UK Newswire Archive
Cumbria County Council: "Dump the Nuke Dump"
03-09-2012 14:55
This wednesday 5th Sept, Cumbria County Council will be asked to "slam the door shut" on the nuke dump plans for Cumbria. Radiation Free Lakeland and others will be speaking at the last Council meeting before the decsion is made to continue on the toxic slide to a nuclear sacrifice zone. The proposals are for the worlds largest nuclear dump under wild Ennerdale or towns and villages in Allerdale.
17 years ago Cumbria County Council strongly and successfully opposed the government plan to use Cumbria as a purpose built geological dumping ground for intermediate level nuclear wastes. In 2008, in a U turn, prompted by the promise of meaningless compensation, the Council has abandoned its protective stance and stepped along the government path towards a geological dumping ground under Cumbria. This time the plan includes high-level nuclear wastes, is much bigger and much more dangerous.
South Lakeland District Council and well over 75% of Parish and Town Councils agree with Cumbria County Council’s original stance which was to protect this land and this people.
From Hawkshead‘s “zero tolerance” to Beckermet’s “no further” the County Council's first duty of care is to its Parishes, NOT to the government agenda for dispersal of nuclear wastes into the environment. No amount of ‘compensation’ will protect Cumbria.
County Councillors have already been denied a free vote. The much publicised “expression of interest” was taken on 9th Dec 2008 by less than a handful of people in the Cabinet (all Labour, the Cons and Lib Dems refused to take their seats in the new Cabinet). That handful of people trustingly said “ we have a duty and obligation to be involved in the process”.
The ironically named Managing Radioactive Waste Safely process has one destination and in 17 years, 2029, the government plan unopposed will come to awful fruition and there will be huge hole, deeper than Scafell is high, bigger than the City of Carlisle, ripped into the heart of Cumbria. There will be increasingly dangerous above ground nuclear sprawl and Cumbria’s wonderfully diverse and faulted geology will be replaced with ever increasing quantities of nuclear waste, the kind of stuff that nightmares are made of.
The only protection from this is to slam the door shut and firmly oppose as the Council did in 1995/6 when the plan did not include high level waste and was much smaller.
In a kind of Gordon Gekko “Science never Sleeps, Safety is for Wimps” attitude the UK government are pressing for geological dumping of high level and other nuclear wastes under Cumbria. Nowhere in the world has done this. The Science Council of the most technologically advanced nation on earth, Japan is saying that geological disposal plans should be scrapped and that waste should be kept at or near ground level for centuries if need be. The Americans have abandoned the plan for deep burial at Yucca Mountain following the State of Nevada’s opposition:
“I am proud that after over two decades of fighting the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump, the project is finally being terminated. The proposal to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain threatened the health and safety of Nevadans and people across our nation. Yucca Mountain, which is 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is simply not a safe or secure site to store nuclear waste for any period of time.” United States Senator for Nevada Harry Reid.
The plan for Cumbria is to increase the high level nuclear waste footprint from a small portion of the existing 6km Sellafield site to one or more geological dumps, in an as yet unspecified place, a staggering 25km square and 1000m deep.
The MRWS geologist Dr Jeremy Dearlove has said that potential sites in Cumbria are the Mercia Mudstone Group (MMG) in the Allerdale area or Eskdale and Ennerdale Granites.
While the Allerdale Mercia Mudstone is populated with towns and villages, much of the land in Ennerdale is government owned. The Lake District National Park, so far, are going along with the burial of high level nuclear wastes under the Lake District as long as the above ground nuclear sprawl is not seen from the National Park. Of the above ground facilities the Environment Agency (whose role is merely to regulate rather than question government legislation) says:
“The facility is designed to be able to store one week’s worth of packages above ground if for whatever reason the Geological Disposal Facility became unavailable. However, the public and worker doses that may be obtained from a prolonged shutdown have not been calculated. Assessed public doses were based on the assumption that the worst case will be 12 wagons in the siding during transit. The trailer park also has a capacity for up to 26 trailers. The assessment assumes these will not contribute significantly to public doses because they are transitory. We can envisage a scenario where this may not be the case, during a prolonged shutdown of the underground facilities, and we think that the Radioactive Waste Management Directorate should consider the potential public and worker dose from these.”
Radiation Free Lakeland ask all members of the County Council: “Will you protect Cumbria and slam the door shut on the government plan to turn Cumbria into the worlds largest nuclear dump ….Will you protect Cumbria and put forward a motion here today to withdraw from the government’s MRWS process?
References:
Cumbria County Council Opposition to Intermediate Level Nuclear Waste Dump 1995/6 http://www.jpb.co.uk/nirexinquiry/nirex.htm
Hawkshead “zero tolerance” to nuclear dump http://www.hawkshead-village.co.uk/docs/parish_council/PC-M-12-07.pdf
“Parishes Roar” No http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/home/parishes-roar-that-s-what-consultation-is-all-about-1.943535?referrerPath=home/2.2837
Science Council of Japan advises scrapping geological disposal plans
Yucca Mountain- State of Nevada http://www.reid.senate.gov/issues/yucca.cfm
Eskdale/Ennerdale Granite – correspondence between MRWS and Professor Stuart Haszeldine on MRWS 285 geology: FWS Consultants 18 June 2012
Forest Commission Ennerdale http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/wildwoods.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandCumbriaNoForestEnnerdale
Environment Agency Report 2011 Regulatory review of the generic disposal system safety casehttp://publications.environment-agency.gov.uk/PDF/GENW1211BVDX-E-E.pdf
Pangea – largely sponsored by the British Government in search for a high level nuclear waste geological disposal in Australia following the Nirex refusal.
There are no purpose built operational high level waste geological dumps like the one proposed for Cumbria – this is an experiment. http://australianmap.net/pangea-former-proposed-high-level-nuclear-waste-dump<!--EndFragment-->
Happening Now! Brighton squat eviction standoff
03-09-2012 14:16
Sussex Police face resistance to new powersNSN: Phone blockade of the Lowell Group
03-09-2012 12:55
Following our campaign to request that the Lowell Group reconsider their claim against James Coll, the company is still insisting that Mr Coll pay the debt and has passed his file on to its legal arm, Hampton’s Legal. The Lowell Group are persisting in their threats against a member of our community who has always claimed he had no knowledge of the original contract. We think Mr Coll should be allowed to focus on his energies on the cancer treatment he has been undergoing for the past three years instead. We request that you take part in a phone blockade against the company in an effort to show the strength of our feelings.
Please call the Lowell Group on Monday 10th September between 10am and 2pm. You can contact them on 0113 308 6000, 0113 308 6035 or 0113 308 6345 and ask them to stop pursuing James Coll’s debt. The relevant account number is 94884193. We ask that callers are polite at all times. Remember, entering 141 before the number will conceal your number if you wish to remain anonymous.
The Lowell Group are no strangers to controversy having been the subject of a Watchdog investigation into their pursuit of fictional debts in the past. The Struggle Against Financial Exploitation website also has some interesting information about some of the unscrupulous methods employed by the company.
We will not be intimidated!
The following is information that you might find useful to talk about during your call to the Lowell Group:
A few months ago Nottingham Solidarity Network were contacted by James Coll. He informed us that he had been receiving demand letters from the Lowell Group, a debt recovery company based in Leeds. They had bought a debt from Shop Direct and were now intent on collecting the money from Mr Coll. The account had not been opened up or used by Mr Coll, he had not signed for anything, and was both unwilling and unable to pay the debt. The Lowell Group are now threatening litigation in order to collect the debt.
Mr Coll’s account number is 94884193. This is a debt purchased from Marshall Ward and their company Shop Direct. Mr Coll is being threatened with litigation due to an outstanding balance of £1541.27. He has been in touch with Lowell via Aid Uk, who informed them that the original Shop Direct account was not opened up by Mr Coll, but a third party. Lowell know of this third party, and they have been in contact with them, but as they were unable to work out a payment plan they have continued to direct their focus on Mr Coll.
The account was not opened with his blessing nor knowledge. He did not sign for the account nor knew about it until the letters that Lowell have sent to him. Furthermore, Mr Coll does not have the means nor the inclination to pay for a debt built by a third party, and believes that Lowell are unfairly targeting him at a time in his life where he needs to be focusing all his energies on his recovery.
We believe that Lowell would be gravely mistaken in pursuing further action against a man who is seriously ill and who had nothing to do with the account to begin with. We are members of Mr.Coll’s community, and will be supporting him throughout this process.
Nottingham Solidarity Network
nsn AT riseup.net
07423631681
EDL Surrender!
03-09-2012 08:50
EDL were totally humiliated at Walthamstow on Saturday. Read all abaht it!Double Demonstration against dogs4us
02-09-2012 23:34
We will once again do double demonstrations at LEEDS store and MANCHESTER store
Join with us and make this day special for the animals
EDL Nazi Shirt In Walthamstow
02-09-2012 23:01
Demotix article on Squatters evict government
02-09-2012 22:32
http://www.demotix.com/news/1420872/squatters-evict-government#slide-1
East Mids Anti-Fascists: August report
02-09-2012 16:55
It's been a month marked by a huge amount of infighting in the far right with BNP vs English Democrats, EDL vs Casuals United and "Zionists" vs Nazis. The far right scented blood after locals protested the decision to lease a building to a Muslim group in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester and even Nick Griffin was seen waddling about trying to get some action. More EDL supporters got banged up for being racists and blamed their drink problems. And the BNP pretended to be lovers of fluffy animals whilst guzzling sausage when a halal slaughterhouse started business in Skegness.
The month started with the news that Rob Walker, BNP activist from Wellingborough and author of the Northants Patriot, had defected to the English Democrats.
We analysed the nonsense spouted by Nottingham EDL member and Casuals United's favoured man to take Tommy's job, Tony Curtis. Unsurprisingly, we found he'd been talking bullshit.
The English Democrats stood Boston buffoon, Elliott Fountain, who is a big fan of Enoch Powell, as a candidate in the Lincoln East by election. He only got 24 votes.
We had a good laugh at Derbyshire BNP organiser, Paul Hilliard's new pet project, a Facebook group called 'Nationalists must unite as one to achieve victory'. It has featured blazing rows and recrimination between different factions and old-fashioned Jew-hating Nazism.
The far right wet their pants with excitement when locals in Thurnby Lodge, Leicester, protested about the decision to lease an abandoned Scout hut to a Muslim group. The BNP even went as far as bussing Griffin in to attend the protests which also attracted the EDL and Leicester Casuals United. There was a very amusing post on the Casuals' website calling the EDL a "f*cking disgrace" and "if it kicked off [Leicester EDL] would get f*cking slaughtered." Despite their efforts, these "outside groups" were told they were not welcome. Leicestershire BNP are still moaning about how it's all a conspiracy.
The English Democrats' decision to employ hated former BNP PR man, Jim Dowson, to mail BNP members asking them to join the EDs backfired spectacularly, setting off another round of nationalist infighting in Northants. As one disgruntled BNPer put it "There seems to be some kind of ingrained culture of plotting and back stabbing in the nationalist movement".
Ashley Pegg of Chaddesden, Derby, admitted committing affray and racially aggravated assault against a Muslim taxi driver after chanting "We are the EDL" in the back of the cab and blamed alcohol in mitigation.
Leicester EDL tried to whip up hysteria before their ill-fated day out to Walthamstow by likening a swimming session aimed at Muslims to apartheid South Africa. Their followers thought that the best way to respond would be to "put a dead pig on a lilo and float it in the middle of the pool". They were sent to bed without any dinner.
Two men who subjected an Asian family to racist abuse and threatened them with a knife after saying they were EDL, were jailed. Kelvin Barratt and Stefan Davis of Bulwell, Nottingham, blamed alcohol for their behaviour.
The BNP have indicated they will be attempting to hijack a campaign against a halal abattoir in Skegness. Their new found love of animals hasn't stopped them from munching Lincolnshire sausage however, and we reckon they might be more interested in slagging off Muslims than liberating animals.
Finally, we enjoyed a good gloat about the decimation of the local BNP by poor leadership, endless splits and plenty of pressure from people who hate fascists. Leicester, Nottingham and Derby were among the areas with the most BNP members in the country in 2008 and NG16 in Broxtowe was the postcode with the most fascists. Now, Broxtowe and Ashfield branches are defunct, the party has slumped in Amber Valley and the Nottingham organiser has given up. Long may the disintegration continue!
Blowback II
02-09-2012 15:44
If 9/11 was blowback what's to stop it happening again? Has the US changed its policies / behaviour as a result of 9/11?Increased Risk of Exploitation of the English Counrtyside
02-09-2012 13:24
The 7th Press Release from the Loose Anti Opencast Network explains why a Planning Inspectors decision on an Opencast Site Planning Application in a remote part of England has implications for all mineral planning applications across the country and not just those 5 pending for opencast coal.Police Liaison - the new FIT
02-09-2012 09:52
Photos from evict the govt squatters action
02-09-2012 01:50
Photos of squatters serving eviction notice on government of the millionairesEvict the government squatters action on Downing st and Parliament
01-09-2012 22:39
Squatters and housing activists serve eviction notice on the condemned government of the millionaires for criminalising the homelessFull article | 1 addition | 12 comments
Death Knell for the EDL?
01-09-2012 21:37
Brighton hinted at it, Bristol seemed to continue the pattern but today's misguided outing to the London borough of Walthamstow showed the extent to which the English Defence League is now in a steep downward spiral.Full article + links at
http://www.schnews.org.uk/stories/DEATH-KNELL-FOR-THE-EDL/
Climate Sirens drop banner on Tower Bridge
01-09-2012 20:55
Today Climate Siren activists scaled Tower Bridge to drop a massive banner above the Paralympic symbol which read "Climate Change our Next Challenge". Their blog contains 'an open letter to the world' (see below) where they ask us all to focus on the "changing climate and the threat it poses to our civilisation’s very existence on this beautiful planet" After the drop Tower bridge was evacuated for "safety reasons" the activist arrested and taken to Bishopsgate where their supporters followed.
Dear People of the World,
The 2012 Olympics were a huge inspiration as to how we can come together to overcome challenges and achieve success – at many levels; as participants, as spectators, as competitors, even as a host nation. No doubt the Paralympics will equal or surpass this.
But these Games can be an inspiration for us to confront the biggest challenge our species has ever faced – perhaps will ever face: The changing climate and the threat it poses to our civilisation’s very existence on this beautiful planet.
Climate change is happening now. Don’t be fooled by those whose vested interests ensure that they would have you think otherwise. Or by colder winters. Climate change unfolds unevenly over time and is not uniform across all areas of the globe. Think of the stock market:
“Any competent financial advisor will tell you that the road to secure retirement is paved with market drops. Any competent climate scientist will tell you that our road to a hotter planet will be paved with cold snaps, even record-breakers.” – Prof. Laurence Smith
Even those formerly sceptical come round to the irrefutable evidence eventually, as Prof. Muller has recently shown. We may not understand the physical science of the Earth well enough to accurately predict how the climate will change over long periods, particularly at the regional level, but then we don’t understand meteorology well enough to determine whether it will be raining or not in Chicago next 15th April. Doesn’t mean that it will not be raining in Chicago come 15/04/13!
But our models are getting better. Twenty years ago, scientists had to ‘write-in’ complex, irregular climate variability events such as El Niño/La Niña cycles. Nowadays, they arise spontaneously within our models: a clear indicator that we are getting more and more accurate in our predictions.
Even without the models, the field of paleoclimatology gives us irrefutable and chilling evidence of how rapidly and enormously the global climate can and has changed. Ice cores tell us that around 11,500 years ago, surface temperature in Greenland increased by 8.3°C in a single decade. In the Pliocene, when sea levels were 25 metres higher than they are now, the C02 content of the atmosphere was just 100 parts per million (ppm) more than they are now. Our annual rate of increase is currently about 2.07ppm and rising.
We are already committed to a 0.6°C rise on 1990 levels, simply from the long-term warming effects of what we’ve already put in the atmosphere. Even the IPCC (notorious for underestimating global climate change to achieve scientific consensus) in its most optimistic SRES scenario – known as ‘B1’ – sees us approaching close to a 2°C rise in global temperature by 2100. In this model, northerly latitudes, including the Arctic, would see rises anywhere between 3.5 – 6°C by century’s end. That might not sound like so much until you realise that the temperature difference between a giant ice sheet covering Edinburgh, Berlin, Moscow and New York was only 5°C lower than now, during the last Ice Age.
The biggest challenge is not in physically doing what is necessary – we have the technology and skills to transition to a sustainable society without a huge amount of difficulty. The challenge is in overcoming the doubts and confusion sown by those with vested interests in preventing change. To overcome our fears and take that first step into new territory. It is the challenge of confronting the forces of demography, globalisation and climate change and asking serious questions about the way we organise our economies, societies and local communities, the way we use our Earth’s natural resources, how we distribute them and how we preserve them for future generations.
In truth, our biggest challenge is a moral challenge.
And we face it now.
clisir
Very few EDL show-up in Walthamstow
01-09-2012 19:15
EDL Walthamstow Match Report, part 1Who ferried the EDL into Walthamstow?
01-09-2012 18:29
Sit-down protest by We Are Waltham Forest blocks route of EDL march
01-09-2012 16:57
"Climate Change Our Next Challenge"
01-09-2012 14:57
BNP's Subway fiasco led to bridge disaster in Sunderland
01-09-2012 12:04
As if the story about the BNP's Lie Lorry getting stuck under a bridge in Sunderland wasn't funny enough by itself, an update on the event posted on Indymedia has given us the backstory that led up to the bridge disaster.On August 25th, the BNP announced a national call-out for a demonstration outside the Subway outlet in Pallion, Sunderland. The BNP doesn't give a toss about animal rights usually but has been inspired to appear to care by the English Defence League's aggressive stance against halal slaughter.
The BNP's attempts to appear to be as active as the EDL over halal has nothing to do with any ethical stance because the BNP doesn't have one, but everything to do with its urgent need for new members and its increasing desperation to engage the public's interest.
