It had cause to celebrate for another reason yesterday as it achieved its highest ever daily hits yesterday too!

Yesterday we achieved 129 hits – mostly looking at the recent fracking success stories.

Overall, in its first year, we have seen:

• 275 articles posted
• 5230 hits (over 100 per week on average)
• 62 comments posted
• Busiest day = 25th October (129 hits)
• Busiest week = Week 13 of 2011- last week of March (289 hits)
• Busiest month = September 2011 (843 hits – this month is currently 145 behind)

All these figures are trending upwards, so please keep coming back and feel free to comment and contribute.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS !!!!

Send your postings to: greenblog@chyba.go-plus.net

The leaders of the Commonwealth nations are gathering this week in Perth, Australia where their Secretary General, Kamalesh Sharma, just gave a courageous speech calling on each of their countries to finally stop the criminalization of LGBT people. It’s historic, but hardly a done deal: Forces within the Commonwealth are working double-time to silence Sharma and others.

We need to support Secretary General Sharma and show the other heads of state that a massive global outcry is bubbling up in their own countries and demanding fairness. The meeting kicks off this Friday and we need thousands from United Kingdom to join Commonwealth citizens around the world and sign on to this statement of support for Secretary General Sharma. If enough of us demand the Commonwealth reject criminalization in the next 48 hours, our voices will be impossible to ignore.

Will you please take a minute to sign the statement, then share it far and wide:

www.allout.org/wearenotillegal

Thirty-nine Commonwealth nations make it a crime to be gay or transgender.

We have 48 hours to stand with Commonwealth Secretary General Sharma and demand an end to these laws:

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_wilkinson.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-10-25&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

Text of the petition:

Responsible department: Her Majesty’s Treasury

We applaud campaigns by trade unions, church groups, and civil society demanding tax justice and join them in calling on the Government to take action to identify those avoiding and evading tax. Firstly, the Chancellor should force all multinational companies filing accounts in the UK to reveal their use of tax havens and publish what profits they earn and what tax they pay in each country in which they operate, without exception. Secondly, banks should be required by law to give details of all accounts they maintain for companies operating in the UK so HMRC and Companies House can chase any companies who pretend to be dormant to evade tax. These two simple changes could help recover billions of pounds of lost tax for the UK by revealing those hiding their income from view.

Sign this petition : http://epetitions.direct.gov.UK/petitions/18996

BACKGROUND

Caroline Lucas is launching the Bill after posing a number of Parliamentary Questions to the Chancellor, in which she exposed the fact that HMRC is failing to prevent serious tax evasion which could amount to as much as £16 billion of lost tax.

A report published by Tax Research UK reveals that around 500,000 companies “disappeared” from the UK’s Register of Companies in the year to March 2010 – with billions being lost to the Exchequer as a result.

The Green Party MP believes that urgent measures are needed to stop companies that are formally dissolved from trading fraudulently, thereby undermining honest businesses who do pay their taxes.

Caroline Lucas MP said: “This Bill has two aims. The first is to tackle the scandalous reality that around 500,000 companies every year are not paying tax in the UK – an issue highlighted in the report published by Tax Research UK this week. It estimates that regulatory failures by H M Revenue & Customs and Companies House mean that around 500,000 companies a year fail to pay their tax or file their accounts.

“A great many are simply struck off the Register of Companies as a result, never to be heard of again. Tax Research UK estimate that up to £16 billion of tax a year might be lost to the country as a result.

“This Bill would ensure that banks have to provide details on all accounts they maintain for companies operating in the UK so that H M Revenue & Customs and Companies House can chase those companies who do not file the returns they’re obliged to make for the missing information – and the tax they owe. This simple law could recover billions of pounds of lost tax for the UK.”

She continued: “Secondly, the bill would force companies to ‘publish what tax they pay’, requiring all companies filing accounts in the UK to include a statement on the turnover, pre-tax profit, tax charge and actual tax paid for each country in which they operate, without exception.

“If they only trade in the UK, this has no impact on them. This information would, however, mean that the answers to the questions asked of Barclays Bank earlier this year about where it earned its profits, how much profit was recorded in tax havens, and where it paid its taxes could be answered for all companies trading internationally.”

Caroline Lucas added: “This information on where companies make their sales, record their profits and pay their taxes is vital if we are to ensure that multinational corporations make a fair and proper contribution to our society.

“Corporate social responsibility is not an option for companies – and paying tax to the country that provides them with their opportunities to trade is an essential part of it. You can’t be socially responsible and accountable unless you say where you are and what you do in each place that you trade.”

Notes

– The report from Tax Research UK is entitled ‘500,000 missing people: £16 billion of lost tax’ and is available here – http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Documents/500000Final.pdf

There are a number of key elements that I feel contributed to this success.

• The campaign was fronted by a grass-roots protest group of local concerned residents – The Vale Says No!
• This group in itself was fronted by a tenacious and articulate young lady who became the identifiable figurehead and spokesperson for the campaign. (‘The Erin Brokovich of the Vale’)
• There was access to a reasonable level of technical understanding of the fracking process that helped keep the focus on the truly important aspects and avoid some of the red herrings.
• The active members of the campaign group were all well-educated, willing to learn and well connected.
• Key local politicians were courted from an early stage, and getting support from across the political spectrum certainly helped.
• Local media (press, TV and radio) were kept fully informed so that they knew they could follow an evolving story. Relationships were fostered with key journalists.
• A series of public meetings in all the surrounding communities were held – and were well promoted and well attended. They were grounded in an explanation of what is known and what is not known; were not allowed to become scare-mongering exercises; and had a degree of credibility, as a result, that opponents struggled to counter.
• The campaign engaged with the planning process and the local planners from an early stage, with the Wales context offering the opportunity to request the calling in of the application, away from the local authority, to the Welsh Government. Although this was turned down, it yielded good media coverage and also opened up the debate about how the planning system as it stands is unsuitable to deal with this sort of proposal. This was ultimately very telling, in my opinion.
• Raising public awareness was a constant challenge, but all avenues were utilised – the media, posters, banners, tee shirts, leafleting, use of social media (esp Facebook), stalls at events. Getting the public support of a huge, respected brand name such as the Co-operative, with real tangible involvement from them locally, was a huge boost
• Every opportunity was taken to present and disseminate telling expert testimony – Ingraffea, Colborn, Newsnight, the Ecology Unit, and of course, Gasland – especially to the decision-makers; the councillors on the planning and scrutiny committees.
• Equally, every opportunity was taken to challenge and discredit the arguments and information offered by the proponents e.g. The potential reserves and jobs, the make up of frack fluid, the soundness of their precautions, the safety record of the related industries etc.
• Certain lines of argument proved particularly telling with the decision-makers. Most telling, I believe, was the lack of any bespoke planning framework, or guidelines even, for this sort of fossil fuel exploitation. Having this conceded by the Environment Agency and Coastal Oil & Gas themselves really grabbed the attention of these councillors. The Vale Councillors, including Leader Cllr Kemp very publicly, recognised that their approval of this industry could well be letting an evil genie out of the bottle with no way of effectively controlling it and no chance of getting it back in the bottle once it was out. They rightly realised that the Welsh Government and Westminster were effectively passing the buck and likely to make them the scapegoats when the inevitable calamities start to happen.
• The other line of argument that seemed to resonate with the councillors was the sound logic behind our argument that test drilling applications should not be considered in isolation. They are simply the first step in an integrally linked set of stages to full production. If there is no chance of allowing subsequent stages, there is no point in allowing the first stage. History tells us that the other side will force through the counter-argument; that if you allow them to invest huge resources in stage one, you cannot waste all that investment by not allowing the subsequent stages. The Vale Councillors accepted this argument against the advice of their Planning Officer, whose tick box sheets presumably cannot cope with big picture thinking.
• Most of the more obvious environmental issues were not in themselves central, in my opinion. Every development before a planning committee has environmental consequences. They listen to environmental objections all the time, but let things through in the belief that their Planners and the Environmental Agency know enough to ensure that these consequences are manageable and controllable. The above lines of argument shattered this confidence, in my opinion.
• Some good fortune. Getting before a scrutiny committee just a few days before the decision was priceless. The withdrawal of the original application on a small technicality bought us crucial extra time. I am convinced the Planning Committee would have passed the application first time round. Your good fortune is having having the ‘LLANDOW PRECEDENT’ to draw on – to demonstrate that the set procedures and conventional are not inalienable in the face of reasonable arguments, backed by sound evidence, and delivered with repeated conviction.

If I had to distil all this down to my TOP FIVE TIPS for success, I would say:

1. Ensure the campaign is perceived as truly spontaneous grass-roots opposition.
2. Have ONE consistent spokesperson who can become the face of the campaign – with passion and commitment as their main virtues.
3. Focus on the arguments that will impact the most on the decision-makers – which requires having people involved that can guide you on these.
4. Foster relationships with the relevant councillors, key local politicians (from across the political spectrum) and all the media links you can muster to allow you to punch well above your weight.
5. Never ever get involved in scare mongering. What we know and what we don’t know is perfectly scary enough and needs no embellishing. Scare mongering simply serves to discredit the campaign and reduce the likelihood of success.

So where do these lessons need to be disseminated to?
The areas licensed for exploration are shown on this map:
https://www.og.decc.gov.uk/information/bb_updates/maps/landfields_lics.pdf

The grid is the O.S. National grid that relates to any Ordnance Survey map.
The PEDL licenses are based on crude 10km squares of the OS grid.

Using this map, I have identified the following places that need to sit up and take notice of the fracking threat:
https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/fracking-coming-to-a-place-near-you-soon/

Councillors in the Vale of Glamorgan have unanimously rejected an application to test drill for shale gas in the county.

Analysis by Andy Chyba

This represents a total vindication of the stance we have taken from the outset of this campaign back in January 2011.

It also represents a triumph for people power, with the local people of Llandow and the Vale being prepared to wrestle with the issues in order to understand them, and then go out and comprehensively win the arguments calmly, rationally and on merit. Louise Evans and the whole ‘Vale Says No!’ team have achieved far more than any political party could achieve in terms of raising awareness of the issues and getting people and, most importantly, the media to engage with the issues.

I would also like to acknowledge the very brave decision taken by the Vale Planning Committee this evening. 10 Conservatives, 5 Labour, 2 Plaid Cymru and 2 Independents make up this committee. To obtain a unanimous verdict is a stunning result, that ought reverberate around the nation. It is a sensational precedent, as I am pretty certain it is the very first time a shale gas test drilling application has been opposed anywhere in the UK.

The main line of argument that I feel has achieved this result is with regard to the lack of any regulatory regime designed specifically for this industry. This was conceded by Coastal Oil & Gas and the Environment Agency at the Scrutiny Committee Meeting on Monday. The Vale Councillors, including Leader Cllr Kemp, recognised that their approval of this industry could well be letting an evil genie out of the bottle with no way of effectively controlling it and no chance of getting it back in the bottle once it was out. They rightly realised that the Welsh Government and Westminster were effectively passing the buck and likely to make them the scapegoats when the inevitable calamities start to happen.

They also rightly recognised the sound logic behind our argument that test drilling applications should not be considered in isolation. They are simply the first step in an integrally linked set of stages to full production. If there is no chance of allowing subsequent stages, there is no point in allowing the first stage. History tells us that the other side will force through the counter-argument; that if you allow them to invest huge resources in stage one, you cannot waste all that investment by not allowing the subsequent stages. The Vale Councillors accepted this argument against the advice of their Planning Officer, whose tick box sheets presumably cannot cope with ‘big picture’ thinking.

These are messages that need to be delivered loud and clear to town halls across the land. The precedent has now been set. Councillors do not need to bow to the advice of their box ticking, rubber stamping Planning Officers. They can determine what is right and wrong by calling in evidence from people who know what they are talking about, rather than feign understanding and vote in accordance to the party line.

The Vale of Glamorgan Planning Committee have struck a real blow for local democracy, and have proven themselves to be people of true integrity and with the strength to challenge the systems they are asked to operate within – systems designed to let the exploiters and developers to have it all their own way at our expense most of the time.

This decision will strengthen the campaigns against the many and varied threats represented by the frackers, not just in the Vale, but across the land.

The next big question is how will the Welsh Government and Westminster respond to this slap across the face for their complacency to date?

Analysis by Iolo AP Dafydd, BBC Wales environment correspondent

“Almost all councillors spoke of their fears about pollution if fracking for shale gas took place following a positive outcome to test drilling in Llandow.

Several said they felt the planning committee needed advice and guidance from the Welsh government as well as the UK government, because drilling for shale gas was of national importance.

Some councillors said they felt the Welsh government was passing the buck by insisting the councillors had enough power and control to make their own decision, whether that be test-drilling or possibly in future fracking for shale gas.

Most said they accepted there will be an appeal. Cliff Patten – a planning consultant for Coastal Oil and Gas – affirmed after the meeting it was likely.

Many councillors also felt a public inquiry was needed.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/jae_rhim_lee.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-10-19&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

It is the most exciting and uplifting thing I have listened to for a long time and is yet another rebuttal and antidote to the dystopian future the frackers have planned for us!

http://www.ted.com/talks/justin_hall_tipping_freeing_energy_from_the_grid.html?utm_source=newsletter_weekly_2011-10-19&utm_campaign=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email

Representations were made by:

• Coastal Oil & Gas Ltd
• Environment Agency
• Welsh Water
• Prof Cartwright, Cardiff University
• Cowbridge Residents Group
• CPRW
• Denis Campbell – UK Progressive Magazine
• Me and Louise Evans for ‘The Vale Says No!’

We really had Coastal Oil & Gas on the ropes most of the night, and it was good to see the Environment Agency getting a rough ride too. As for Prof Cartwright, I thought he was there as the ‘frackers friend’ – but his contributions were feeble.

The evening culminated in an unexpected coup. A member of the Scrutiny Committee proposed that the Vale of Glamorgan Council be requested to declare itself in favour of a moratorium and, further, to call on the Council to lobby both the Welsh Government and Westminster for a moratorium too.

This was put to the vote and was passed unanimously by the entire Scrutiny Committee!!

Many of this Committee will be sitting on the Planning Committee meeting on Thursday which will decide the fate of Coastal Oil & Gas’ test drilling application at Llandow.

Watch this space!

1. Welcome and Introductions
2. Apologies for Absence
3. Minutes and matters arising
4. Officers’ reports
5. Campaigns update – esp. fracking/pv for free
6. Elections – BCBC 2012 – Nomination of Candidates
7. AOB
8. DoNM

NOTE – Venue is 2 minutes walk from both the Bus and Train stations in Bridgend.
See map: https://bridgendgreens.wordpress.com/2011/07/16/next-meeting/

IF ANYONE NEEDS A LIFT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW
Andy.