Dennis Skinner MP speaking at a rally in Bolsover, 24 February 2018. Photo: Dale Glossop
The Bolsolver MP, Dennis Skinner, told several hundred anti-fracking campaigners at a rally in Derbyshire that the Labour Party was behind them.
In the keynote speech, Mr Skinner said:
“You are not acting in isolation. Opposition to fracking is Labour Party policy.”
Mr Skinner called on the parliamentary Labour Party to get behind the anti-fracking movement. He said:
“When Jeremy Corbyn comes up here we want him talking about action against fracking.
“We have to make sure that every Labour MP understands that this is Labour Party policy. They should all be shouting it from the roof tops.”
Dennis Skinner MP speaking at a rally at Bolsover, 24 February 2018. Photo: Dale Glossop
The Not for Shale rally in Bolsover followed a five-mile march from the neighbouring villages of Clowne and Shuttlewood.
The area is covered by exploration licences held by INEOS Shale.
The company has been conducting seismic testing east of Bolsover area. It has submitted three planning applications for shale gas wells in north east Derbyshire and Rotherham. Two of the applications are to be decided at public inquiries.
Mr Skinner said the campaigners at today’s event “represented hundreds of people in the north Derbyshire and south Yorkshire coalfield”.
But he said:
“We are not just speaking for people in north Derbyshire and the surrounding area. We are voicing the opinions of most of the people of Britain.
“There are thousands of people who are going to be affected by fracking.
“If we put a stop to this here we will be putting a stop to it in the whole of Britain.
“I will be opposing fracking not just in these towns and villages but everywhere in Britain.”
Not for Shale march and rally, 24 February 2018. Photo: Sharon Poulter
The organisers of the event, Bolsover Against Fracking, estimated about 500 people took part in the march and rally. People came from across the East Midlands. They included representatives from Marsh Lane and Woodsetts, where INEOS has applied for a shale gas exploration, and Misson, where IGas is beginning site construction work for two wells.
Not for Shale rally, 24 February 2018. Photo: Paul Evans
Anne Weston, leader of the Labour group on Derbyshire County Council, said:
“One of the issues that needs to be made clear about INEOS is that this is not about national energy interests. It is about raw materials for the plastics business, just at the time when people are waking up to the environmental damage that plastics can cause.”
Keith Atkin, co-founder of Bolsover Against Fracking (above left), said the march and rally was the “culmination of a year’s hard work” for the group.
“I think if there were representatives of the oil and gas companies here they would go away thinking ‘We have a problem. The population is obviously totally against fracking and we are going to be hard put to overcome this’.
“The fight will continue until fracking is eliminated from the industrial scene in this country.”
David Kesteven, chair of Eckington Against Fracking, at the Bolsover rally, 24 February 2018. Photo: Dale Glossop
David Kesteven, chair of Eckington Against Fracking, which is fighting INEOS’s Marsh Lane application, said the anti-fracking movement was growing and winning people over. He said:
“We are turning the Tories round.”
Some of the biggest applause was for the National Trust, which is facing court action from INEOS over access for seismic testing at Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire.
Deb Hodson, of Frack Free Sherwood and Edwinstowe, said:
“We can bring about an end to fracking through raising awareness, peaceful protest and reminding our politicians that they are elected to listen to us.”
Reporting from this event was made possible by individual donations from DrillOrDrop readers
Categories: Opposition
DRILL OR DROP? 
I see not one Conservative Mp or Councillor is opposing the Fracking industry in Britain what does this tell us about the Conservatives policies on the Environment and the damaging effects Fracking could have on our communities now and in the future.
This is what’s all wrong with fracking,politics and not science.Corbyn will say anything to buy votes.very sad.
It is the Conservative politicians ignoring the emerging science on the impacts of fracking and the climate change science , that is what is wrong with fracking. The science is quite clear, further new reserves of fossil fuels should not be extracted if the world is to stand any chance of halting global temperatures to avoid the devastating impacts of climate change.
When It’s minus 5 degrees with 4 inches of snow next week, the worse cold weather the country will have experienced for 8 years, Corbyn & Skinner might want to remember that 40% of electricity and 80% of household heating comes from gas and we are increasingly dependent on Russia and The Middle East for that gas.
“One of the The first duties of government is to keep the lights on “
It’s called winter Shale watcher. February is typically the coldest month in the UK. If the country was snow/ice-bound from Dec through to March as it was in 1962/63 you might have a point.
The ratio of energy supplies could be tipped in favor of sources other than shale gas (especially towards renewables) more rapidly and more economically than onshore gas field development.
Philip, would you care to demonstrate how it is that wind/solar are more economical than onshore gas? Please make note in your analysis for the random intermittency inherent in these renewable sources as well as their lack of relative energy density. This would of course demand significant redundancy in capacity from either fixed battery storage or fossil fuel back-up, so you would have to take that into account in your analysis. Good luck!
“One of the The first duties of government is to keep the lights on “
That is why we produce nearly 50% of our own indigenous North sea gas.
That is why most of our import requirements ( over 75% 2017) came from our long established secure Norweign gas suppliers.
Note that in the last half of 2017 we did not import piped gas from any other source other than Norway.
We export large amounts so we obviously are not running short.
You can bleat on about Russia and the middle East but in the real gas world the bulk of our gas needs come from our North sea and Norway.
Table 4.4
Click to access Gas.pdf
So when It’s minus 5 degrees with 4 inches of snow next week, the worse cold weather the country will have experienced for 8 years, we can be thankful that over 300,000 experienced North sea workers will be making sure that our boilers fire up and our fires turn on. If you are concerned that Norway may vanish into the ether you may need to wear an extra layer because of the shortfall. Personally I believe Norway will still exist next week.
The issue, John Powney, is that the UK is exposed. Be ostrich like if it suits you, as it did the BEIS, and claim that all is well. Yet that philosophy didn’t play out very well earlier this winter, did it? No, that’s because surprises happen. Pipelines go down. Tankers re-route. Cold snaps endure. And you are rolling the dice with the health and welfare of a large nation.
Forget about the fact that North Sea production is projected to decline in coming years. Forget about the fact that Norway has said that it has no plans to increase production to offset. Forget about the fact that Groningen output has been slashed, leaving Europe and the UK more exposed than ever to Russia. Forget about the fact that the UK will be bidding against Japan and China to buy LNG from Qatar, Russia, and the US. It’s great that you have the warm and fuzzies given the short nat gas exposure that the UK now faces, but I don’t think a lot of people agree with you. That would be especially true to the working men and women who live paycheck to paycheck, the working poor, and those who live in fuel poverty. They can’t afford to see their power bills spike, and they matter in a democracy my good man. So just keep telling yourself that everything’s peachy, and that natural gas will always be cheap and abundant even as you lobby to make it rare and dear.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-20/u-k-at-mercy-of-global-gas-market-as-giant-storage-site-shuts
Even Tory MPs are turning against fracking. Its called democracy, listening to the people. This Ian has a surname. Where’s yours Ian? I am from North Yorkshire, near km8 Third Energy’s well pad. Our community has successfully seen off Third Energy, who appear to be running out of (borrowed) money. Where are you from, other Ian? North America?
Did you not read!! The frack gas will NOT go to keep the lights on that INEOS obtain as you suggest It will go to fuel their plastics plant at Grangemouth. May be you might like to do a little more research before you form an opinion?
The old Keeping the lights on chestnut has already been shown to be absolute rubbish , an industry PR stunt . Ineos just happens to make plastics which needs huge quantities of gas , just work it out , it won’t benefit anyone except JR .
Well it’s a bright frosty Sunday Morning today.
I thought you would like a nice Sunday song to cheer you all up and keep you warm.
This is another early David Bowie song slightly altered with deepest thanks and apologies to the David Bowie estate.
“Please Mr. Frackdigger”
There’s a little backyard just along the way
That used to be Shires finest array
Of communities, villages’, trees, flowers and all that jazz
Til the greed come along and someone drilled a tomb under the lot
And in this little backyard, there’s a little old man
With a little PEDL in his little bitty hand
He seems to spend all his days puffing gas and digging little fracks
He hates the local councillor and he lives all alone in his home….
“Ah-choo, excuse me”
Please Mr. Frackdigger, you should feel ashamed
As you dig little holes for the plastics and the flamed
Please Mr. Frackdigger, I couldn’t care
If you found a golden cockpit full of some fools share
And you put it in your pocket…..
“God, it’s pouring down”
The public doesn’t know about your sentimental joy
They think it’s down below with the rest of your toys
And May wouldn’t understand, so I won’t tell
So keep your golden cockpit all safely hid away in your pocket
Yes, Mr. Sineos, you see me every day
Standing in the same spot by a certain gate
Public trust is always lost when they are treated in this way
And you were the wicked man who took that trust away
Very selfish, oh God
No, Mr. Sineos, you won’t tell
And just to make sure that you cant keep it to yourself
I’ve started digging holes myself
And this one here’s for you…
“Cracked our pipes, she apparently doesn’t know it
Hello misses, thought she’d be a little oil
“Bloody obscene, catch pneumonia or something in this shame”
on MANSFIELD – Nottinghamshire coal mining undermined housing including privately owned housing causing SUBSIDENCE..what happens when SEISMIC testing and earth-quakes r introduced?as in the PRESTON area….who pays the compensation ???will the law be changed to make INEOS liable.
Reblogged this on nearlydead.
I would keep quiet about that Anna, as Mr. Skinner is very much in favour of that, as an ex miner.
I wonder why his views are so different concerning two below ground energy sources in the UK? (One of which does actually have extensive UK data regarding safety issues.) More than a suspicion it is anti capitalism rather than anti fracking. But, of course, the public will not be bright enough to realise that-LOL.
So you’re implying that capitalism is the main driver for fracking Martin? It does tally with your general arguments.
Oh, by the way-Wholesale Gas Prices increased by 14% last week, John. Energy security can be bought, but the price may become too high for some. Record numbers of avoidable deaths from cold related issues within the UK this winter-already.
Mr. Skinner will probably not have to look very far for more burst water pipes during the coming week, with many deciding they can not afford to turn the thermostat up and extend the time clock. But, as long as the plumbers are within a Union, everything will be fine.
I expect most deaths from cold are with the homeless. One such body found at the entrance to Westminster. Food for thought.
There is plenty of energy, plenty of food, plenty of water and plenty of shelter and plenty of warmth for everyone.
What is missing however is the desire to share freely and honestly like true human beings.
People freezing and starving to death in a so called 1st world country like England or anywhere on the entire planet, is not, will not, and never has been a result of lack of available resources.
It is the result of greed and the insanity of hoarding of resources and wealth by the few oiligarchs for themselves only.
Time to get rid of this inhuman insanity of greed and wealth only for the miserly 4% and then maybe we will use all our resources to clean up this planet and return it to its former glory.
Sermon over, have a great Sunday with family and friends.
Your expectation is totally incorrect PhilipP. It is very largely amongst the elderly. If you don’t know an elderly person who will refuse to heat their home fully when the temperature drops because of cost, then you don’t live in the UK.
But, I suspect you know that, and just want to make a point, which is incorrect and more than a little insulting to those people.
Please filter your assumptions Martin. Are you suggesting old people are refusing to heat their homes out of ignorance? Stupidity? Poverty? Where are the stats.