It is now almost four years since the life in our village changed. A farmer who owns 5000 acres in this area decided, in the way of farmers, to maximise his profits. There was a stretch of land between four villages. Although there was public footpath there, it was not designated as a site of… Continue reading In a battle between big business and a village, back the village
Read moreIt was a long and often rough road which led to a special meeting of the South Norfolk Planning Committee on Wednesday 8th December to decide whether three wind turbines should be erected on the land between the villages of Dickleburgh, Rushall, Pulham St Mary and Pulham Market. Three and a half years ago, an… Continue reading Renewable hope: 10 lessons after a planning committee considers wind turbines
Read moreIt seems only minutes ago that it was a good and progressive thing to be local and active. Suddenly the wind has changed. A report on the energy industry, to be published next week, will reveal that the number of onshore wind farms to be granted planning permission dropped by a half in the 12… Continue reading At last, the wind of change is blowing in favour of local power
Read moreHas there ever in modern history been a sillier, yet also brutally effective, term of abuse than “nimby”? It is a word which might have been formulated by a brilliant but cynical advertising copywriter or perhaps one of the more cunning spin-doctors lurking evilly in the corridors of Whitehall. It squashes any debate around planning… Continue reading “NIMBY”: a byword for lazy-minded prejudice
Read moreThe phrase “community consultation” has a warm and friendly feel to it. Politicians of all parties agree that local communities represent all that is good, noble and unsung about modern Britain. As for consultation, it is of course an essential part of a caring, 21st century democracy. But not always. Having just been on the… Continue reading How to put the ‘con’ into consultation: a five-point lesson from a wind energy firm (and its PR agency)
Read moreAn odd, apparently light-hearted conversation from the weekend has been bothering me. At a dinner, a bright, opinionated woman from London, on a weekend in the country, had been amused to see roadside signs objecting to a wind turbine development outside the village. What was wrong with these people? She wondered. She put up with… Continue reading The cheerful prejudice of the town-dweller
Read moreThere are, it seems, two categories of lying in public life. There is the personal, self-serving lie, designed to advance a career, cover up a scandal, to make some extra cash from a sloppily structured expenses system. Then there is the institutionalised lie – a wilful distortion or suppression of any evidence which is likely… Continue reading Governed by the ill wind of deception
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