Vivienne Westwood and son, Joe Corre, with anti-fracking protesters outside, Cuadrilla’s Preston New Road fracking site on 16 October 2018. Photo: Ki Price/Getty Images
The fashion designer and environmental campaigner, Dame Vivienne Westwood, joined protests against fracking in Lancashire.
She and her son, Joe Corre, visited shale gas opponents outside Cuadrilla’s site at Preston New Road near Blackpool, where fracking started yesterday.
Dame Vivienne danced to Abba’s Dancing Queen, the same song used by Theresa May at the Conservative Party Conference.
Video: Refracktion.com
Mr Corre accused the government of “standing up for a dying oil and gas industry”, defying local objections to fracking and breaching obligations under the Paris climate agreement.
“Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France and Germany have all rejected fracking. England has been left flapping in the wind.
“The Conservative Government is now isolated as the only main political party waving the last and final flag of air polluting fracking.
“But now even Tory politicians are seeing sense and rejecting Fracking”.
“Tory MPs know the next election depends on them rejecting fracking at all costs and standing up for communities’ right to decide”.
The pro-fracking group, Lancashire for Shale issued a statement this evening:
“The hard working people and businesses of Lancashire deserve the chance to benefit from the opportunities that a successful shale gas industry will be responsible for – opportunities that this poorly informed, politically motivated millionaire seems to want to deny them.
“It’s also rather ironic that she should come here to criticise the environmental credentials of UK shale gas considering that the fashion industry is one of the top five most polluting industries in the world.”
Categories: Opposition
DRILL OR DROP? 
Luxembourg has not banned fracking?
So they didn’t break the injunction as promised… Just climbed into their chauffer driven limousine and left.
They climbed into a Nissan Leaf as it happens Mike – It always pays to check a fact or two before making yourself look silly.
Chauffer or not?
What’s a chauffer?
The petrol stations around PNR must be doing a roaring trade!
Poor guys working at the Cuadrilla site, breathing in all those increased emissions. Ban refracktions diesel from the vicinity as a health precaution.
Martin old son – how many times do I have to tell you my diesel is as clean burning as most petrol cars. Enough with the fake news please.
You drive a diesel…
I think I prefer Theresa’s dance moves over Dame Vivienne’s.
Clearly you have no sense of rhythm, whilst she is elderly and not so nimble on her feet, she was infinitely better than those excruciatingly, embarrassingly awkward robot moves from Maybot, truly forced and shameful. The Conservatives are a freak show and international laughing stock. The problem is they can’t see it; like insipid vampires looking into a mirror.
Oh Lan-cashier for Sale – shame on you!
“this poorly informed, politically motivated millionaire ” – I think that’s a great description of Claire Perry though.
And LFS are you seriously comparing the emissions from the fashion industry to those of oil and gas?
Perhaps you’d like to show us the relative figures for fashion and electricity and heating. I know what they are but I’d like to see you admit it after your ridiculous comment.
https://www.fashionatingworld.com/new1-2/carbon-emissions-from-fashion-industry-to-rise-60-per-cent-by-2030
“As per State of Fashion report 2018 released by McKinsey & Company, the ecological impact and the carbon footprint of the fast fashion industry, remains a cause of concern even though the industry has become more environmentally responsible and sustainable. The journal Natural Climate Change reveals the current total greenhouse gas emissions from textile production stand at 1.2 billion ton annually. The fashion industry is responsible for 10 per cent of the global carbon emissions and, according to UNFCCC, if the sector fails to adopt sustainable initiatives its emissions are likely to rise by more than 60 per cent by 2030.”
https://www.ecowatch.com/fast-fashion-is-the-second-dirtiest-industry-in-the-world-next-to-big–1882083445.html
“The clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world … second only to oil,” the recipient of an environmental award told a stunned Manhattan audience earlier this year. “It’s a really nasty business … it’s a mess.”
The fashion industry is a surprisingly high polluter – clearly not as high as oil and gas but then a lot of materials used in the fashion industry are products of oil and gas. And we can do without “fashion”. A quick fix.
There is a fracking “suspension” in Luxembourg – I am surprised no one picked me up on this?
er “clearly not as high as oil and gas ” 😂
“Fashion Is NOT The Second Highest Polluting Industry, Here Are The Real Numbers”
“My calculations put fashion, as an industry, as less polluting than electricity and heat (24.9%), agriculture (13.8%), road transportation (10.5%), and oil and gas production (6.4%), and equal to livestock (5.4%). ”
https://ethicalunicorn.com/2018/02/01/fashion-is-not-the-second-highest-polluting-industry-here-are-the-real-numbers/
Either way I don’t get why somebody pimping the worst industry tries to excuse that by taking a pop at a less polluting industry but desperate is as desperate does though.
The point is that oil and gas are essential, buying new clothes every few weeks is not and can changing this is a quick way of reducing emissions globally. But VW won’t be promoting this of course….
Sure Paul – buying new clothes every few weeks is not essential – is that what you do? Really? Can we see some photos?
But then lighting up town centres like Christmas trees 24/7 is not “essential”. Heating our non-insulated homes so we can walk around in T-shirts in winter is not “essential”. Flying off to Thailand for a fortnight is not “essential”, so saying “oil and gas are essential” with the implication that current usage levels are somehow necessary is a little disingenuous if you don’t mind me saying so.
Would you not agree that our current oil and gas usage could easily be reduced to produce emission levels which might not cause so much harm so quickly? (But probably never as low as the emissions from fashion). We only have 11 years to act according to the IPCC.
John, I agree with your point on reduction of oil and gas and plastics etc. consumption 100%. Should be reduced along with lots of other things including many consumer items, new cars, TVs, phones, lap tops…. Glad you agree about the fashion industry. I still wear some clothes from the 1990’s (much to the annoyance of my wife) and we both buy second hand clothes in charity shops. New clothes are a rarity for me. I detest places like Primark. But oil and gas are still essential including for the fashion industry. Albeit consumption should be reduced. Just returned from our local charity shop but they won’t take the videos which I was offering. They took pretty much everything else.
Well said John Corre.
Nobody care about these attention seeker expired celeb any more.
TW, Dame Vivienne Westwood is a national icon and as a side note looking fantastic for her age.
What successes in your life will you look back upon TW?
AD. You would be surprised what I have achieved.
I give you a clue. I have a medical patent under my name.
I’m sure you do.
Her fashion was gothic and for the rebellious punk culture with anti establishment attitude. And that explains alot about her past and current followers.
TW I hate to worry you but Vivienne Westwood got some great coverage in Vogue yesterday for this.
Anti-fracking is mainstream now, thanks largely to the confluence of the realisation that the climate crisis is real, the awfully bad timing of the start of fracking and people waking up to the fact that if an industry has to try to use the law, or even buy new law (injunctions) to force itself onto communities it is just going to provoke huge opposition. That BEIS polling will be interesting when they finally let us know how much opposition has grown.
Whatever she and her son do does not worry me. Just speaking my opinion.
I don’t disrespect her achievements or her view. But just because she is a fashion icon doesn’t mean she has any real grasp for the issue. It is funny that the antis dont take expert scientific advice from Royal Academy but yet they take scientific advice from a yesteryear fashion designer.
Google Vivien Westwood, tax and green party….