then ‘great weight’ has to be attached to this claim. So much weight it seems, that this factor alone may override all other considerations. (1)

This situation has arisen as a consequence of the Government implementing the new National Planning Policy Framework. In the time leading up to the 2010 election, lobbying organisations such as Coalpro and the CBI lobbied long and hard for a relaxation of the planning rules for mineral extraction. (2) It seems, from this example, the first Public Inquiry for mineral extraction to be held under the new rules, that their efforts have been rewarded. The advice of the Inspector has now gone to the Department of Communities and Local Government to be confirmed or rejected by a Minister.

The BBC came to investigate the issue and explore why local people have taken on the task of raising £40,000 so that they can mount a Judicial Review over the decision. If local people are successful in raising the money and mounting a successful action, they may have prevented the floodgates from opening and saved England from experiencing a rash of mineral planning applications for developing swathes of the countryside. This is now a Public Appeal, and donations can be made payable to The North Pennines Protection Group, who have been one of the local groups who have opposed this Application

An e petition to the Government has been started about this planning decision and its implication for similar planning decisions elsewhere which can be signed by following this link:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/36985

Steve Leary for the Loose Anti Opencast Network commented

“ LAON was contacted by the BBC in the lead up to filming for the Countryside programme. We are delighted to be able to cooperate in the making of the programme and show why we argue that this is an issue of national importance which will affect other communities up and down the Country if the decision is not changed.

We know of five other opencast mine applications, near Smally in Derbyshire (George Farm) , Kirklees, Sth. Yorkshire (Dearne Lea), Trowel in Nottinghamshire (Shortwood Farm) , Whittonstall in Northumberland ( Hoodsclose) and Gateshead (Birklands) that will be affected by this decision if it stands.

In addition, we are aware of three other sites where a potential applicant is making the final decision to proceed with a full application in Gateshead, Marley Hill Reclamation) , Derbyshire ( Hill Top Project near Clay Cross) and Northumberland (Ferneybeds near Widdrington Station, Northumberland) which might also be affected.

The issue here though, we believe, goes way beyond opencast mining. It’s about relaxing the rules around all forms of mineral extraction from pits for sand, gravel and clay to quarries for granite and limestone to opencast mines for coal. This is what the industry lobbied for and now, it seems, the Government has delivered, if it upholds the Inspector’s recommendation to approve the Application and the Judicial Review fails. We therefore urge people everywhere, who cherish and love our countryside, to support both the petition and the public appeal for money to take this case to a Judicial Review.”

The Counrtyfile edition of the programme is to be broadcast on Sunday 30^th September 2012. It will include a 12 minute section on the Halton Lea Gate issue.

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References

1) For more information on the significance of this decision as far as opencast mine applications are concerned see LAON PR7 here

http://nottingham.indymedia.org/articles/2754

2) Evidence about the lobbying to relax these planning rules can be found here.

Briefing Note E2 “Energy Policy and the Proposed National Planning Policy Framework,” MOPG 2011 @

http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/measham/mopg-briefing-notes-series.html

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ABOUT LAON

The Loose Anti-Opencast Network (LAON) has been in existence since 2009. It functions as a medium through to oppose open cast mine applications through which any person / group can communicate ideas, information, requests for information and possibly concerted actions if we find a target. In addition feel free to invite any other person / group who oppose opencast mining applications, to join the network so that it grows. At present LAON links individuals and groups in N Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Northumberland, Co Durham, Leeds, Kirklees Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Walsall.

You can now follow LAON on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/Seftonchase

Twyford Down anti-road protests gathering, September

There is going to be a Twyford Down anti-roads protest reunion to mark that it is 20 years since the protests started. It's on 29-30 Sept, when it'll be the Harvest Moon.

There will be a camp run along the same lines as 20 years ago (bring what you expect to find… water butts, tents, food, etc). That said, there will be some domes and the @ teapot are going to be doing catering (Sat dinner and Sun breakfast) – hurrah! Camp location to be on top of St Catherine's Hill, near Winchester.

There will also be a protest / photo opportunity about this current Government's mania of roadbuilding.

Please spread this amongst your contacts who you think may be interestd. There is a Facebook page if you do such things called Twenty Years Since Twyford: http://www.facebook.com/events/344190508996315/

More details and flyer downloadable at http://bettertransport.org.uk/blogs/roads/100912-twyford-20

Aristocrat landlord’s garden opencasted!

18.07.2012 Earlier today activists from Take Back the Land! visited Lord Home’s mansion in the Douglas Valley and opencasted his garden, hoping to bring the issues closer to home for him.

18.07.2012 Earlier today activists from Take Back the Land! visited Lord Home’s mansion in the Douglas Valley and opencasted his garden, hoping to bring the issues closer to home for him. Lord Home owns Mainshill and all of Glentaggart East which is currently being occupied by an action camp. Of course only some of the things that impact communities so much would have been felt because of this opencast, such as seeing a big mess. He won’t have to put up with the health impacts from dust and diesel fumes, the danger on the roads, the noise, contempt from South Lanarkshire Council – the list goes on.

COAL ACTION SCOTLAND MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE USE 18th July

Lord Home’s garden opencasted by anti-coal activists

At 10:30 this morning 20 environmental and social justice protesters entered the grounds of Lord Home’s stately home at Castlemains in the Douglas Valley and began digging up his front garden. The protest brought home to Lord Home how much of an eye sore an open cast next to your residence is. A banner held up in front of his home which read “Community Health not Lord Home’s Wealth!” Police attended the scene but no arrests were made.

Rob Hearne, one of the activists digging up the Lord’s garden said: “Lord Home is making millions off opencast coal mining in the Douglas Valley. He owns land currently being mined at Mainshill, and owns the entire Glentaggart East site, next on the list to be mined. There is no community consent for opencast in this area, with 70% of people in Douglas opposing Mainshill and over 650 letters of objection sent to the council against it. Yet because of his aristocratic and hereditary privilege, he can do what he wants and walk all over the wishes of the community. We’re digging up his garden to bring the issues closer to home.”

Local resident David Grey said: “The Lord owns everything around here and makes loads of money but gives virtually nothing back to the community. He gets millions but we get cancers, asthma and respiratory diseases. He is essentially a parasite, sucking the wealth out of the area and consolidating it into his private estate.”

Clare Reed, another of the diggers at Castlemains, added: “Lord Home doesn’t even live in the valley despite his massive house and huge land ownership. He lives in London, sits in the House of Lords and is Chairperson of Coutts Bank. He is totally complicit in the destruction caused by opencast mining in the valley and all the health impacts inflicted on communities, but suffers none of the impacts himself. In fact, he makes a killing – we estimate he’ll make up to £7 million off Glentaggart East alone.”

Today’s protest follows Monday’s blockade of Broken Cross Open Cast Coal Site and Saturday’s invasion of Mainshill Open Cast Coal Site where 45 activists stopped work on the site for the day. These actions are part of a week-long action camp and occupation of Scottish Coal’s intended new mine in the area, Glentaggart East. The camp called “Take Back the Land!” has attracted activists from across Scotland, the UK and Europe to take direct action against the blight of opencast coal mining.

Coal Action Scotland
contact@coalactionscotland.org.uk
http://takebacktheland.org.uk/

Broken Cross Open Cast Site blockaded – police act as Scottish Coal security

This morning Broken Cross opencast site in the Douglas Valley was blockaded for an hour and a half before Scottish Coal workers lifted three people in heavy concrete lock-ons out of the road, all overseen by Inspector Whip (photographed) of Strathclyde Police. This isn’t the first time that Inspector Whip has hurt people by lifting them out of the road. He’s reckless and deliberately put people’s safety at risk, all to protect the profits of Scottish Coal.

COAL ACTION SCOTLAND MEDIA RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE USE 16th July 2012

Activists disrupt coal haulage and police take unacceptable risks of injury at Lanarkshire mine

At 6:00 this morning a group of 20 environmental and social justice activists blockaded the only entrance to Scottish Coal’s Broken Cross Open Cast Coal Site [1] in the Douglas Valley. This prevented all access to the site by coal lorries for one and a half hours before police ordered workers to dangerously carry activists out of the road. Concrete “lock-on tubes” were used to prevent three activists from being removed.

In an act of extreme recklessness, Inspector Whip of Strathclyde Police ordered Scottish Coal employees to drag protesters out of the access road, while they were still attached to their lock-on tubes, each weighing around 50kg. One of those moved was injured in this incident. The three have been arrested and are currently being held in custody.

Rob Hearne, one of the activists supporting the protest at the mine said: “This is not the first time that Inspector Whip and Strathclyde Police have shown such utter disregard for the safety of anti-coal activists. This kind of behaviour is totally unacceptable, where untrained workers are allowed to assault people in such a way, breaking all health and safety regulations and committing criminal offences. Strathclyde Police are acting as Scottish Coal’s private security.”

The protest was intended to stop coal from being transported from the mine to railheads and to oppose Scottish Coal’s extension to the mine as part of their “forward strategy” [2]. In particular, it aimed to stop coal HGVs from being routed through Douglas and Glespin, an issue of particular importance for local communities.

Glespin resident David Grey said: “A top traffic police officer has been quoted in the past as saying that someone will have to be killed on Lanarkshire’s roads before something is done about the haulage of coal in this area. HGVs pass right through Douglas and Glespin, past two primary schools with no level crossings, something that Scottish Coal, South Lanarkshire Council and Scottish Ministers all said would never happen. And now Inspector Whip endangers the lives of people trying to make the roads safer for local residents! It’s outrageous. Inspector Whip should be ashamed for putting the profits of coal above the safety of people in the valley.”

Today´s protest follows Saturday’s invasion of Mainshill Open Cast Coal Site [3] where 45 activists stopped work on the site for the day. This is part of a week-long action camp and occupation of Scottish Coal’s intended new mine in the area, Glentaggart East [4]. The camp called “Take Back the Land!” [5] has attracted activists from across Scotland, the UK and Europe to take direct action against the blight of opencast coal mining.

Coal Action Scotland are preparing a formal complaint to Strathclyde Police about this incident.

For interviews and comment please contact:

Roger Wilkins on 07917141720 or email contact@coalactionscotland.org.uk

Photos can be emailed upon request.

Notes to editors:

[1] Broken Cross is the larger of Scottish Coal’s two operating open cast coal mines in the Douglas Valley, South Lanarkshire, producing around 15,000 tonnes of coal a week

[2] South Lanarkshire Council approved Scottish Coal’s North (East) Extension to Broken Cross, the third such extension, despite huge community opposition to it. The extension will see the life of the mine extended until 2024, way beyond what Scottish Planning Policy considers an acceptable cumulative impact and something that local residents find totally unacceptable.

[3] Mainshill Wood was occupied by the Mainshill Solidarity Camp on 12th June 2009. It was eventually evicted on 25th January 2010 in an eviction that lasted 5 days. It involved 45 arrests and was the largest protest site eviction in the UK since Manchester Airport 11 years previously. There was huge community opposition to the mine locally, with 654 objections being lodged against the application. Despite Lord Home, the land owner, telling local residents that he’d safeguard the area from mining, he did the opposite and is now being paid by Scottish Coal for lease of the land. Since the start of coaling operations at the site in February 2010 local residents have complained of noise and dust impacts and danger on the roads as coal HGVs are routed through Douglas and Glespin.

Lord Home owns Douglas & Angus Estates. He is the son of the former prime minister Alec Home, a peer in the House of Lords and chairperson of Coutts Bank. He lives in London but has a stately home at Castlemains in the Douglas Valley.

Scottish Coal currently have two operational sites in the valley, Mainshill and Glentaggart, down from 5 in 2010.

[4] Scottish Coal have been given approval by South Lanarkshire Council despite 232 letters of objection to mine 4 million tonnes of coal from the Glentaggart East site, adjacent to the existing Glentaggart site which was in operation between 2001 and 2011. RSPB objected to the application because of the ecologically important blanket bog and protected bird breeding habitats on the 350 hectare site. The mine will be 1.5km away from two primary schools and continue the encirclement of Douglas Valley villages with opencast mines.

Glentaggart East is part of Scottish Coal’s “Forward Strategy”, unveiled in September 2011. It included 3 new opencast mine applications. One of these, Auldton Heights, was withdrawn following a substantial campaign against it. A further extension to Broken Cross, an existing site, was granted permission by the council, despite opposition from local residents.

[5] for more information about Take Back the Land! please see the following website: http://takebacktheland.org.uk/

Mainshill Open Cast Coal Site shut down for the day!

July 14th, 2012

At 10:00 this morning a group of 45 activists invaded Scottish Coal’s Mainshill Open Cast Coal Site near Douglas, South Lanarkshire, and occupied machinery and prevented coaling operations on the site and shut it down for the day. Machines including a “prime mover” were occupied and all work was stopped completely. This is the first action at Take Back the Land! – the action camp in the Douglas Valley will be up and running until the 18th July. Updates and photos to follow

Take Back the Land: site taken, Glentaggart East occupied!

11/7/2012

Yesterday evening we occupied Scottish Coal’s new opencast mine site in the Douglas Valley, South Lanarkshire, for Take Back the Land! – a week of action against the destruction of opencast mining.

11/7/2012

The camp will run until the 18th July and there will be a mass action on Saturday 14th July. There’s detailed directions to the camp here http://takebacktheland.org.uk/?page_id=6 and the website here http://takebacktheland.org.uk/ has all the information you’ll need to participate. Come and get involved – take action against corporate greed, fat-cat landlords and corrupt local government!

Action round-up from Faslane anti-nuke action month

Four Olympic Gold Medal Winners arrested at Faslane Naval Base on Monday 11th June!

The four women from Glasgow and Edinburgh are members of the Gareloch Hortis peace group which was taking part in thirty days of actions to mark thirty years of Faslane Peace Camp’s protest against Trident nuclear weapons. The group staged the Peace Olympics with events as varied as synchronised swimming and putting the Haggis.

The medallists were arrested during the Tug of Peace across the North Gate of the base.

The event drew attention to the continued presence of the illegal and deadly weapons in Scotland, and all eight other nuclear nations. The winners’ podium highlighted that the only way to win the Race for Peace is to lay down the weapons of mass destruction.

Activists blockade Faslane Naval Base

19.6.2012

Today at 7 o’ clock in the morning activists of the Faslane Peacecamp blockaded the Trident Naval Base. Three people locked on in front of the South Gate. From the original five people at the North Gate two were arrested immediately while the rest were able to blockade one lane of the road. The blockade lasted about 90 minutes.

A spokesperson said on behalf of the Peace Camp: ” We are having this blockade today because we want to show our opposition against nuclear weapons. We express our fear and our anger in a nonviolent way. We ask the British government to listen to the opinion of the majority of Scottish people and MSP’s. The People do not want Trident! They do not want this base with it’s nuclear weapons in Scotland. Due to the fact that in the next few years Scottish independence may be achieved now is the time to put pressure upon the British government. Instead of starting to put money into a Trident replacement we want them to shut down the Faslane Naval Base and stop their nuclear weapons program.”

An international activist added: “This blockade was a very international one. People from all parts of Britain and activists from Spain and Sweden were involved. I think that it is my right and my duty as a global citizen to do nonviolent direct actions against nuclear weapons as long as our governments do not fulfill their duty and stop fighting wars. Nuclear weapons are illegal by international humanitarian law and I want all countries to respect this and make a step to a more peaceful world.”

This blockade is part of the 30 days of action from the 9th June to the 9th July. To find out more about what has happened and will happen in the future visit our blog.

http://faslanepeacecamp.wordpress.com/

Faslane Peace Campers Trespass at Coulport Nuclear Weapons Depot

15/06/2012

Angus Chalmers and Leonna O'Neill of Faslane Peace Camp entered RNAD Coulport in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

They left the camp on foot at approximately 10pm with the intentions of seeing how close they could get to Coulport under the cover of darkness. By the time they were approaching the outer fence perimeter the two still hadn't been apprehended or detected by security or any of the night vision cctv cameras, and so decided to continue to see how far luck (or the ineptitudes of the security system on what should be the most heavily guarded naval depot in the UK) would get them.

They decided to approach the Explosives Handling Jetty via the shore line and entered by wading water and climbing a razor wire fence. At this point they decided to walk visibly and announce themselves to the first police they saw. To their surprise they were met with zero security personnel and were able to access a jetty a matter of feet from the Explosives Handling Jetty where the Trident nuclear warheads are loaded to the Vangaurd submarines.

Angus climbed a further fence into the establishment setting off the bandit alarm and alerting the MOD security and cctv camera operators. Both were soon apprehended by MOD police and arrested and charged with miilitary by-laws and the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 (SOCPA). Both were held in custody until court on Thursday afternoon where the SOCPA charges were dropped and they pleaded not guilty to the by-laws charges.

Leonna and Angus said "This is evidence that the Couport Nuclear Weapons Depot is unsafe. The capacity for this technology to irreperably destroy life and the environment should be reason enough to ensure that it is safe guarded and protected in a way that does not allow for human error or complacency. The relative ease at which we were able to approach and enter Coulport on foot and the close proximatey we were able to get to the Explosives Handling Jetty is surprising and disturbing".

Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares Trespass at Faslane Naval Base

2/07/2012

Seven activists from Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares entered Faslane naval base this morning with four members of the group slipping past guards and reaching points up to 100 yards inside the base. A further two were arrested in the attempt.

At 7am this morning Faslane Peace Camp and Trident Ploughshares activists attended the North gate of the Faslane Naval Base to serenade the approaching morning shift staff with peace and nuclear disarmament songs. The act doubled as a ruse to enable fifteen of the group to attempt entering the base. One TP activist, Brian Larkin, succeeded in gaining entry to the base whilst the rest were prevented from doing so by Minitsry of Defence and Strathclyde police.

Brian was charged with breach of SOCPA, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act, and miliatry by-laws and later released on an undertaking. Upon being released Larkin said “the serious organised crime happens inside the base and not in these actions for peace and disarmament. It is the ongoing deployment of Trident submarines – each carrying 48 warheads, eight times more destructive than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima which killed 200,000 people – that constitutes serious organised crime and violates every principle of humanity in international law.”

In a show of the same relentless persistence that has kept the Peace Camp and the anti-nuclear movement going over the years, the group later returned to make a second attempt at breaching the North Gate. Two were arrested during the attempt whilst six gained entry, four of which reaching up to 100 yards inside the base.

The bandit alarm was activated and the Naval Base was locked down, preventing traffic from entering the base and normal operations to continue within the base for 45 minutes. The action was part of the Peace Camp’s 30 Days of Action marking 30 years of continuous resistance to nuclear weapons at Faslane. Thirty people have been arrested in the campaign which began on 9 June. Nine people were arrested today.

It is not yet clear what the other eight will be charged with but a breach of SOCPA charge is likely in addition to breaching military by-laws. Angus Chalmers of the Fasland Peace Camp said “This land has been fenced and designated as a SOCPA area in order to make possible the serious crime of deploying Trident.” Margaret Bremner of the Trident Ploughshares Gareloch Horticulturalists affinity group added “We cross this line today to demonstrate that this land, this earth, does not belong to a state which is using it to threaten the destruction of the earth and all its peoples. We enter this gate in order to reclaim land for life not death.”

Each of those trespassing were carrying letters explaining the international illegality of nuclear weapons to present to workers inside the base. In 1996, the International Court of Justice wrote the advisory opinion that not only would the use of nuclear weapons be illegal but the very threat of use through deployment, maintenance and upgrade of nuclear weapons systems is in contravention to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Under the terms of the NPT which entered into force over forty years ago, the UK government is obligated to bring nuclear disarmament to completion. Instead the UK government has continued to maintain and is now upgrading its nuclear weapons system. The recent news that the MoD has awarded lucrative contracts to arms companies for the initial stages of a Trident replacement programme furthers this ongoing mockery of our international legal obligations.

As long as our government continues to fail in it’s obligation to make serious moves toward complete nuclear disarmament, members of Trident Plougshares and Faslane Peace Camp are committed to non-violent direct action to disrupt the deployment of these illegal and immoral weapons.

Further demonstrations are planned for the remainder of the thirty days of action which will finish on July 9th. Amongst other actions, there will be an academic seminar blockade on Friday and a Rebel Clown Army insurgence on Saturday. For more information on the 30Days Action Campaign contact the camp via faslane30@gmail.com.

Faslane Peace Camp: 01436 820901 or 07511793227
Trident Ploughshares: Brian Larkin 07768 312676

For More information on
Trident Ploughshares see: www.tridentploughshares.org.uk
Faslane Peace Camp and 30 Days of Action see: http://faslanepeacecamp.wordpress.com/

Earth First! Summer Gathering Update – programme, directions, website and more

It’s only weeks until the Earth First! Summer Gathering begins.
Five days of workshops, info sharing and learning new skills, 1-5 August.

The Earth First Summer Gathering takes place each year to provide a space in which the radical ecology movement can share skills and plan for future campaigns and actions.

Discussions around the importance of community building in inner cities, the state of the anarchist movement and patriarchy in activism.

Skill shares including women's self-defence, researching corporations and navigation.

Campaign round ups from Frack Off! Smash Edo and Luddites 2000 amongst others.

If you have workshops you like to run or discussions you'd like to facilitate then email us at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

Full programme.

Camping is on a sliding scale of £30 to £15, pay what is genuinely appropriate.

Food will be from Anarchist Teapot and meal tickets will be £5 a day.

Kids can have separate meals if they want for £3 a day.

There will be a couple of kids spaces, and special workshops being ran for kids. If you’d like to run any kids workshops get in touch at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net.

If you want you dog to come along then you’re going to have to email us at earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

And of course there will be entertainment and a bar open in the evenings.

The camp is ½ mile from the Berrington village, and 1 mile from the larger village of Cross Houses.

We encourage non-cycling campers to use public transport if possible as Cross Houses is on a bus route.

BY TRAIN
The nearest train station is Shrewsbury. You can then get the bus to Cross Houses (see below). If coming from a long distance it can sometimes be cheaper to get a ticket to a large station such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Manchester or Crewe and then a separate ticket on to Shrewsbury. Check national rail for train times and prices. If coming from the London direction, it’s generally cheaper to buy a Super Offpeak Return, specifying “London Midland & Arriva only”.

BY BIKE
See here for directions and a map to the camp from Shrewsbury for cyclists and drivers.

BY BUS
When you arrive at Shrewsbury train station, ask someone to point you to the bus station. It’s only a few minutes walk from the train station. The bus service that runs from town to within a mile of Crabapple is the 436 towards Bridgnorth. It runs every hour from 7.40am to 5.40pm with a “late” one at 7.40pm. The journey to Cross Houses is approx 15 mins. You will need to press the stop button when you see the sign for Cross Houses. Some of the services on this route are low-floor accessible buses. Please note that the last bus leaves Shrewsbury at 7.40pm, Monday to Saturday and there are no Sunday bus services. For the bus timetable see here http://shropshire.gov.uk/bustimes/timetable.jsc?timetable=436mfi0412.
The camp itself is about 1 mile from the bus stop. From the bus stop at Cross Houses, walk back towards Shrewsbury past the petrol station (on your right) and take the first left turn signed “Berrington”. After about ½ mile, the road forks at the edge of the village. Take the right turn signposted “Betton Abbots” and we’re about ¼ mile up the road on the right.
If you intend to come by bus but need help getting to and from the bus stop, you can arrange a pick up with us: details will be available nearer the time.

BY TAXI
There is also a taxi rank just outside Shrewsbury train station. Accessible taxis can be got from here.- but it is MUCH cheaper to book a cab from a local company – Comet Cabs 01743 344444, or Vincent Cabs 01743 367777. Vincents also have a booking office just across the road from the station, which is handy if you don’t have a phone to book a cab in advance.

USEFUL LINKS
See here directions and a map to the camp from Shrewsbury for cyclists and drivers.
See a map of where the site is here
See the bus timetable
Directions from places other than Shrewsbury

Earth First! Summer Gathering Collective
earthfirstsummergathering@riseup.net

http://earthfirstgathering.weebly.com

Carry On Craneing: Nuclear Disarmament Banner Drop!

9.6.2012

In a public display to commence our 30 Days of Direct Action Campaign, three Faslane Peace Campers are currently dropping banners from the Clydebank landmark gantry crane in Glasgow. "Nuclear Disarmament. If Not Now, When?"!
Planning to make a day of it, they have taken a lovely packed lunch and some literature. However, quite a few police vans were on scene almost immediately and are making efforts to remove them.

This is the first of many anti-nuclear actions planned to mark the 30th anniversary of the Camp. In this run up to a Scottish Independence Referendum coupled with the Westminster vote on Trident replacement in waiting, we have a very real chance to affect the shape of the future UK nuclear defence policies. Scotland could hold the key to UK nuclear disarmament.

Now is the time for a renewed anti-nuclear insurgency. Come to the camp and join in our 30 Days of Direct Action.

faslane30@riseup.net

FASLANE 30 DAYS OF ACTION: UPDATE AND FINAL CALL OUT

As of June 12th this year, the Peace Camp will have been in existence for 30 years. Whilst it is great that there has been such dedication from thousands over the years, the radioactive beast still hasn't been chased from it's lair! A 30 Day campaign of anti-nuclear insubordination, from June 9th to July 9th, has thus been planned.

You can find details of some of the public events listed chronologically below, but for the most part, there will be artful insurgency throughout of a nature we would prefer not to disclose to “the powers that be”… Energies and custodial time willing, we hope to take non-violent direct action at least once a day! And not just at Faslane, oh no!

So do come along whenever you can and you will find actions waiting to happen via autonomous, inclusive, consensus based planning and participation. Everyone is welcome (except for undercover police officers… We have trained a dog to sniff you out. You have been warned.) Fun, frolics, vegan feasts and brushes with the law are all guaranteed!

With a vote on Scottish Independence and Trident replacement in waiting this is the time for a renewed campaign of resistance!

There are scenic camping spots and vegan food will be provided for all meals (donations for which will be gratefully received from those who can afford it). Caravans will be allocated on a needs basis first so do let us know in advance. We can answer questions and queries by email or phone us on 01436 820901 or 07511793227.

Please proliferate this in any way that you can.
We love you and need your help to be very naughty throughout our 30 Day campaign,
Faslane Peace Camp

P.S. THIS IS NOT A PARTY. The sole intention of this campaign is to resurrect an anti nuclear campaign at Faslane that has long been waning at a time when it is most essential in connection to the Scottish Independence debate, Trident replacement and a potential for actual nuclear decommissioning in the UK. Repeat, THIS IS NOT A PARTY. Do come if you wish to be part of a big team of loveliness, direct action and action support. Do not come if you just want a party.

EVENTS THAT WE CAN ANNOUNCE:

PEACE PICNIC JUNE 17TH: Helensburgh CND would like to invite all local groups to a peace picnic at Faslane North Gate on Sunday June 17th from noon to 4pm. Jeely Peace cafe from Stirling CND will provide catering. Please bring banners, musical instruments and your friends. The Peace Camp will be pleased to welcome you before or after the picnic, or any time, ever.

PEACE MARCH FROM GLASGOW TO FASLANE 21ST-23RD JUNE: A group of enthusiastic walkers and concerned citizens will meet at George Square, Glasgow at midday on Thurs 21 June to walk to Faslane in the name of peace and no nukes! They will be stopping to camp en route overnight. The pace will be relaxed. Everyone is welcome, bring banners and practical shoes!

RISE UP SINGING 1ST AND 2ND JULY: *Come and sing Trident out of Faslane and out of Scotland! *To re-invigorate the diverse creativity of Faslane 365 and to keep the issue of nuclear weapons firmly in the public eye and on the political agenda, Rise Up Singing (a Trident Ploughshares affinity group) has organised a two-day gathering to celebrate the 30th birthday of Faslane Peace Camp. Everyone welcome! No singing experience necessary. Bring a song to share, a banner and some cake, and we'll provide the tea.

ACADEMIC SEMINAR ROADBLOCK 6TH JULY:
On Friday July 6th academics and activists from all over the world will participate in a seminar blockade as part of Faslane 30. The trans-disciplinary seminar blockade follows similar actions at Faslane in 2005 and at COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009 and is part of an emerging tradition of putting social theory into personal practice. The theme of the seminar is ‘security’ and participants are invited to reflect on the complex issue of nuclear weapons from a range of perspectives -governance, securitisation and discourses of ‘terror’, ethics, as well environmental and social justice. Leaving morality aside for just one moment, we ask how is spending on nuclear weapons justified strategically, economically and socially in an era when the nature of conflict is so changed, when much of the world is in economic meltdown and so many people are suffering from policies of austerity? The seminar blockade will be peaceful but will insist on claiming the public space for democratic debate on what security means both geopolitically and in people’s everyday lives. Contributions will engage with broader themes of politics, democracy, governmentality, conflict resolution, citizenship, global
relations and anti-war. The seminar will involve creative public and participatory scholarship, using a variety of media and forms: paper presentations are envisaged – though PowerPoint is logistically unfeasible! – alongside workshops for small group debate, experience sharing and other kinds of learning. In particular, we hope that peace campaigners at the camp will be centrally involved in the seminar. The timing and exact locations of seminar events will necessarily be determined on the day, but participants are invited to gather at the Peace Camp between 8 and 9.30 am.

CIRCA 7TH JULY:
The Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army (CIRCA) will NOT be marching on Faslane nuclear submarine lair on Saturday 7th of July, oh no. Even though the Trident missiles at Faslane Naval Base could kill all the Clowns on the planet –and all the clowns too! – we won’t be there. Even though the Trident missiles at Faslane are going to be replaced at an astronomic cost when all Clowns are feeling the pinch, we will not be roused to action. Even though none of our Clown comrades and friends in Scotland want Trident or its replacement, CIRCA aren’t for turning (up). Most of all, even though Rebel Clowns would defend everyone for just the price of a rubber dingy and load of custard pies, even though Trident replacement will take our Army jobs away, we will NOT be part of Faslane 30. Academics say that CIRCA has died a death in Britain, and they are right. They must be right because they are academics and academics know everything about elites, exploitation, militarisation… (Funny how nothing changes, then, eh?) However. A new Army of Rebel Clowns from all over Britain is trained and ready to join our international comrades and peace camp friends to PARTY on the 30th anniversary of resisting nuclear nonsense at Faslane. If Trident makes us redundant and academics pronounce us dead, we will come to the party as the unemployable undead, as gummy vampires, vegan zombies and mangy werewolves. CIRCA will NOT be marching on Faslane, but a ghost army of Rebels Clowns – seasoned corpses and the freshly (sic) deceased (diseased?) might, just might, be there! Come on, do the Resurrection-Insurrection Shuffle!

… And the rest is top secret!