Although her novel is now selling for
as little as £3.99 a copy, Mid Bedfordshire’s Tory MP (yes, it’s her again)
Nadine Dorries is clearly not downhearted, despite the indifferent reviews –
those from the Guardian, Staggers and Telegraph, which awarded the book 2, 1 and 1 star ratings
respectively, come
up at the top of a Google search – and has now taken up arms against wind
power.
“Cranfield Residents: Object Now!” proclaims
her not-really-a-blog. For why? “The
plan to install six wind turbines near the villages of Cranfield, Marston,
Brogborough and Lidlington has now been filed and it is vital that residents
object ... I’m convinced that in fifty years time our grandchildren will look
at these turbines and laugh at our foolishness in allowing such monsters of
inefficiency to blight their landscape”.
So that’s a partisan stance and a highly subjective claim
just to kick things off, then. But maybe there is some substance to this
objection? “My objections to the forcing
of wind turbines on communities I represent are legion, but it comes down to
the principle that the benefits gained are dwarfed by the distress caused.
These things cause serious disturbances in their local areas”. They do? How
so?
From Private Eye issue 1364
“Many kinds of
background noise are filtered out by the brain but that is not the case with
turbines. The non-repetitive nature of the noise, due to changes in the
strength of the wind, means that people can’t ‘zone out’ the noise in the same
way. It is constantly present”. Do we get a reliable citation for this
assertion? And how can something that is “non-repetitive”
be “constantly present”?
In fact, there isn’t any citation, because she doesn’t know.
“Studies are ongoing into the potential
dangers this causes to the health of people living nearby, but having a horror
film soundtrack playing in the background of your life is hardly conducive to
relaxation and wellbeing!” and there I was thinking that there was a difference
between a wind turbine spinning in the breeze and the Psycho shower scene.
So what do we do about our energy needs? “I believe the government should be focused
on investing in new nuclear technology, complemented by some renewables such as
solar and off-shore wind”. That would be “putting it somewhere else”, then, which comes from Ms Dorries’ “having stood at the last election on a
manifesto committed to the localism agenda”.
And there I was (again) not realising that localism is
another word for Nimby. Yes, there are wind turbines near where I live. Meh.
Big deal. I’d think more of the fragrant Nadine if she backed this up with some
fact-finding, rather than knee-jerk nimbyism. And the press would pay more
attention, only she just decided to alienate part of it because they wouldn’t
say nice things about her book.
I suspect those wind turbines will be built sooner or later.
Just my opinion.
4 comments:
Dare I say that 1 has already been built in the area at the Forest of Marston Vale?
I think you missed something vitally important here, regardless of her silly nimbyness. With her suggestion of new nuclear capacity, *Nadine Dorries said something vaguely sensible.*
... The 1st April has passed, and I don't see any flying pigs. Has anyone got a weather report for Hell? I fear the apocalypse may be imminent.
Curious as to which of her friends / donors live in the immediate vicinity or own land that will depreciate.
To answer Ma Cushion's query most of the land in the area is owned by the local council. They bought it in the days gone by for the enjoyment of the local people (See James Gleave's mention of the Forest of Marston Vale) Now the plan is to stick turbines all over it.
NIMBYism? Too right and why not.
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