Hello all,
This update:
Preparing for the blockade
Camp 1st-3rd Oct
Bus from Bristol
Bristol City Council
& Letter to Chris Huhne
We have just two weeks before the big blockade of Hinkley point power station. It is also a few weeks before Edf are allowed to start to trash the site, they may sit on their hands for a while however with economic and political uncertainty about new nuclear as it is... lets keep up the pressure and stop them for good!
It is time to sit down with your friends and affinity groups and figure out what you are going to wear/play/do on the day, is it street theatre, singing, painting? We have been chatting about knitting a roadblock/woolen reactor sarcophagus/circle of futility/ squares for Fukushima, (you had to be there) if you want to join in bring some wool and needles with you! At least we'll be nice and warm : )
If you plan to be at the weekend camp; Saturday to Monday, please register here:
or you wont know where to go, and we wont know to expect you.
If you want to take the coach from Bristol on Monday morning, (8.30 am, outside @Bristol £10/£6 waged/unwaged) please let us know as soon as possible so we know how many seats we need. Tickets will be on sale at Booty, 82 Colston St, Bristol from the end of next week. The coach will arrive at the blockade around 10am as part of the second wave of blockaders.
We have received a sympathetic response from Bristol city council about the city's evacuation plan. It seems they don't approve of nuclear new build either, however they feel powerless to do anything about it. We think they should become a nuclear free local authority, (NFLA) which would give them the support of a national network and resources to fight on issues like the shipment of nuclear waste through the city. Several councillors approached us and offered to help guide us through the system to get our questions heard and get effective responses. If you are interested in joining a working group to pursue this please contact Ali:
Whats the evacuation plan? has been echoing around the world as different campaigns seek clarification on the responsibilities and preparedness of the nuclear industry for accidents such as Fukushima. See the attached letter to Chris Huhne, energy secretary. Please personalise and send it to him at:
It was originally written by Pete Rowberry of Suffolk.
See you soon
SWAN
Letter to Chris Huhne:
To: Rt Hon Chris Huhne MP,
You will see from the attached link that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in the United States are insisting that estimated for timescales for evacuation of areas around nuclear power stations need to be provided
I live within 6 miles of a nuclear power station, i.e. well within the evacuation zone imposed after Fukushima and significantly closer than the areas polluted by high levels of long lived radioactive caesium following both Chernobyl and Fukushima
(see Wall Street Journal http://www.facebook.com/l/oAQBEAHpnAQCZRtzD1EniJ6ziQ01gInT3IYhjMrj7P2tFbA/online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904332804576540131142824362.html.
If faith in the nuclear industry following Fukushima is to be restored the public need to be reassured that, in the case of a nuclear accident, resilient contingency plans are in place. There is no evidence that such plans for the Sizewell power station in Suffolk have every been tested and there is great doubt whether the proposed evacuation plan is realistic or achievable. There is also doubt about the provision of iodine for young children and uncertainty in the minds of the public about what the evacuation procedures are and where stocks of iodine tablets are held. I believe that the UK should follow the US in insisting that the industry examines these evacuation timescales and commits to achieving them and that these plans should be linked to the provision of iodine, which, after a radiation release can save many young peoples' lives. Does the Department for Energy and Climate Change, who are such strong advocates of nuclear technology, agree that this should be the case and if so how are they going to ensure that the relevant action is taken.
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