How do you write an Anti-Fracking poem?
In May 2016 North Yorkshire County Council approved an application
to carry out Fracking outside the village of Kirby Misperton, near Flamingo
Land. An existing wellsite, this would
be the first time Fracking had happened in the UK 2011. I’d spent a lot of my activist energy against
austerity, and green issues like Fracking had always been on my periphery
vision. But I went to the day-long protest and debate in Northallerton. Suffice to say there were people from across
the country from different backgrounds and ideologies opposing this dangerous use
of fossil fuels.
In true punk rock tradition, if you have a grievance with the
world you create a 3 minute piece about it.
So I wrote ‘Boroughbridge Road’ which went through various iterations
and edits before finally ending up as the poem you’ll find on YouTube.
The poem came out of that vast day of people coming together with
an empathises on Yorkshire-ness. I often worry so much it doesn’t work when
performed outside God’s Own Country. The
anti-fracking movement has many heads, and one is to defend the rural countryside
as beautiful, peaceful and homely. At
the climax to the day, everyone held aloft a White Yorkshire Rose to symbolise
the purity of the Yorkshire countryside.
The White Rose may be a royalist emblem originally, but to me it means
home and community.
So that was my first experience with the movement. Since then I’ve visited the Kirby Misperton
Protection Camp and the gates several times.
I’ve been to Preston New Road site and hope to do more as the struggle
escalates. Of course, there can be many
other reasons for fighting fracking not associated with the purity of the
landscape. I’ve asked myself, if the
site was a wind farm would I be so quick to defend the green? There are plans for 1000 new buildings in the
Hammerton area. In the middle of a
housing crisis, should I be opposed to this like I’m opposed to Fracking?
The answer, to me, lies in the massive dangers associated with
Fracking as proven time and time again in Australia and America and no matter
how many times Internet People assure me that British laws and regulations will
keep the water and land safe, I simply to not accept the risk when companies’ priorities
are profit.
So I decided to use my poem as a piece of propaganda. It would be a tool to use at open mics, slams
and general gigs. Its continued use of
the White Rose imagery works well in local York pubs, we’re quite proud of our boundaries
up here in t’North. Insult the Yorkshire
attitude and we’ll retaliate. The North
is often to the firs to be slashed in its public services. I don’t think it’s a coincidence the three
hot spots for Fracking licences have been Barton Moss (outside Manchester)
Preston New Road (outside Blackpool) and Kirby Misperton (25 miles from York).
So I was trying to inspire a defence of the Yorkshire land in the
poem. I enjoy reading it and getting
away with saying “frack off” in the pub.
Please come to the gates of KM8, the wellsite outside Kirby
Misperton. Visit the protection
camp. Find out for yourself what is
happening. The people defending the countryside
are a mixture of the young and old, the hippies and the middle class, locals
and visitors. It’s passionate and
friendly and beautiful and I’m proud to be have been part of it, and will
continue to be. Below is a list of
things you can do to support the anti-fracking movement.
Oh and one last thing: Big
shout-out to any Police reading this blog.
·
Visit www.frackfreenorthyorkshire.com and
www.frackfreeryedale.org to read up on the local dangers of Fracking and to
join the mailing list.
·
Visit www.frackfreeryedale.org/donations to
donate whatever you can to support the campaign.
·
Join the Facebook groups Kirby Misperton Protection Camp and Frack-Free York to keep updated.
·
Share articles and information online. If you’re on Twitter, follow @F_F_Ryedale and
@FFNYorkshire. #Frackfree #WeSaidNo
·
Contact your local MP
www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/
·
Write a letter to York Press, BBC Radio York or
your local press.
·
Contact Secretary of State for Energy Greg
Clark MP greg.clark.mp@parliament.uk
·
Contact Third Energy to tell them to stop
Fracking:
https://www.third-energy.com/contact-us
·
Politely ask the companies supplying the Fracking site to
reconsider who they are working for and the damage they will cause:
Moorhouse Drilling Bessingby
Industrial Estate Enterprise Way Bessingby Industr, Bessingby, Bridlington YO16
4SJ 01262 608731
Grimaldi Agencies
UK Ltd 28 St James's Square
St James's
London SW1y 4JH 0207 930 5683
Walker Crane
Services Motherwell Trading
Estate, Motherwell Way, Grays RM20 3XD 01708 867251
·
Come down and support in
person
·
Visit the Protection Camp where people are camping over to be closer to
the protest. Maybe take some supplies,
toilet paper, water, food etc. Being a
smile and show your support. It’s on
Kirby Misperton Road, left off the A169 as you drive towards Malton, postcode YO17 6UE, follow the signs for
Flamingo Land.
·
Visit
the protests which are happening outside the Fracking site. Every weekday local residents are taking a
stand. It’s on Kirby Misperton Road between
Kirby Misperton and Little Barugh village. Again, if you can bring sandwiches and support
that would be greatly appreciated by the local residents who are continuing to
fight against Fracking.
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