SALFORD RALLY AGAINST FRACKING CALLS ON LABOUR PARTY TO GET OFF THE FENCE - Salford Star

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SALFORD RALLY AGAINST FRACKING CALLS ON LABOUR PARTY TO GET OFF THE FENCE

Star date: 9th December 2013

BARTON MOSS TELLS SALFORD MAYOR `NO MORE PERMITS'

"Labour has got to come off the fence on this one" Gail Hodson, Labour councillor

Around four hundred people from all over the country, many carrying trade union and campaign banners, attended a rally and march in support of the Barton Community Protection Camp yesterday

Speeches against fracking company IGas were also directed at Salford City Council and Mayor Ian Stewart, telling the Labour Party to get off the fence and give no more permits for gas drilling in the city.

Full details here…

click image to enlarge

"Don't sit at home on Facebook hitting `Like', get off your arse and show my child there's a future" Helen

Around four hundred people flocked to Barton Moss yesterday in support of the Barton Community Protection Camp, set up in opposition to fracking company IGas and its exploratory drilling site for coal bed methane and more.

The day began with a rally featuring speakers from an array of political parties, trade unions and campaign groups – ranging from Ribble Estuary Against Fracking, to the Green Party, to the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union, whose vice president, John Fox, announced that it was the first union to have an anti-fracking policy.

Individuals spoke too - Dan from the Camp, a guy called Cosmic Tim - who said that "everyone is an activist now…it's about being called into action by a force that doesn't need a name" – and Helen, holding her baby, who implored those not involved to get involved…

"I don't want my child to live on a sick and poisoned earth" she said "This is an awakening time for those of us who know we are being lied to… Don't sit at home on Facebook hitting `Like' - get off your arse and show my child there's a future."

Called by the Campaign against Climate Change Trade Union Group, many trade union banners were present including UNISON, UCU, PCS and the Salford and Manchester Trades Council, while solidarity greetings were read out on stage from the RMT and PCS.

One of the most emotional speeches was by Labour councillor Gail Hodson, also a member of Ribble Estuary Against Fracking, who called for the Labour Party to get off the fence and oppose the industry…

"There are a lot of Labour people who are against fracking and my message today is to lobby your Labour councillors, lobby anyone in a position of authority" she said "Labour has got to come off the fence on this one."

She warned that when fracking company Cuadrilla moved into the Ribble Estuary area councillors were already on board with the plans and decisions had already been made.

The Salford Star did not see one single Salford councillor - Labour or Tory - at the rally yesterday.

Gail's sentiments were echoed by Paul Gerrard of Salford Against The Cuts, who had a missive for Salford City Mayor Ian Stewart who has been tweeting for campaigners to "calm down"…

"We're used to standing outside Salford Civic Centre saying `Labour must fight the cuts'" said Paul "The message from this rally has got to come today – `Ian Stewart – No more cuts and no more permits either…no permits for fracking in this city'."

Speaker after speaker debunked what they said was the myth of fracking bringing jobs and cheap energy to the city and beyond.

"Our biggest enemy are the lies misinformation and marketing they use to conceal what they are going to do" said Tina from Residents Action on Flylde Fracking "Two years ago I read a leaflet by Cuadrilla that said there would be cheap, home grown, natural gas, loads of jobs for workers, loads of cash for the economy and I thought `Wow!'…Then I read the rest of the brochure and realised it was all lies and bull."

Other speakers put forward the alternative. Stephen Hall, President of Greater Manchester Trades Council, held up a booklet called One Million Climate Jobs, which implores a new outlook on renewable energy…

"The worst thing that could happen" he explained "is that we'll create one million jobs, and get a third of our unemployed to work doing radical things like insulating people's homes, developing tidal power…a much better approach, that is the alternative."

Martin, from the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group backed the alternative and spoke of a front line against fracking that "starts in Alberta, goes down into North America with the pipelines that Obama for which has given the go ahead, through Romania, through Balcombe and Salford and it's going to go to hundreds of communities around Britain unless we stop them."

Indeed, at yesterday's rally, placards were being held in solidarity with Pungesti in Romania where police are brutally repressing protesters opposed to Chevron's fracking.

Backing the Pungesti campaign and telling the crowd that people all over the world who are fighting fracking are in touch with each other, Judy Paskell from the Campaign Against Climate Change, said that, in the north of England, Barton Moss and Salford was now the front line in the fight against fracking…

"We are the front line right here" she said "Not just against IGas and other companies but also in the fight against the Tory Government halving the tax for the fracking companies."

Following the speeches, there was a one minute silence for Nelson Mandela and then a march up Barton Moss Road, led by the PCS band, past the Camp and up to the gates of the IGas drilling site, where the company personnel present were left in no doubt about what people thought of their actions.

With the PCS band beating out a rhythm, campaigners were introduced to the Salford Delaying Dance, enacted every time IGas lorries try to deliver equipment to the site. It's a dance that moves about a quarter of an inch every minute and has, so far, been successful in holding up deliveries for over two hours per time despite the heavy police presence.

The idea is that time costs money and to hit IGas in its pockets, a point made by Camp fracking expert Ian R Crane …

"Andrew Austin holds 10.67million stocks in IGas" he explained "Every time the stock in IGas goes down by one pound he loses £10.67million and my objective it to see that absolutely tank."

He urged the local community and campaigners to attend an IGas "misinformation" evening at Boysnope Golf Club this Thursday 12th December at 6:30pm to show the strength of feeling against gas drilling in Salford…

Main photo shows Labour councillor Gail Hodson at the protest

Update: 11:30am 9th December

Reports are coming in of `five violent snatch arrests' made at this morning's protest... "Toppled to the ground and dragged off the peaceful march" the Camp tweeted "Most heavy handed policing we have seen for some time" - for updated report and video footage - click here

Paul wrote
at 07:59:17 on 15 December 2013

@ wrote.To be prepared To Fight And Die To Eradicate The Foreign Perpetrators. who are these foreign perpetrators, the white farmers, who were born in Africa, who grow the food that feeds Africa, who since, quite rightly apartaid was abolished, these farmers who have be killed and driven off their land in their hundreds if not thousands, land that is now wasteland inhabited by people who know nothing of farming and who now are starving and looking to this country for handouts, how the lefties scream and cheer at the demise of white people in Africa but forget it is these people that kept that continent running, funny how as you put it black people are now in control of their countries and how starvation, hunger and disease are now more prevalent under their rule, just look at Zimbabwe. You advocate the driving out of Africa, African born foreigners (whites) do you also advocate the driving out of foreigners in Britain, after all this is predominantly a white country as Africa is predominantly black, don't we need our freedom as well or do's this make me a fascist as driving whites out of the land they were born, Africa, makes you a fascist

í wrote
at 19:45:27 on 13 December 2013

Paul your off again in your fascist Gobblegook / In your Tin Pot world People who are prepared to fight and Die to rid their land of Persecution / Rascism/ No Rights/ and Unlimited Injustice/ Just because They are Black In a land where 99.9% of the people in that land are black/ To be prepared To Fight And Die To Eradicate The Foreign Perpetrators of that Injustice That makes you and your CountryMen Who will fight Terrorists./Any body who fights against the Rich Countrys of the West They are classed as Terrorist /Anybody helps the West Suppress the Freedom/ Rights/ etc of the Poorer Country's Is an Heroic Freedom Fighter.Like the suppression of Malaya / Cyprus / Kenya / After they had won Independence They Were No Longer Terrorists Some of their Leaders got Knighted So Paul get in the real World Hitler and the other Fascist Barstools are dead and will Buried and will never rise again

Paul wrote
at 17:18:41 on 13 December 2013

Ken Mckelvey , Paul in your gobbledygook you were insinuating that Mandela was a villain. No ken he was locked up for 20 odd years because he was a peace loving humanitarian, next you lefties will be asking for a noble peace prize for Gerry Addams and Martin McGuinness. No wonder the scum of the earth want to come to this country with lefties like you about, it's also why we have just had a brave heroic royal marine given a life sentence for killing a scum bag terrorist when he should have been given a meddle, all because some left wing, limp wristed yogurt knitting sandle wearing w*nker of a judge who has never been and never will be in a combat situation because he's to shit scared hiding under his bed while brave soldiers like these go out and pick up a riffle to protect their freedoms. So ken, insinuating, no

Chaz wrote
at 05:33:31 on 12 December 2013

COME ON SALFORD GET OFF YOUR ARSES AND SUPPORT THE PEOPLE IN BARTON MOSS LANE!!!!! Not only are they trying to stop the people of Irlam/Cadishead from being poisoned they are trying to save whats left of our greenbelt from being trashed. Its YOUR battle, maybe even more than theirs. Salford is the frontline for the whole of the Country and if we can stop it here we may stop it everywhere. BRILLIANT WORK AS ALWAYS BY THE FAMOUS SALFORD STAR :)

Ken Mckelvey wrote
at 05:32:53 on 12 December 2013

Paul in your gobbledygook you were insinuating that Mandela was a villain Blair like Thatcher was as phoney as a four pound note. And I would not dream of extolling the virtues of that two hat Blair he was a Tory like that other bag of shit Thatcher The pair of them robbed the people of the UK BLIND

WTF is Ken on wrote
at 21:41:24 on 11 December 2013

@Ken Mckelvey, hang on just how many wars did Tony Blair start "WW11" yes lets get that right World War ELEVEN. I clearly have been in a coma for some time!!!!! Oh and what Thatcher has got to do with any of this is really puzzling me??????????????

Ken Mckelvey wrote
at 14:25:51 on 11 December 2013

Paul is back on anyone who Protests about Anti Fracking is a Communist /on benifits /or a raving Looney / By the way Thatcher welcomed the biggest murderer since the end of WW11 with open arms General Pinochet millions disappeared on his watch Thatcher the milk stealing Tax DODGER idolized him and called him a HERO

Paul wrote
at 09:51:04 on 11 December 2013

Why the one minute for the terrorist Nelson mendela, you'll be saying fedal Castro, Che Guevara didn't kill any one next. This is where your demonstrations fall down, when you all start going left wing and communist. And on the labour councillor being there, she's only there to make a name for her self, once she has achieved this and got her nose in the money trough you won't see her for dust, like all typical socialist. And on the scorched earth point we allready had that under labour, they left Britain bankrupt

Dave wrote
at 16:09:53 on 10 December 2013

Those who rape the Earth rape your mother

Ray Blackhurst wrote
at 07:33:35 on 10 December 2013

The companies involved in Fracking do not care about the environment Somebody from these companies should come out directly and say that maybe not in the immediate future but at some point the intention is to Frack and I understand in the northwest area of the country shale gas is quite abundant indeed more than any other area in England

I Webb wrote
at 22:16:49 on 09 December 2013

I can only feel disgusted by the small amount of support that is coming from local people for this hugely important cause. A few really do make a great effort but millions of others are content to sit back and let a few embattled campaigners defend their environment for them as if the future is none of their concern.

David Wilson wrote
at 20:18:06 on 09 December 2013

Labour should be hammering the Tories for the policies they are pursuing, unfortunately I have barely heard a whimper. The Green Party and all the protesters are the only ones against something which is destroying our planet. How can MPs who are supposed to be acting with their constituents interests at heart allow something which future generations will suffer the consequences of.

Lovin it wrote
at 20:18:02 on 09 December 2013

OMG another link from the BBC Manchester site to the Salford Star, watch out Salford's Labour cllrs, the Star will now be getting a seriously massive number of hits. That should expose the Bastards that run Salford for what they are. So glad to see that the national media think that the Salford star is the NUMBER 1 site to go too for un-biased news in Salford. See you all down the post office collecting your pensions or giros Salford cllrs, because if the media keeps picking up on your lack of backbone 1/3rd of you will be redundant next may, with the other 2/3rd to follow. Good bye incompetent fools and HELLO new Salford.

Kenneth w mckelvey wrote
at 20:17:03 on 09 December 2013

I was concerned by the news that the police had done a snatch raid on the protesters camp/ If we live in a free country who gave the police the power to arrest non violent protesters/ Where are our members of Parliament to get an answer as to why these people were arrested/My eyes were opened to the activities of Bent lying politicians /Police/ and Media during the Miners Strike. I just hope we do not witness a similar thing with this Pro Fracking Government/.But where their is Pots of Money and Tax Free Profits on the Table/ The Health and Welfare and Justice for Working Class people are of no interest or Concern To the Profiteers/ Who will buy Justice if only for themselves!

Kenneth w mckelvey wrote
at 20:16:53 on 09 December 2013

Robert Davies is right it can only help the protesters to have Councillors on board better still where are our MPs /After all they are supposed to represent our interest/ But to get the public on the side of the Frackers who with their powerful associations with the power industries/ Donate Million to the torys election funds /I think we might see power cuts so as not to let the publics opinion warm to the protesters case /Remember the Torys have a vested interest in Shale Gas/ And this lot in power at the moment would sell their grannies if they got a Profit for them / To call them Dishonest is an understatement?

debbie wrote
at 11:38:13 on 09 December 2013

They will not 'get off the fence' because the simple reason is they have taken the 30 pieces of silver and are too worried to loose there cushy numbers and they have no spines.

Robert Davies wrote
at 11:37:59 on 09 December 2013

It's great that another Labour representative has spoken out about this, maybe Gail could speak with her counterparts in Salford and try and convince them. This whole thing could easily be an election winner; it's just a pity we have to wait another year and a half for it to happen. I despair to think what further damage the Tories could do in that time, we need to disolve parliament now with a vote of no confidence before they destroy Britain with a scorched earth policy that Labour would then have to clean up and we would suffer the consequences of!

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