HELLO ROGER

Well, would you Adam and Eve it? This, as it happens, is the 250th Wind of Change blogpost.

Yes, folks, in the two years that this blog has been doing its best to keep you up-to-date on the naughty behaviour of the anti-wind nimbies of VVASP, the progress of the proposed Lenchwick Windfarm, and the case for renewables in general, we have notched up 250 blogposts! Astounding!

It would perhaps be relevant to summarise the first two-and-a-half years of the battle for Lenchwick, but in answer to Roger's recent comment we might simply state that we are currently waiting to hear whether ScottishPower Renewables' legal team recommend appealing against the decision by Wychavon district councillors to deny planning permission for the windfarm on the slender grounds that a few hysterics, busybodies and thugs don't want it.

If SPR do decide to appeal - and let's hope that they do, partly because the planning inspectorate is less easy to corrupt with craven lies than a district council, and partly because the self-serving peddlers of those idiotic lies really do deserve to be exposed for the specimens they are - and if the Den Brook case is anything to go by, we in the Lenchwick area can look forward to many more months of misleading drivel and two-faced hogwash from VVASP.

As Roger pointed out, the antis of Den Brook seemed rather mild in comparison with our local loons (although the television documentary showed very little of the anti campaign, and is yet to broadcast the sort of nonsense that nimbies rely on to fool themselves and others). The hypocrisy of the nimbies over their placards, though, was familiar enough - just like VVASP, the nimby nutters of Den Brook defaced and destroyed other people's signs and then cried foul wen it happened to them.

Fortunately, though, the sort of vandalism inflicted on the wind-measuring mast at Den Brook (on private land!) was not, to the best of our knowledge, repeated at Lenchwick. Seems that our local hoodlums were content to betray their neighbours and their children's futures but to limit the amount of criminal damage they actually committed.

Anyway, we must wait and see whether there will be a new phase yet in the war between truth and lies. To be honest, ScottishPower Renewables might be considering the fact that Scotland is going for 100% of its energy from renewables - how enlightened is that? - and might therefore be tempted to tell the frauds of Middle England to go boil their heads. Scotland can then generate all its energy needs in sustainable ways while we here in England wait for our lights to go out because we are surrounded by morons who believe what they read in right-wing newspapers. Either which way, it looks like SPR will have the last laugh.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Sustainable Energy has published an extremely useful document addressing "public concerns about wind power". As Den Brook, Lenchwick and countless other places have proved, it only takes a few liars to confuse all the issues relating to wind power. A more grown-up and civilised society would engage in reasoned debate about our energy future - the very thing that VVASP did everything in its power to prevent. Naturally, when many ordinary people are bombarded by witless nonsense by self-centred nimbies, the realities of the matter are likely to get rather muddled.

The Centre for Sustainable Energy has therefore prepared a detailed, factual, measured and scientific report on the various claims made by anti-wind loonies. This could prove to be a vital resource, because all too often in these situations reliable information is lacking (or is just blown out of the water by the crazy talk of the likes of VVASP).

The CSE report can be downloaded here:

http://www.cse.org.uk/downloads/file/common_concerns_about_wind_power.pdf

(or go here for the relevant web page: http://www.cse.org.uk/news/view/1535)

If nothing else, this eminently sensible and honest report will go some way towards showing up the antis as the congenital liars so many of them are. By refusing to allow local people to find out the real facts, and by abusing and threatening those who did, VVASP made sure that only their insane propaganda got out there. Even the local council failed in its obligation to provide accurate and reliable information about renewables, leading to a bizarre situation in which the ignorant and deluded took it upon themselves to "educate" their district councillors.

Now, while protest groups might splash out on remaindered copies of "The Wind Farm Scam", a biased and inaccurate survey of the issues relating to windfarms, in order to brainwash their elected representatives, those who have more than a nodding acquaintance with common sense can find out some of the answers to their concerns.

It's a step forward, no doubt. Just one more step on the road towards a renewable and sustainable future, and a large nail in the coffin of the demented anti-windfarm fringe.