Call for protest against 'undemocratic' government consultation
West country members of the Stop Nuclear Power Network are calling for people to join them in a protest outside Armada House, Telegraph Avenue, Bristol on Monday 29th Nov.
West country members of the Stop Nuclear Power Network are urging the public to join them in a protest against an ‘undemocratic’ meeting to discuss the government’s National Policy Statements on energy (1) – which includes the role of nuclear power in the UK’s future energy mix. The event is one of only three that will take place around the country.

The protest will take place this Monday (29th) outside the Armada House Conference & Events, Armada House, Telephone Avenue, Bristol at 1pm. “This so-called public meeting is highly undemocratic and has all the hallmarks of the secrecy (2) that the nuclear industry is renowned for,” said Nikki Clark, a campaigner who lives near Hinkley Point. “It has not been widely publicised and only 100 people have been allowed to attend.”

Local Stop Nuclear Power Network campaigners argue that the consultation does not acknowledge that nuclear power is dangerous, undemocratic and unaffordable. “The high-level waste from nuclear power stations cannot be safely stored,’ says Nikki. ‘The government has no clue how to deal with it - except for deep storage which is a solution that is deeply flawed, leaving the problem for future generations to deal with.”

“Nuclear power originated as a way of producing atomic weapons and it has never lost its link with the arms industry and war,” adds Nikki. “Depleted uranium from nuclear powers stations is used in weapons that cause cancers and birth defects in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Nikki says the Bristol meeting is being held during the day, making it difficult for working people to attend. She adds that numbers are limited and anyone who wants to speak has to register in advance, providing photo ID on the door.

Scheduled for two and a half hours, campaigners say the event will not allow enough time for attendees to question the extensive range of documents included in this consultation (a staggering 168 documents in total - of which 148 of these relate to the governments plans for new nuclear.)

Campaigners say the true costs of producing energy by the nuclear route have never been honestly calculated and put before the public: for instance, the costs of decommissioning are not included. “This consultation exercise is a sham. The government has no interest in what we have to say. It’s simply a box-ticking exercise so that it can avoid legal challenges in the future.”

Susan Newland another member of the Stop Nuclear Power Network says, “ We are going to be protesting about the government’s proposal to build a new generation of nuclear power stations, starting with Hinkley Point.”

“This proposal, if carried through, will pose a threat to our health and the health of future generations. Nuclear power stations will poison the environment with radioactive waste. Even if the government says it will not use public subsidies for the next generation of power plants, you can be sure the public will be paying for it one way or another.’

Caroline Lucas, our only green MP, has slammed nuclear new build as unsafe and unnecessary.(4)( 5) ‘We say that it's a strategy that the British people can't afford,” adds Nikki.

ENDS
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References:

1 - Power trip (article by paul Dorfman on government consultation in 2007)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2007/may/23/nuclearin...fairs

2 – Brown given drubbing over nuclear (Greenpeace)
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/nuclear/brown-gets-a-...80103

3 – Sustainable Development Position Paper
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications/downloads/...6.pdf

4 – caroline lucas on new nuclear
http://www.carolinelucasmep.org.uk/2008/01/10/green-eur...ment/

5 - nuclear power is not the solution to climate change http://www.nuclearpolicy.info/docs/nuclearmonitor/c4h.pdf