Friday the 30th Oct - it should be more scary!

Busy Friday Night -  Driftwood were playing at Crabble Mill in Dover last night. Dave was reported as enjoying himself with his other job in Bottles (they were headlining at the event).

I decided to attend the Deal With IT meeting on 'Renewable Energy' at St Georges with Michael Meacher MP and Alistair Gould from the Pines Calyx in St Margaret's Bay (5miles along the coast).

Good to catchup with Patrick (we compared notes on last weekend's marathons) and discuss his ideas on getting a sustainable-cycling campaign going locally.

The meeting was well attended for a friday - about 70 people and there was was a good level of  discussion. I have not heard Michael Meacher since the Miners Strike and he was forthwright and critical of the Government and political class in general but enjoyable to listen too.

Personally I thought the discussion missed the point a bit:

 a) what should be no-brainers like delivering the 'decent homes' standard to the millions of council homes which is being put on hold by the Government to save money to pay the debts from bailing out the bankers.This will only get worse with all parties pushing the cuts agenda in 2010.

b) The not in my-back-yard localism - In my view this is because others are making profits from a perceived eye-sore (like a turbine), and there is no direct benefit to the communities effected. Easy remedy give them a percentage of the profits or free power...

 c) The sense of urgency - in 150 year if nothing changes, where the meeting was held (in a plush Georgian Church) will be under the sea (due to rising sea levels and the fact that Kent is sinking [thats the Ice-age for you]). Time to pick up the pace... we should be scared

All in MHO, Roadie