KNOW YOUR ENEMY

Thanks, again, to my growing band of informants, correspondents and researchers out there.

Not only is it encouraging to discover just how big the grassroots support for the proposed Lenchwick Windfarm is, as well as how many are appalled, depressed and disgusted by the shabby tactics of VVASP; it's good to have fresh insights and sources of information.

This, for example, was sent in recently. It's an interesting examination of the tricks being used by climate change deniers and anti-windfarm groups. Note that the main tactics were devised by fundamentalist Christians in the States to challenge the Darwinian theory of evolution. The same refusal to grapple with science, reality and common sense is evident in the anti-windfarm protests.

Here's the link: http://blog.businessgreen.com/2009/06/teach-the-contr.html

It's a wake-up call, both to the wind energy industry and to those who care about the future (I mean REALLY care about it). The blog entry outlines, in simple form, the tactics used, disingenuously, by the protesters, which are:

1) pretend that there is a 'debate' about wind power and doubts about its effectiveness and efficiency

2) pretend that some sort of conspiracy, involving the European Union, government tax subsidies, money-grubbing energy firms, whatever, is involved in foisting these turbines on people who just happen to live in rural areas

3) pretend to be taking a more 'balanced' position than the developers - along the lines of VVASP's meaningless and utterly fraudulent 'right technology in the right environment' claptrap

Each of these tactics are based on misleading information, misrepresenting basic facts and - well, let's be honest - lying your head off left, right and centre. Like the crazy fundamentalists in the US, it allows weirdos to appear to be talking sense when, in reality, their ideas are ridiculous and their motives extremely questionable.

These tactics can be countered by making sure that the REAL facts (i.e., not the made-up VVASP 'facts') are known.

There is nothing to fear from windfarms - unless you've been conned by self-interested groups like VVASP into believing that they're somehow, magically and mysteriously, dangerous.

But there's plenty to fear from people who feel no compunction about lying, and lying, and lying again, in order to force other people to support their entirely selfish and unreasonable views.