WHISPER WHO DARES

Think about it.

The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be destroyed, only transformed. A wind turbine exists to turn wind energy into kinetic energy and then into electricity. Any noise created in the process would not just be a public nuisance - it would be a waste of energy. Designers of wind turbines and windfarm developers have every reason to ensure that they make as little noise as possible.

Now, there are some people in the Vale and its villages who know this. They also know that windfarms are practically silent. Their holiday homes are near windfarms, or they have visited windfarms in the UK or elsewhere. They have found out for themselves and, generally, they have no objection to the proposed Lenchwick Windfarm because THEY KNOW WINDFARMS ARE NOT NOISY.

There are others in the area who THINK windfarms are noisy. They have no personal experience of windfarms, but they refuse to accept the evidence of those who have because VVASP have TOLD them that they're noisy.

These people will argue themselves into a corner because they don't want to hear the truth, they just want to listen to the rabid bleatings of a bunch of self-centred nimbies.

There is, of course, a third group of people. These have visited windfarms. One of them, at least, has a grasp of physics. Their experience has shown them that windfarms make hardly any noise at all. And yet ...

And yet they refuse to let others know this. Why? Because they are the hardcore of VVASP and they WANT other people to believe what they KNOW to be untrue.

They have repeatedly misled people over the noise issue.

How does this square with their claim to be helping residents to make an 'informed decision'?

How on earth can misinforming them help them make an 'informed' decision?

I know of one guy - who has plenty of engineering experience - who has been told by people he knows very well that windfarms are not noisy. These people KNOW. But he won't believe it. Because VVASP have lied and lied and lied to him about this.

Every time VVASP put out yet more misleading propaganda about windfarm noise they betray their base motives. They're not interested in helping anyone to make an 'informed' decision - because those who do so tend to come out in favour of the windfarm. They desperately want their friends and neighbours to make a MISINFORMED decision.

One day, those graceful and spectacular turbines will be turning away near our villages, and those who were repeatedly lied to by VVASP about the noise will realise that they were being deliberately misled by people they respected.

Till then, people in the Lenches are trying not to make too much noise of their own. Consultants working for ScottishPower Renewables are monitoring the background noise as part of the consultation/planning process. So the sillier nimbies are trying to tiptoe about the place, as if to fool the experts into thinking that there's never any noise whatsoever in the Lenches.

It is true, of course, that immigrants into the villages have killed off some of the noise we used to enjoy - like the motorcross which took place on King Hill for many years (stopped by selfish beasts from the cities).

But, seriously, what is the point of trying to misrepresent the normal background noise levels in the Lenches when the wind turbines will add next to nothing to them anyway? Maybe if they didn't believe their own nonsense about windfarm noise (and why should they, when some of them at least know for a fact that it's not true) they wouldn't be creeping about the place now.

I guess some people will believe whatever they want to believe, regardless of evidence and experience. And if those people are VVASP, they'll do all they can to make everybody else believe the same rubbish.