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THE SHEER FOLLY OF WIND FARMS

From

David Bellamy , one of our leading conservationists, a blistering attack...

WHENEVER I've been sailing, I've found the wind pretty unpredictable. A ruddy big storm ONE MINUTE, and then, as soon as you've got the hang of it, the sails flap, the wind's gone and the boat doesn't move for HOURS.

I know you're probably not interested in my nautical adventures - even though it's been said I bear an uncanny likeness to Captain Birdseye - but the MINISTERS who've just approved the world's biggest WIND FARM in the Thames Estuary should BE.

Because in their rush to blanket our wonderful countryside and now the seascape, with thousands of these infernal turbines - many higher than St Paul's Cathedral - they seemed to have overlooked the simple fact that the wind does not blow every minute of the day.

Yes, it might sometimes feel like it when you've out there in your boat in the Thames Estuary -where a consortium including the likes of SHELL are now almost certain to build 341 turbines over 90 square miles of sea, a site as big as 23,000 football pitches.

Damaging

But the reality is, these socking great turbines 12 miles of Kent and Essex, between Margate and Clacton will spend most of their life idle

Standing 600 feet tall and with vast 'wingspans to catch whatever breeze there might be, they'll work for

Only 30 per cent of the time at best

-because the wind won't be blowing all the time.

NOW that would not be a problem if we could store all the electricity produced when it's really stormy to be used in the lean times when the sea is CALM. But there is no plan to do that, and anyway it would be prohibitively expensive..

So this vast WIND FARM, this wonderful GREEN solution to our ENERGY SUPPLY that MINISTERS have set their hearts on, will have to back-up conventional power for the times when NOTHING BLOWS OUT AT SEA.

If it doesn't, the lights, kettles TVs -and everything else in the million or so homes the Consortium claims the turbines will power- will be switched off when the wind dies down.

You might think that , as a life-long conservationist, I would be in favour of

WIND -TURBINES

AND EVEN though they are BIG-UGLY and HUGELY damaging to WILDLIFE, you'd be RIGHT -

IF THEY DID WHAT THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO DO.

BUT since they DON'T -

and since they need conventional power as a back-up anyway -

they aren't in any way helping to conserve OUR ENVIRONMENT

QUITE THE REVERSE.

If the Government has its way, the

MOST BEAUTIFUL AND WILD LANDSCAPES IN THE UPLANDS Of BRITAIN WILL CONTINUE TO BE DESECRATED BY THESE MONSTROSITIES.

As a Dutch electrical engineer with vast experience of WIND-FARMS said recently:

'It seems strange that promoters of WIND energy never mention the significant disadvantage of WIND energy:

NAMELY, its complete UNRELIABILITY.

'One might justifiably suspect that a hidden personal or political agenda Is at play here.'

HE IS RIGHT

There is a political agenda. In the Queen's Speech last month, Britain's first BILL to combat GLOBAL WARMING made it a legal requirement for future Governments to slash green house gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050.

To help achieve this , an Energy White Paper will be published in March to boost renewable technology, such as WIND and TIDAL POWER.

So enthralled is our GOVERNMENT by WIND TURBINES that it has made sure they are subsidised to the tune of hundreds of millions of pounds, while all the time pretending that ELECTRICITY produced by these new SATANIC MILLS is not only the answer to all our environmental ills BUT also CHEAP.

This 'GREEN' subsidy comes in the very complicated form of

'Renewable Obligation Certificates or ROC's [Right off centre?]

The Electricity Industry has to supply a certain percentage from renewable sources. If they FAIL to reach their TARGET -which is currently about five per cent but growing -they are FINED by the ENERGY WATCHDOG -OFGEN.

Soaring

For every megawatt hour of energy produced from a renewable source, the Industry receives a ROC from Ofgen as an incentive.

These ROCs are then bought on the open market -

along with the electricity itself -

by the distribution companies for approximately £45 per megawatt hour.The effect is to double the wholesale price of electricity, which these distribution companies send on to our homes.

AND WHO IS PAYING FOR ALL THIS?

YOU and ME, in our soaring electricity bills.

It is a stealth tax no one is talking about because ,so far the GOVERNMENT -has managed to KEEP IT QUIET

Experts I know in this field have worked out that the Thames Estuary project will receive approximately

£153,000,000 per year

-in ROC subsidy.

According to the Commons Public Account Committee, the total cost of subsidies paid to renewable suppliers could reach

£5,000,000,000 by 2010

By any standards, that is a vast amount of money.

[Compare it to Tony's illegal war in Iraq which has already cost well over this figure and the recent comment from Washington that the American taxpayer is paying £2billion a week and this will escalate if Bush intends to increase the total number of soldiers to endeavour to gain temporary control before they pull out.]

LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR

I AM ALL FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY

I can get very passionate about generating the energy of tomorrow. My own personal favourites are TIDAL POWER and concentrated SOLAR POWER -with vast FARMS of MIRRORS in the hot deserts of North Africa and Arabia could produce huge amounts of ELECTRICITY that could be sent to EUROPE

EASILY and CHEAPLY.

It is vital that we improve energy conservation, too. Why isn't the Government putting more money into subsidising loft insulation or energy-saving lightbulbs?

Inefficient

Think of it this way: given the current of WIND-FARMS, just two LONG-LIFE bulbs used in every one of the 25million households in the UK would save as much energy as ALL the TURBINES in this country are NOW PRODUCING.

It would be far more sensible for the Government to buy 50 million long-life light bulbs and hand them out across Britain than to throw all this money at WIND-FARMS.

Windfarm supporters are abound with tales of how much carbon dioxide emissions they cut.

BUT

Because wind speeds in this country are so variable because the TURBINES themselves are so inefficient: and because fossil or nuclear-led back-up will be necessary, the savings in carbon dioxide emissions are nothing like they're cracked up TO BE.

Indeed, the Government's own figures show that even if they meet their target, global carbon dioxide levels would fall by an amount so insignificant as to be barely measurable, let alone having any impact on climate change.

WE NEED to be told whether the Industry is economically viable without the subsidies it receives.

WE NEED to be told whether the manufacture of a TURBINE FARM -

up to the point when the blades start spinning -

actually creates more carbon than it saves

BECAUSE WITHOUT ALL THAT VITAL INFORMATION, WE'RE SAILING AGAINST THE WIND.

* * *

[Font changed -Bolding & Underlining used-comments in brackets]

DECEMBER/06

THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN-IS THE EU COMMISSION LISTENING?

*

Ditch the EU TREATY after IRISH REJECTION

SAY VOTERS

by

Daniel Martin

Political Reporter

[Daily Mail-Wednesday, June 18,2008]

MORE THAN HALF of voters believe Britain should drop the controversial European Treaty in the wake of its rejection in last week's

IRISH REFERENDUM'

The poll comes as the Tories launch a last-ditch bid in the

HOUSE of LORDS

today to delay the

RATIFICATION OF THE TREATY.

And

10,000 people

have signed a

PETITION

on the

DOWNING STREET- WEBSITE

within the past few days

JUNE16-2008

, calling on the

GOVERNMENT

NOT TO RATIFY THE BILL

[WHY DON'T YOU?]

Downing Street website is

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Abandon-Lisbon/

*

JUNE 18-2008

Q&A: The Lisbon Treaty-2008

Leaders of the European Union's 27 member states meet in Portugal this week to sign what will now become known as the Lisbon Treaty.

*

The abolition of Britain
by The Reform Treaty
- Second Reading-Passed by majority of 138

*

Veteran parliamentarian TONY BENN speaks of the absolute necessity of a

REFERENDUM

HEAR HIM ON

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=o0I-ZdvQz1o

13th October,2007

So You Want Out Of The EU

THEN WHY NOT SIGN THE

RENUNCIATION of EU CITIZENSHIP

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Optout

Details from petition creator

With the signing of the Maastricht Treaty the people of Britain were given

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

-both

EUROPEAN and BRITISH

The extra tier of citizenship was thrust upon the people without their consent -and in many cases knowledge.

The PEOPLE of GREAT BRITAIN should be allowed the option of opting out of the EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP if they so wish. The GOVERNMENT will then be able to provide those who have opted out with

BRITISH DOCUMENTATION

-only such as British (not EU) passports, driving licences and other national documents.

EU laws will also NOT APPLY to those who

HAVE OPTED OUT OF EUROPEAN CITIZENSHIP

[PETITION OPEN UNTIL OCTOBER 08]

Let the people speak!

www.makeitanissue.org.uk

www.noliberties.com

[Latest Addition - June07]

www.eutruth.org.uk

www.thewestminsternews.co.uk

www.speakout.co.uk

Daniel Hannan - Forming an OPPOSITION to the EU

www.telegraph.co.uk.blogs

GORDON BROWN WANTS TRUST-BUT WHY WON'T HE TRUST YOU?

HELL ON EARTH IN IRAQ