BLACKWOOD WINNABLE, LOCALS SUPPORTING, PLEASE GET DOWN THERE NOW!
blackwood | 17.02.2004 16:21
Blackwood Update 17/2/2004
road alert, 17.02.2004 13:50
WE ARE STILL HERE.
WE ARE CONSOLIDATING THE CAMPS AND PROTECTING MOST OF THE ANCIENT WOODLAND DIRECT ACTION IS WORKING HERE BUT WE NEED HELP NOW.
WORK IS GOING ON ON OTHER PARTS OF SITE- COSTAIN ARE TRASHING TREES WE CANT PROTECT COS OF LACK OF NUMBERS INCREASED NUMBERS OF BAILIFFS/ COSTAIN NOW MAKING IT HARD TO STOP WORK UNLESS WE HAVE NUMBERS
SORTED POSSE STOPPED WORK MONDAY BUT TRASHING CONTINUING THIS MORNING 17.2.04) MORE MACHINERY ARRIVING ON SITE.
DORMICE AND BAT HABITATS PROTECTED UNDER EU LAW MAY STILL SAVE BLACKWOOD.
Criminal Prosecutions Office NOW TO DECIDE IF THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO PROSECUTE COSTAIN DUE TO ALREADY TRASHED HABITAT. EVER- INCREASING LOCAL SUPPORT THIS IS STILL WINNABLE!!
Unless they pull a fast one and do a sneaky eviction as NUMBERS ARE LOW it is cautiously safe (famous last words) to assume that the camps are safe for now- so we need to take this opportunity to consolidate these camps and put up more defences in the woods. Until the dormice are evicted Costain cannot touch much of the ancient woodland- if we can hold it all off till bird nesting season starts then they are stuffed.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO COME AND TRAIN PEOPLE IN CLIMBING TECHNIQUES AND HOW TO PUT UP WALKWAYS AND TREEHOUSES.
The site is now a mix of rapidly burning out local experienced activists (who have lives too, believe it or not) staying on site and coming and going, and an amazing amount of local teenagers and younger activists, who are mostly completely new to this but doing great stuff. This is an opportunity to blat down and pass on your skills and experience, and the climbing tat that doesn't fit you anymore, to a new generation before going back to warm houses jobs and kids! Or an opportunity to lunch your life out (heh heh) and do it all again IT IS VERY INSPIRING HERE AND IT'S WINNABLE, HONEST!!!! The locals are clued- up and massively supportive.
Ps we think that the human rights act article 8 would trump the harry potter injunction if we ever get sued.
DAYS OF ACTION
You don't have to come and camp. Small affinity groups blatting down and stopping work for the day is going to absolutely STUFF Costain, who are fast hiring more machinery and manpower to carry on working. Due to burly bailiffs, unless numbers are over a critical mass it is impossible for us to stop work now - we need help from local action groups to coordinate a day of action rota. It's a race against time who gets their act together quickest them or us. Direct action can hold up work while the wrangling over the EU protected habitats continues. Bad publicity, strong local opposition, the dormice and bat habitat issues, and the cost of dealing with direct action could all mean that Costain withdraw.
CONTACT DETAILS: phone 07952 774525/ 07708 420 446
BASIC DIRECTIONS- bus to blackwood from Cardiff. St davids wood visible on skyline on right hand side of valley (if coming from Cardiff- on left hand side if coming from the north) it's a 15 min walk from blackwood high street see directions below. Driving- along high street, find the Asda on right hand side of road-take back road straight on at a couple of roundabouts- find the rock and fountain pub, take road up the hill past the pub up to old railway line. Walk along track follow the yellow jackets trail of destruction, camps on the right in lovely trees. Better directions exist on other postings but its not that hard to find honest!
e-mail:
info@roadalert.org.uk
Homepage:
http://www.roadalert.org.uk
road alert, 17.02.2004 13:50
WE ARE STILL HERE.
WE ARE CONSOLIDATING THE CAMPS AND PROTECTING MOST OF THE ANCIENT WOODLAND DIRECT ACTION IS WORKING HERE BUT WE NEED HELP NOW.
WORK IS GOING ON ON OTHER PARTS OF SITE- COSTAIN ARE TRASHING TREES WE CANT PROTECT COS OF LACK OF NUMBERS INCREASED NUMBERS OF BAILIFFS/ COSTAIN NOW MAKING IT HARD TO STOP WORK UNLESS WE HAVE NUMBERS
SORTED POSSE STOPPED WORK MONDAY BUT TRASHING CONTINUING THIS MORNING 17.2.04) MORE MACHINERY ARRIVING ON SITE.
DORMICE AND BAT HABITATS PROTECTED UNDER EU LAW MAY STILL SAVE BLACKWOOD.
Criminal Prosecutions Office NOW TO DECIDE IF THERE IS ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO PROSECUTE COSTAIN DUE TO ALREADY TRASHED HABITAT. EVER- INCREASING LOCAL SUPPORT THIS IS STILL WINNABLE!!
Unless they pull a fast one and do a sneaky eviction as NUMBERS ARE LOW it is cautiously safe (famous last words) to assume that the camps are safe for now- so we need to take this opportunity to consolidate these camps and put up more defences in the woods. Until the dormice are evicted Costain cannot touch much of the ancient woodland- if we can hold it all off till bird nesting season starts then they are stuffed.
WE NEED PEOPLE TO COME AND TRAIN PEOPLE IN CLIMBING TECHNIQUES AND HOW TO PUT UP WALKWAYS AND TREEHOUSES.
The site is now a mix of rapidly burning out local experienced activists (who have lives too, believe it or not) staying on site and coming and going, and an amazing amount of local teenagers and younger activists, who are mostly completely new to this but doing great stuff. This is an opportunity to blat down and pass on your skills and experience, and the climbing tat that doesn't fit you anymore, to a new generation before going back to warm houses jobs and kids! Or an opportunity to lunch your life out (heh heh) and do it all again IT IS VERY INSPIRING HERE AND IT'S WINNABLE, HONEST!!!! The locals are clued- up and massively supportive.
Ps we think that the human rights act article 8 would trump the harry potter injunction if we ever get sued.
DAYS OF ACTION
You don't have to come and camp. Small affinity groups blatting down and stopping work for the day is going to absolutely STUFF Costain, who are fast hiring more machinery and manpower to carry on working. Due to burly bailiffs, unless numbers are over a critical mass it is impossible for us to stop work now - we need help from local action groups to coordinate a day of action rota. It's a race against time who gets their act together quickest them or us. Direct action can hold up work while the wrangling over the EU protected habitats continues. Bad publicity, strong local opposition, the dormice and bat habitat issues, and the cost of dealing with direct action could all mean that Costain withdraw.
CONTACT DETAILS: phone 07952 774525/ 07708 420 446
BASIC DIRECTIONS- bus to blackwood from Cardiff. St davids wood visible on skyline on right hand side of valley (if coming from Cardiff- on left hand side if coming from the north) it's a 15 min walk from blackwood high street see directions below. Driving- along high street, find the Asda on right hand side of road-take back road straight on at a couple of roundabouts- find the rock and fountain pub, take road up the hill past the pub up to old railway line. Walk along track follow the yellow jackets trail of destruction, camps on the right in lovely trees. Better directions exist on other postings but its not that hard to find honest!
e-mail:
info@roadalert.org.uk Homepage:
http://www.roadalert.org.uk
blackwood
Comments
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Blackwood Latest
17.02.2004 17:12
"latest news from site this lunchtime local kids /teenagers sat in the road in the way of new machines (cherrypicker apparently) driving onto site. bailiffs got heavy chucking them out of the way oulling them around. teenagers saying its their woods
apparently one of the chainsaw blokes started crying when one girl got in his way.
tree climbing bloke spotted in woods eyeing up rapidly increasing defences -
might they steam in and take us by surprise?
people needed to help build defences (tree platforms) and/ or help local youth stop work asap
branches been chopped off trees near camp"
I've just spoken to them, the police were called when all that was going on and they'll be looking at the videos and photos that were taken, so hopefully something will be done.
But they are asking for a Legal Observer with camera asap in case it carries on.
AND MORE PEOPLE!
It's getting more difficult as the few who are there are obviously VERY tired now and need help from people who know the ropes.
The residents have been great but there's not enough people to train them in the basics.
Rowan