UK Newswire Archive
Nuclear conference demo calls for EDF boycott
17-09-2010 10:22
Delegates arriving at a nuclear suppliers' conference taking place in central London on Monday morning (13 September) were greeted by ten anti-nuclear activists displaying banners calling for a boycott of energy giant Électricité de France (EDF), the organisers of the conference.
Stop Hinkley: report [1|2] | Boycott EDF | Stop Nuclear Power Network: upcoming gathering in Bristol
The campaigners had travelled from Suffolk, Wiltshire and London to attend the hour-long demonstration, organised by Kick Nuclear (part of the Stop Nuclear Power Network), outside the Queen Elizabeth II (QEII) Conference Centre in Westminster. In addition to leafleting visitors to the conference; the activists, some of whom were dressed in white overalls, targeted delegates arriving at a World Nuclear Association symposium taking place opposite, as well as members of the public.
Debt-ridden EDF (85%-owned by the French taxpayer) is steaming ahead with its plans to build new nuclear reactors at four sites in England, the first of which would be at Hinkley Point in Somerset. Even before any planning application has been submitted for a new reactor at Hinkley, and well before the ill-fated European Pressurised Reactor (EPR), designed by French multi-national Areva, is likely to be approved by safety authorities in the UK (or any other country), EDF has begun to leave its mark on the landscape. The company has spent the past few months drilling and carrying out underground explosions and tests at the greenfield site earmarked for Hinkley C, which lies adjacent to two existing reactors situated a few miles north of Bridgwater, on the north Somerset coast.
Activists visiting the site on Sunday as part of a weekend gathering organised by Stop Hinkley saw at first hand how badger setts had been recently filled in with cement. They saw where EDF intends to continue to wreak its trail of destruction on this beautiful landscape, including the tearing down of ancient hedgerows and trees and the loss of habitats for rare species of bat and other wildlife.
The next national gathering of the Stop Nuclear Power Network will take place in Bristol on the weekend of 23-24 October 2010.
For more details, contact: nonewnuclear [at] aktivix.org
See also: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/09/458549.html
Boycott EDF website:
http://boycottedf.org.uk
Demo against EDF's new nuclear plans at Hinkley - photos
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/09/458682.html
Report of Sunday's demo at Hinkley:
http://bristol.indymedia.org/article/693446
Stop Hinkley website:
http://www.stophinkley.org
Stop Nuclear Power Network website:
http://stopnuclearpoweruk.net
* Image is Copyright (c) 2010 D. Viesnik but may be reproduced free of charge for non-commercial use if credited. For high resolution version / commercial use, please e-mail.
Nuclear warning
17-09-2010 10:22
EDF Energy bought British Energy to gain access to sites for nuclear newbuild. It subsequently sold a 20% stake to Centrica, better known to the public as Scottish Gas or British Gas. They aim to build new nuclear at Hinkley Point, Somerset plus other sites around the UK.
The Nuclear
Companies
EDF Energy bought British Energy to gain access to sites for nuclear new
build. It subsequently sold a 20% stake to Centrica, better known to the public as Scottish Gas or British Gas. They aim to build new nuclear at Hinkley Point, Sizewell, Heysham,
Hartlepool, and Bradwell. German RWE, in Britain better known as RWE npower, bought sites at Kirksanton and Braystones in Cumbria for new nuclear. In addition, RWE formed a joint venture with another German utility company, E.on, under the name Horizon
Nuclear Power, to develop nuclear power atWylfa and Oldbury. Spanish Iberdrola, which bought Scottish Power in 2007, formed a joint venture with French GDF Suez and Scottish and Southern Energy (trading as SWALEC, Southern Electric, Scottish Hydro Electric and
Atlantic Electric and Gas) to build a new nuclear power station at Sellafield.
Two reactor designs are presently on the table. Areva's EPR and Westinghouse's AP1000.
Sheffield Forgemasters has recently been in the media, because it received an 80million loan from the government to enable it to install the UK’s first 15,000 tonne forging press,
making it one of only five companies worldwide capable of producing safety critical forgings for nuclear power reactors.
Nuclear power: low-level
radiation is not harmless
The government and the nuclear industry claim that the low level of radiation emitted by nuclear power stations during their normal operation is not harmful. Radiation also occurs
naturally, they argue, and the small amount of radiation added by nuclear power stations is insignificant.
However, no dose of radiation is safe. Radiation damage is cumulative.
Each dose received adds to the risk of
developing cancer, or mutating genes
in the reproductive cells. The radioactive elements “routinely” emitted from nuclear power plants into the air can be inhaled, or ingested when they concentrate in the food chain – in vegetables and fruit – and are then further concentrated in various internal organs in humans.
Similarly, the millions of gallons of cooling water flushed daily from a nuclear reactor into the always adjoining water source (lake, river or sea) contaminate it with radioactive materials
which bioconcentrate hundreds of times in the aquatic food chain.
In 2008, a major German study found large increases in infant cancers near all German nuclear power stations. This socalled KiKK study (Childhood cancers in the vicinity of nuclear
power stations) reported a 2.2fold increase in leukaemia risks and a 1.6fold increase in embryonal cancer risks among children under five living within five kilometers of
all German nuclear power stations. The KiKK study examined all cancers at all 16 nuclear reactor locations in Germany between 1980 and 2003, and was commissioned by the German Government's Federal Office for Radiation Protection.
However, the KiKK study does not stand on its own. A 2007 study by
researchers at the University of South Carolina analysing 17 research papers
covering 136 nuclear sites in the UK, Canada, France, USA, Germany,
Japan and Spain, also “show[ed] an increase in childhood leukaemia near
nuclear facilities”. They found that death rates for children up to the age
of nine were elevated by between five and 24 per cent, depending on their
proximity to nuclear facilities, and by two to 18 per cent in children and
young people up to the age of 25. Incidence rates were increased by 14
to 21 per cent in zero to nineyearolds and seven to ten percent in zero
to 25yearolds. A French survey from 2008 of 26 multisite studies of childhood
cancers near nuclear facilities came to a similar conclusion.
Although the evidence is overwhelming, pronuclear scientists and the
government still deny that there is a link between nuclear power and
cancer. Instead, they want to build new nuclear power stations, thus
increasing our exposure to radiation.
More information:
http://www.ippnweurope.
org/en/
nuclearenergyandsecurity.
Html
Real versus fake crises: Concealing the risk of an all out nuclear war
17-09-2010 09:42
The details of ongoing war preparations in relation to Iran have been withheld from the public eye.The media is involved in acts of camouflage.
The devastating impacts of a nuclear war are either trivialized or not mentioned. Meanwhile, public opinion has its eyes riveted on what might described as "fake crises".
The fear campaign underlying a fake crisis is intended to obfuscate the real crisis --including the danger of nuclear war-- as well as disarm all forms of meaningful resistance and opposition.
Land squat in France call out
17-09-2010 09:24
Stop Nuclear Power Network national gathering, Bristol, 23-24 Oct
17-09-2010 09:22
The Stop Nuclear Power Network is a grassroots network of groups and individuals taking action against nuclear power and its expansion and supporting sustainable alternatives.Date for your diaries:
Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th October, Bristol (venue tbc)
Meet people from your region and from around the country who are taking action against nuclear power. Make plans together and build solidarity with people who live next door to Hinkley.
Solidarity with Stop Hinkley
Hinkley C in Somerset, near Bristol, could become the first nuclear power station built in Britain for 20 years. Stop Hinkley is a community campaign to stop deadly nuclear sites being built near their homes. http://www.stophinkley.org
Action against EDF
EDF is one of the largest electricity companies and is 85% owned by the French state. In Britain, EDF is pushing hard for nuclear new build, and wants new reactors at four sites, the first being Hinkley C. http://www.boycottedf.org.uk
Campaign against the re-re-re-CONsultation
The government is taking its pro-nuclear propaganda on tour around the UK for the third time this autumn in an attempt to escape legal challenges to its nuclear ambitions. We'll be at the CONsultations, letting everyone know the green washed, profit-driven agenda they are spewing out.
More info about the weekend coming soon. E-mail: nonewnuclear [at] aktivix.org
Sign up to the mailing list by e-mailing: stopnuclearpower-subscribe@lists.riseup.net
Callout Action days for squatting
17-09-2010 09:18
Action Days against the ban on squating in the Netherlands. help save our sociale centersAudio from Oxford Save Our Services Meeting 2010-09-13
17-09-2010 06:50
Peruvian killed in anti-dam protest
17-09-2010 06:29
ONE man was killed and many others injured in Peru during protests against a proposed dam.Full article | 3 additions | 3 comments
Pope set to visit Oxford
16-09-2010 22:15
Pope in Littlemore tomorrow eveningAtheists Are Nazis
16-09-2010 21:31
A speech in which the Pope appeared to associate atheism with the Nazis has prompted criticism from humanist organisations.Victory!
16-09-2010 21:22
Plucky community brings down the big boysThe typically Bristolian working class community of Ashton Vale is celebrating tonight after halting the city's richest man and tax exile in his tracks.
Bristol City Football Club Chairman Steve Lansdown's efforts to build a £96m stadium, partly funded by us, on our greenbelt were wrecked today when the proposed site of the stadium was declared a Town Green by an independent planning inspector.
This means - according to the law - that no development should take place on the land.
This has caused something of a frenzy of stupidity among our pro-supermarket, pro-tax exile local councillors.
Labour's Southville Councillor Sean Beynon and Bedminster Councillor Mark Bradshaw were out and about on Twitter proclaiming that the decision "seems to belong to the era of 'Heartbeat' not an aspiring 2018 World Cup host city."
Not quite. The Town Green legislation used by Ashton Vale residents was updated by Bradshaw and Beynon's Labour Government in the Commons Act 2006. Town Greens are not some accidental hangover from the 1950s that are in need of urgent reform. This is state-of-the-art legislation to protect and support local communities from rapacious developers. Obviously something local Labour councillors are not bothered about and see as old-fashioned.
Meanwhile Lib Dem Neil Harrison has stopped all comments on his blog related to the Town Green decision after it became obvious that the officers he employed have spent the last three weeks lying through their teeth to him.
Harrison was told that the council received the planning inspector's report on 8 September. No they didn't. Council officers received it on the 27 August and have been planning their PR response since then.
Then he was told early today that the report would be published at noon tomorrow while Chief Exec Ormondroyd was virtually holding a private press conference to tell friendly reporters what was going on.
Obviously the press are far more important to council officers than our elected representatives.
And finally to Lib Dem Deputy leader, Simo Cook, Steve Lansdown's big fan and supporter at the council.
He told us today: "“.... The law behind this application is a complete nonsense, but I am utterly determined to find a way through it.”
Really? Does he not realise that "finding a way through" a legal decision to get a stadium built for his wealthy tax exile partner might - itself - not be legal?
This one will run and run.
Links:
http://www.bristol.gov.uk/ccm/content/Environment-Plann...us.en
http://www.bcfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10327~2155764,....html
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/news/Ashton-Vale-wins-to....html
http://twitter.com/mark_bradshaw/status/24687595411
http://cotham.blogspot.com/2010/08/stadium-flak-looms.html
xenophobia: a vote winner
16-09-2010 21:10
The news was terrifying: In France police frog marched entire gypsy families out of a nation that once upon a time gave us the intoxicating motto: “Liberty, fraternity, equality!”Comrades!
16-09-2010 20:22
We are standing before the biggest salvo in the class war since the poll tax. Not since the heyday of Thatcher has there been such an attack on our jobs, services and communities.We are told that massive cuts are needed to bailout the country’s economy after a bankers’ free-for-all. All the measures the politicians propose are aimed directly at us.
Our pensions are unaffordable but continued bonuses in the city are fine and healthy for the economy. We continue to pay taxes at a far greater level than the rich who just move their money offshore and employ corporate accountants to find them tax loopholes.
We live here; we will suffer. So will our families, friends and communities. We must fight this.
The TUC have voted for co-ordinated action. Fair play. But by the time they have balloted and organised it could be too late. The cuts are happening now not some time in the future.
The workforce is increasingly split into small service providers and businesses. Many of us are in temporary or part time work or even on ‘zero hour’ contracts. We need to stand together as workers and as a community. ‘An injury to one is an injury to all’.
Remember: these cuts are already happening. English as a second language provision went before the summer while the Labour government were still encouraging ‘citizenship’ for new arrivals. Cuts started last year at the BRI.
Youth service Connexions has been decimated, just as the youth of this country need more support to get work. Libraries are operating under a short staff regime and many are closing early and at the weekend.
Anybody ever spotted a Tory councillor in the library? Lib Dem libraries boss, Councillor Simon Cook and Kate Davenport, the head of the libraries on a £90k salary, don’t even have a Bristol libraries card.
At the city council’s new customer services call centre in Whitchurch there are 50 vacancies. The council are deliberately keeping these vacancies open so they can write them off when they need to cut staff. Of course, the staff that are left are leaving in droves because they cannot cope with the workload demanded at this anti-human battery farm the council have created.
The council’s customer service ratings have plummeted from 3 stars to 0 stars in months. How are you going to get your granny home care? How are you going to get your council house repaired? Who cares? We should.
In Bristol there are groups struggling against the cuts. Even the trade unions might do something if they stop fighting amongst themselves.
There is an email list for those who want to fight. When a member of the list hears about any cuts or disputes they email all the other members. While this is Bristol-based, we encourage comrades from all the counties that used to be Avon to contribute and become members.
Then hopefully, when new cut or disputes raise their ugly head, we can get there straight away. A lot of groups are already signed up to this and will be notifying their members.
Let’s get 1000+ on this list. Even if only 10% respond we could have a massive effect on any picket and struggle.
Many of us firmly believe that this could be a new poll tax. We defeated that and we can beat this. The main reason we beat them then was that the majority stood up for themselves.
Whole communities said no - this is wrong. So are these cuts. Nobody voted for them. Not even most Tories or Liberals envisaged this shower of shite. What they propose is plain and simple wrong.
It is economic stupidity and morally repugnant to pick on the weak and the poor.
Welcome to another round of the class war.
Please consider getting stuck in and drop us a line on
notcutsinbristol@yahoogroups.com
solid
Bristol Anti Cuts Meeting
16-09-2010 20:22
The next Bristol District Anti-Cuts Alliance meeting is on:Monday 20th September
7.00pm
at Barton Hill Primary School
Queen Anne Road
Barton Hill
BRISTOL
BS5 9TX.
Map: http://www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=BS5+9TX&countryCode=GB
This is an important meeting open to all to build for the events that have been planned.
Photos from Oxford Save Our Services Meeting 2010-09-13
16-09-2010 19:09
Monsanto, Blackwater and spying on animal rights activists
16-09-2010 19:06
According to internal documents the US security firm Blackwater – best known for killing 17 Itaqi civilians in Baghdad in September 2007 – has working for Monsanto.leeds 2nd Queer Film Festival
16-09-2010 18:58
Leeds 2nd Queer Film Festival - 22nd to 26th Sept 2010GM crop trials at Leeds uni
16-09-2010 18:23
When people took action against GM when it was first introduced to the UK in 1997, it had a huge impact on the biotech industry. But GM is back, and once again we need to get organised to protect our land and food. There are at least 3 crop trials in the UK this year - 2 of these are at Leeds uni.
The Crude Awakening mass action 16.10.10
16-09-2010 18:22
This is a national mass action targeted at the oil industry taking place in London on October 16th 2010. Maybe Southwest people would like to go? Are groups like westside, rising tide etc mobilising?Sign up to receive updates and get more info at http://www.crudeawakening.org.uk/
Floods in Pakistan – Drought in Russia – Huge glaciers breaking up in Greenland
Our climate system is rapidly sliding into crisis, as oil companies destroy people’s lives and the environment to keep sucking up their profits. Oil saturates every aspect of our lives. Oil profits lubricate the financial markets and its sponsorship clings like a bad smell to our cultural institutions. It flows through pipelines to the pumps, airports and factories of our cities.
The failure of the UN COP15 process showed us – if there was ever any doubt – that government and industry can’t tackle climate change. It’s up to us and it’s time to up the ante. As a movement, our actions against coal and aviation have made a real difference. Now oil’s time is up.
Together, on October 16, let’s give the oil industry a really Crude Awakening.
London nuclear conference demo calls for EDF boycott
16-09-2010 16:18
