In times past they used to be called curtain twitchers, peering out from behind the lace to ensure that activities on the street didn’t break the neighbourly code of peace and quiet at all times, writes Rural Affairs Editor Nathan Rous.
An over-exuberant children’s party would be duly noted and repeat offences dealt with severely; awkward parking would be logged and often reported to higher authorities in the hope a towed car would be a lesson learned; even the leaving out of wheelie bins post-collection would incur much wrath.
But given we live in such politically-correct times, the word twitch is now seen as derogatory, suggesting an uncontrollable facial tick or seizure. It’s the same logic which means people with disabilities who attend day centres throughout Shropshire are called ’service users’ rather than just ‘people’.
So for curtain twitchers, now read action group. Action groups sound very powerful but in reality they contain the same sorts of people who would spend a day peering out of the window attuning their noses to the smell of stray dog poo; people with nothing to do but fight glibly for the status quo to remain and capital punishment for any contravention of their self-imposed law.
They are the embodiment of nimbyism, protecting their own environment to the detriment of others; preventing progression and squeezing the life out of the very community they misguidedly seek to cocoon without ever coming up with any alternatives.
Occasionally you will find the odd action group which works, especially those set up to challenge the Government over the postcode lottery of the NHS or the Highways Agency’s intention to strike a bypass through the heart of an AONB, but on the whole they are a blood-sucking scourge on our society; a scar on our streets; more damaging to our communities than the supposed perils they are trying to outlaw.
You wouldn’t have found too many fans of action groups among the audience at an energy conference held in Shropshire on Tuesday, for despite the desperation to seek new sources of power, and low-carbon ones at that, the good old neighbourly charlatans threaten to put the mockers on any progress.
Take anaerobic digestion; a great way to create electricity, heat and valuable fertiliser out of products traditionally seen as waste - cow slurry, shredded food waste, etc.
Yet with projects starting around the million-pound mark and rising to three or four times that cost depending on the size, it’s never going to fall under the action group radar, despite the fact they are likely to be hidden on industrial sites or remote farmland.
Given the latest price rise by British Gas (er, a 35 per cent increase if you missed the headlines) we should be falling over ourselves to encourage anaerobic digestion and sister projects like combined heat and power plants. It makes perfect sense.
Getting them through planning is another matter altogether and the process simply serves to prick the interest of nimbys far and wide.
Within a flash the battle lines are drawn up, banners are daubed with slogans, and chants invented like: “What do we want? No more anaerobic digesters. When do we want it? Not for the forseeable future as long as it’s anywhere remotely near my house.”
Of course there is no point pretending that the majority of farmers are doing this for ‘green’ reasons. There is cold hard cash to be made from alternative energy.
But why should we continually expect them to take the moral high ground if the end result is still the same? They have gone through one of the leanest, disease-riddled decades in history so why shouldn’t they sniff out the pound?
At least in this way it can benefit us all. I don’t know too many people who can cope with a 35 per cent energy increase every year on top of the insane food and fuel prices. As one of the speakers said on Tuesday: “I understand the environmental importance, but if I’m hungry enough I’ll eat the last panda.”
The end justifies the means. Perhaps there’s one action group I wouldn’t mind seeing . . . one to campaign against action groups.
17 Comments
Nathan Rous seems to be a very angry young man. Perhaps he would like to get it off his chest by organising public debate, any where any time, so that his assertions can be put to the test.
He seems to forget that we have a system in this country which contains democratic checks and balances that look after a much wider range of interests than the cash flow of putative developers.
Does he also not understand that badly promoted and explained schemes are likly to cause the gall to rise in those who are exposed to their impacts. Schemes such as those that make bogus claims of benefit, to garner grants and developers who will not reveal details of the technology they propose to use are likly to be opposed.
Last week the Three Tunns in Bishops Castle was full of various action group members to hear a presentation on anaerobic digestion. The speaker was listened to with attention and there were detailed questions. There was considerable interest shown but it was dampened by dubious economics and discusion of the serious odour problems arising at the Ludlow operation. There was never the less an enthusiasm to persue the posibility of a plant in the town if thes matters could be overcome.
Nathen should stop barking at the moon and use the priviliged position he holds as a journalist to faciltate debate and to educate both the public and developers so that Shropshire gets development that is soundly based both environmentaly and economicaly.
I’m sure he would want an action group to help him if was to be madehomeless or his house was to be compulsory purchased to build a road or runway.
He lost credibility after his review of restaraunts.
How right Nathan. Whilst I don’t know anything about the anaerobic digestion plans - action groups (outside of their right place) are indeed a concern anywhere that wants to evolve. Debate and well thought out ideas for the best of a community is one thing - not in my backyard is another. Not unsurprisingly these this NIMBYISM is more prevalent rurally and where people are fairly well off. Certainly in Shropshire there seems to be a lot of people who want to build a barricade around the county boundaries with a sign ‘not welcome here’.
the shrewsbury town centre residents association are good entertainment, they go round pointing at rubbish saying someone should do something about it, rather than picking it up and putting it in a bin themselves.
Nathan , grow up, other people don’t live like you, where you live, with your problems. Do you write these things just to get reactions of the public? Suppose the farmer next to you wanted to build a 1000 tonne silage clamp which on average of 300days a year blew straight through your home. Would you consider yourself standing in the way of improvement or even “a blood-sucking scourge on our society” if you and any neighbours you may have decided to object? What suits you mayn’t suit everyone. Bark at this crazy world, not the people just trying to have a life free of big business trampling over their Roses. Please, also quite this psuedo anti-townie thing, it makes you cheap - and people have seen through that for years. H
Without action groups no action would be taken to prevent those more well off than the poor 3rd class members of society being down trodden and forgotten about.
It seems Mr Rous has a “I’m ok Jack” attitude when writing his articles
hey mr rous, it looks like shropshire needs a new prison. Any chance it can be built next door to your house. i’m sure you won’t mind
prison next to his house, powered by cow poo, with a few mobile phone masts surrounding it.
I’m sure he wont have any objections to any of it
I agree damn NIMBY’s always blocking useful energy projects, if we could be mnore like china, get rid of democracy, we could sort this county out a treat and get some stuff built cheap
as owen paterson mp shows with his stupid attempts to block green power in shropshrie, we must never give an inch to the NIMBY Luddite’s who would like to keep us in the Dark Ages
pity we cant harness all the bull…. spoken by the action groups,we could power an A.D plant for years…..
nathan, did you no action group has replaced train spotting in the top ten list for hobbies
sorry losing the plot here what is he on about.
i agree, a classic example of this NIMBY attitude is Owen Patterson MP trying to block a much needed wind farm development in Shropshire
hear hear, we need more development in this country, houses, roads, factories, wind turbines, airports, etc we need them all big time, so any one that gets in the way should be hammered down
Why is it that those in favour of rampant and unregulated development hide behind pseudonyms, use terms of abuse rather than argument and have never taken the trouble to examine the proposals they apparently support. Could they by any chance be related. I think we should be told.
Perhaps they are all Nathan Rous?
There is good and bad action groups, but I can relate to these so called “Village Action Committees” who are townies moving in to rural villagesa nd trying to change everything such as having flowers and bulbs planted everywhere, just like the town they come from, claiming that they are the “voice” of the villagers. They are not an dthe Council shouldn’t take any notice of the wasting pandering to their every request. In my village they wasted £10,000 on new village signs, and some of the village committe benefited financialy by being paid for the work, yet the council refuses to clean the drains and people get flooded time and time again.