On Wednesday 11th February, groups from all over Wales and, in fact, some from Scotland and England, joined together in front of the Senedd in Cardiff to express their views about what the proposed windfarm and pylon schemes would mean to Wales as a country and to them as individuals. There was music, speeches, chanting and enormous sense of unity in the desire to stop Wales, yet again, being plundered for profit.
Over 550 people came at very short notice, mid week, to make their voices heard. The turnout was remarkable, but could have doubled if not tripled with more notice. The passion of people who wanted to be there but couldn’t, was moving. Whilst some people were, understandably, absent because of work, family commitments or their health simply mitigated against it, the absence of some of our politicians was much less understandable. In fact, their absence, given the demonstration was literally on the doorstep of the Senedd and many Labour representatives were invited (as were Plaid and the Green Party), has to be read very negatively. They didn’t come out to even acknowledge the event in spite of it taking place where they were, supposedly, in the process of supporting, speaking and protecting the Welsh people. They were very notable by their absence. Earlier, the First Minister was posing for photos for the press and yet, apparently, she hid from those people she represents. Many people had travelled for hours to take their views and voices to the Senedd , and yet despite their obligation to protect the people of Wales, she and other politicians chose to remain in the building.
Equally puzzling was the complete absence of any mainstream media coverage. In spite of BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4 being there and having filmed and interviewed, not one of these channels broadcast any footage of the protest. It is difficult not to read in to this some level of suppression of coverage of the event. This is, of course, purely speculative, but it is difficult to understand how a protest on the steps of the Senedd could be completely missed by all the TV channels, particularly the local ones.
There were a number of speakers on the day, one of whom was Dr Wyn Thomas who wrote the book Tryweryn: A New Dawn?: The Legacy of the Drowning of Capel Celyn which is an account of the account of the cultural and political impact on Wales of the flooding of the Tryweryn Valley. There are many parallels to be seen between that event and the current ‘flooding’ of our hills and valleys with turbines and pylons. Dr Thomas said:
“I do not think that people across Wales fully understand and comprehend the scale of what is being proposed — and what is at stake. This despicable overreach is on a scale that makes the flooding of Cwm Tryweryn look trivial. It eclipses ‘Tryweryn’ in its scope and scale.
I truly believe that NO GOOD for Wales will come from this. If it is ratified, this proposal will change Wales FOREVER — in a very negative way. Wales does not exist for the benefit of England!’
And with a huge diolch to Elen Gough, who provided several brilliant lines:
‘What these people are proposing for much of mid-Wales is not ‘green energy’. It is a despicable overreach that will destroy in weeks, what nature has created over millions of years.
The Government of Wales Act was passed in 2011. It extended further legal powers for the Assembly. I recall our former First Minister, Carwyn Jones, stating that our ‘old nation’ had ‘come of age’. Those people in the Senedd behind me have an obligation to protect the interests and the people of Wales.
We are custodians of our lovely Wales, and we will NOT allow it to be destroyed for reasons of greed and blind ignorance of the facts. We demand trees, not turbines. Peat, not pylons. Countryside, not concrete. Our glorious mid-Wales will NOT be turned into a factory floor.
We are here — and we are NOT going away. If this today, is only the start of this… Then so be it!’”
This essence of this speech represents the strength of feeling among, not just those affected directly, but by people across the country who see the current plans for the green energy agenda as being a greed agenda which will not benefit the people of Wales, but only those companies investing in the projects that will cause widespread devastation of countryside, habitats, history, heritage, community, businesses, the list goes on. There is no demonstrable evidence of benefit to Wales even though there is talk of ‘Community Benefit’ and jobs.
Whatever else can be taken from the protest on Wednesday, it is clear that momentum is gathering and that whilst the need for renewable energy is understood, the people of Wales are not about to let widespread devastation of the countryside happen without a fight.
