THREE PER CENT

Back in April, the results of an Ipsos MORI poll were published.

More than 1,000 people were surveyed.  The question they were asked was simple:

"To what extent are you in favour of or opposed to the use of wind power in the UK?"

See?  Nice and simple.

The nimbies hate this sort of survey, because it just asks a simple question.  If they had their own way, the anti-wind fascists would seek to skew the questions (e.g., "Given that windfarms eat babies, cause global warming and provide homes for immigrants, how much would you like to see one built in your living room?") or to manipulate the results - which was how VVASP managed to turn a minority of local residents opposed to the proposed Lenchwick Windfarm into an "overwhelming" majority.  Basically, as usual, they lied.  And then Karen Lumley MP repeated their lies at the Wychavon District Council planning meeting.  But then, Karen Lumley doesn't really get it, does she?

Back to the April poll.  As we've seen, the question was pretty straightforward.  And here are the results:

TO WHAT EXTENT ARE YOU IN FAVOUR OF OR OPPOSED TO THE USE OF WIND POWER IN THE UK?

Strongly in favour - 28%
Tend to favour - 38%
Neither favour nor oppose - 22%
Tend to oppose - 5%
Strongly oppose - 3%
Don't know - 4%

Let's look at those figures in more detail.

The total of the 1,000+ Britons polled who were broadly or strongly in favour of wind power was 66% - or roughly two-thirds of the population.

The total who were broadly or strongly opposed was 8% - or less than one-tenth of the population.

More people didn't know what they thought than were strongly opposed.

The number of Britons who neither favour nor oppose wind power was nearly three times the number who are opposed to it.

The number of Britons who do favour wind power was more than eight times the number opposed.

Now, our local group of nimby liars and nutters played about with the results of parish council surveys in order to get the result they wanted (a completely fictional "75%" against), and one of the ways they did that was to discount everyone who didn't express an opinion.

But let's be realistic.  If you're not opposed to wind power, then you're not opposed.  You may not be especially keen on windfarms, but you don't really have a problem with them.

So, if we add the "don't care very much either way" respondents to the number who were fairly or strongly in favour of wind power in the UK, we get the grand total of 88%.

We'll leave the "Don't know's" out of it, for now.

What this means is that, while just EIGHT PER CENT of the population are either mildly or massively opposed to wind power in the UK, EIGHTY-EIGHT PER CENT are strongly in favour, broadly in favour or just not particularly bothered.

This means that TEN TIMES AS MANY BRITONS ARE IN FAVOUR, OR CERTAINLY NOT OPPOSED TO, WIND POWER AS ARE AGAINST IT.

When we look at the real, out-and-out fanatics - the brainwashed nimby brigade who see it as their duty to spread clueless lies about windfarms in order to "protect" an already spoiled landscape - they amount to a grand total of ...

Wait for it ...

THREE PER CENT OF THE UK POPULATION!!!

Now, let's take the 2010 figures for the British population, which stood at just over 62 million.  Less than two million of those are "Strongly opposed to wind power in the UK".  About 3 million "Tend to oppose" wind power.  So, almost five million Britons aren't very happy about the idea of wind power.  While 57 million Britons like it or don't have a problem with it.

So, why oh why oh why do we only ever hear from the hugely unrepresentative, dishonest, noisy, thuggish loudmouths of the Three Per Cent?

And why has our idiot Chancellor suddenly made it his mission to destroy the wind industry in the UK by slashing what are laughably called "subsidies" - actually, ROC payments made by energy companies - to wind by a crippling 25%?  The industry is ready and prepared for a proposed 10% cut in the ROC payments, because improved technology and increasing deployment mean that the costs of generating wind energy are coming down.  But in a sop to the swivel-eyed lunatics on the government's backbenches - the dishonest cretins who have got it into their thick, echoing skulls that wind power is some sort of "scam" - George "Desperate" Osborne is thinking of destroying one of the only growth industries in the country.

When nearly 90% of the British population are strongly in favour of, broadly in favour of or totally unfazed by windfarms!

Of course, Osborne is playing to the extreme right-wing - the same sort of unpatriotic maniac who is happy to see the UK's economy blitzed on ideological grounds, and who never takes the slightest bit of interest in what's happening in the rest of the world.  Everywhere, from Mexico to Morocco, huge windfarms are springing up as the world recognises the need to wean itself off dirty fossil fuels and expensive, dangerous and unreliable nuclear.  Everywhere, that is, except in Britain - where a bunch of fanatics are playing King Cnut with our futures, like the brainless drones they are!

Want some fun facts?  In the first three months of 2012, the amount of electricity generated by wind in the UK was up by a massive 46.8% on the same period last year.

Only a third of the UK's 340 windfarms are based in England - where almost all the anti-wind lunacy originates.

Remember, only THREE PER CENT of the British population is "Strongly opposed to wind power in the UK".

So let's hear a bit of truth about wind, from time to time, from the Mail and the Telegraph, please - or are they exclusively the mouthpieces of the demented and selfish 3%?