3rd September – Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency which has become famous for starving grass-roots community intiatives of funds whilst giving millions to big business, held an outrageous “Flood Summit” at Finninley airport today. Local people visited with pop-up tents and banners, including one which read “flying costs the earth”. The intention was to leaflet the conference’s participants and hold alternative workshops highlighting the link between aviation growth and worsening climate change.
The conference was intended as a blatant pat on the back for Yorkshire Forward’s response to the recent floods. The choice of venue, Finningley “Robin Hood” airport near Doncaster, show just how out of touch with reality these half-wits are. Finningley is already a major contributor to climate change, and also the recipient of over £5 million of Yorkshire Forward money for a new “Air Academy”. Their support for this criminal organisation is likely to get much bigger – they want to put around £20 million into a new access road!
The stated aim of the summit was billed as a chance “for Yorkshire Forward to learn lessons from the floods” and it was attended by prominent climate criminals including John Hutton, Secretary of State for Business and Steven Timms, Minister for Competitiveness. The campers message was clear; these blinkered morons are badly missing the point – concentrating solely on emergency responses, rather than on the policy changes needed to prevent climate change, is already having devastating effects on Yorkshire!
The lessons from the Yorkshire flooding are clear – emissions from aviation must be included in the climate bill and tax breaks and public subsidies given to the criminal airport industry must cease.
The police, as usual, showed that they are enthusiastic supporters of climate crime, and there were three arrests – two for leafleting and one for breaking bail conditions that only apply to Heathrow! Maybe to a constable, all airports look the same?
legal update – The two people arrested for leafleting have yet to be charged, but have been released on bail. The police’s decision to arrest people for aggravated trespass when their only “crime” was quietly leafleting the participants of a meeting is clear evidence that they are happy to act as the political enforcers for the rich and powerful as they fly us all to oblivion in the name of profit. The person arrested for breaching bail conditions was released without charge when a plod with a brain was finally found and the actual conditions looked at rather than guessed at.
Despite loss of liberty, the action was well worth it, taking up much of the publicity for the event with the truth about climate change, rather than the planned establishment lies.
As the final act of political repression, the participants were told, on camera, by a police inspector, that if they ever crossed a particular roundabout again they would be arrested for aggravated trespass!
The police state is here.