Not Coal

Good to see Greenpeace campaigners taking direct action against a coal fired power station this morning in Kent. A couple of dozen protesters are chained to generators and around thirty others are at the site.

They've tried sending postcards, sending objections through official channels taking all the respectable routes - but you and I know that our democratic processes aren't always about empowering people to get the kind of society that they want. There comes a time when, with clear public backing, it's important to take things up a notch. Excellent work.

Greenpeace say "Just after 5am this morning, 50 Greenpeace volunteers took over the plant. One group immobilised the huge conveyor belts carrying coal into the plant then chained themselves to the machinery. As I write, a second group is climbing up the chimney, with supplies to hold it for several days and force it off the National Grid.

"Coal is the most polluting of all fossil fuels; it just isn’t fit for purpose in the 21st century. The last new coal plant in the UK was built over 30 years ago. Let's keep it that way.

"Update (13:00): While the team scaling the chimney just keeps on climbing (several hours and counting), the team down at the conveyor belt are coal-covered but comfortable."

A spokesman for the company said "These people are not qualified to be in our power station" but of course what they are qualified to see is that climate change is a reality and unless we take real, fundamental action we're all going to suffer more than a little bit of unpleasantness.