Standing tall against the wind Friday, November 13, 2009

Change is afoot.

I’ve never stood eye-to-eye politically with the village I have called, for the last 24 years, my home. Whilst not outwardly party political, my family has always had a left-leaning outlook on life that is at odds with the traditionally Conservative views of the Majority. To add further flies to the ointment, I’ve come to realise there is an inherent distrust for Change amongst the movers and shakers of village life. And so, it shouldn’t really surprise me then that the reception to the proposals to build a windfarm on the old airfield has been less than favourable.

As far as I can see, their reasons for saying ‘NO’ are the stock complaints to the wind industry. Appearance, house values and noise top the list along with the general sense that it would lead to an ‘industrialisation’ of the countryside – a bad argument to choose when the proposed site sits opposite the Industrial estate!

Now for a little back-story.

Kimbolton is, with maybe the exception of Cape Town, one of the windiest places I have ever known. I understood the term ‘prevailing wind’ when I was still in Primary School, and soon after learnt that whichever direction you cycle in, you will always be going against the wind.

The village itself is in a shallow valley, but once you’ve climbed the ‘hill’ (and having lived in Cornwall, I use the term loosely), there are very few bumps in the landscape ‘til you hit the Wash. In other words, there’s no natural windbreak. So it’s hardly surprising that the area has been picked out by the planners – it’s perfect!

But what about the site?

Used in WW2 by the American Airforce, the ‘Stop the Bicton Windfarm’ group would like you to believe that it is a historic piece of ground, a cornerstone in the county’s history. Personally, I feel that this report by the BBC is slightly closer to the truth.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the airfield. Currently training for a Triathlon, both my running and cycle routes take me up there on a regular basis. And walk up there on a cold, clear autumn evening when the mist rises from the ground, you’ll understand where ghost stories come from – it’s bleak and yet beautiful at the same time.

But the fact of the matter is it’s completely unloved.

I’m not quite sure now where this blog post is going. I fear this may lead to others and I have an unshakeable urge to make mischief building up inside me. My current situation won’t allow me to start a counter-campaign quite yet, but as a once active member of this community, I feel it is my duty to say it how it is.

It all started with a leaflet from the Stop the Bicton Windfarm campaign (which, incidentally is being run by someone I have never heard of (and lets recap I’ve lived here for 24 years!)). This led to a sneak peak at the website, which is, by the way, completely misleading. That photo at the top of the page isn’t the proposed site at all – it’s at the other end of the village. In fact, there isn’t a picture of the proposed site on the whole of the website. It’s truly ridiculous. If you say that the land’ll be ruined by the appearance of these monstrosities, show us the land that’ll be ruined!

I could go on, but I won’t……….. yet.

Gah! It’s the only word to describe the anger, the sheer closed-mindedness, the innate distrust for any sort of positive change and the Nimbyism! As a member of the generation who is going to have to deal with the climate fiasco, I’m standing tall with my convictions.

We, as a nation, nay, as a planet, are soon going to be facing an energy crisis. Wind, whilst it has its faults, is a clean, renewable, and constant source of power. Kimbolton, in this case, is blessed with a strong and reliable wind, which has a definite prevailing direction. Apart from two outlying farms, the proposed site is far away from all the villages stated in the website, and will help secure a greener future for the generation to come.

Something has to be done, because if the planet continues to warm and the sea-level predictions are true then, as I said before, the land surrounding Kimbolton is flat from here to the sea!

I am planning on writing a letter to our village magazine in support of the proposals, which I hope will lead to a reasoned debate of the issue.

Brave new world or evil regime? Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Last time I was in the States I came face to face with the failings of their health care system. We had been out celebrating our 21st birthday and my sister tripped over the front step in the dark. A friend of ours rushed forward to make sure that the storm door didn’t slam shut on her, but while doing so ended up cutting open his eyelid on the very same door.

Now, had the same accident occurred here, we would have packed him up and driven straight to A&E. Yes we would probably have waited a good long while, but at the end of the night his eye would have been properly seen to and on the way to recovery.

Unfortunately we were not at home and my friend (who’s American) had recently been made redundant, losing not only his job but his health insurance. Consequently he has a permanent scar underneath his eyebrow.

I have always, and will always be an advocate for a free National Health Service. Access to health care is a basic human right. Which is why this article in the Guardian today has made my blood boil.

For the self-proclaimed ‘leader of the free world,’ the US has a wholy inadequate 2-tier health care system – for those who can afford the premiums, you can expect the best quality care, but for those who can’t – well need I say any more.

At the very heart of any democracy is the idea that we are all born equal – we all have the same chance in life as any other person. Ok, whilst I am an idealist I am in no way naive. I know this is an unattainable ideal, but structures should be in place to at least assist these goals and at the very least a social welfare system which is representative of the country’s standard of living.

But this in no way means a decline in standards, and having a spending plan doesn’t mean you put a price on human life. If anything not having some sort of NHS devalues lives because it basically states that if you can’t afford the treatment you are in some way unworthy of continuing to live.  As far as I can tell the main argumment is that by having these spending caps in place, and  an octogenarian won’t recieve the same standard of health care as a younger person.

This is utterly ridiculous. Having seen the treatment all four of my grandparents received at the end of their lives, I never ever considered that the nurses and doctors were working any less hard to treat them, than any other patient.  They were, after all, as deserving as the next person to walk through the door.

Health care is always a contentious issue, and I will happily admit that the NHS is far from perfect. But despite its faults and its critics it remains a constant and for that I am eternally grateful.

Finally, to any who remain critical I give you this.

The World Health Organisation ranks Britain’s healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place

Says it all really.

And I danced the night away! Friday, July 24, 2009

First off, I’m sorry once again – this blog seems to have died a million deaths these last 2 months.. and rather than taking time to reconnect, I seem to be adding more and more to my plate – I am now officially a blogger for Review Artists and part of the Bright Young Folk admin team.So from having absolutely no experience at the beginning of the year, I now seem to have more on my plate than I can deal with.

Add to this that I have to create my audio-visual MA masterpiece and  find a job… life is a little busy. But who’s complaining!

I have a couple of blogs in the pipeline as we speak, but for the moment I would like to direct you to other outlets for my wisdom.

Why musicians are on twitter

We’re all going on a musical journey!

Festivals going ‘green’ - see how my MA project is progressing (I have photos and videos now!)

And I’ll be back on the ball soon, I promise!

Recession bites! Tuesday, July 7, 2009

This week it’s been impossible to open the paper without seeing at least one article denouncing the likelihood of me graduating with a job in October. With at least 50 graduates applying for every position, the odds are, unfortunately, stacked against me. It’s doom and gloom reading.

But it wasn’t ’til today that the reality of Recession finally hit home.

When I was in Madrid I didn’t get on with my housemates. As a result I used to spend as much time out as possible. My favourite hideaway was a small cafe on the Glorieta de San Bernardo – just opposite the metro station. First discovered on a particularly windy day back in October 2005, we were enticed inside by the prospect of proper toast and jam – not this pan de molde rubbish. 4 months later, when I moved into the city from Majadahonda, I discovered I lived right round the corner and the rest was history.

I’ve been back to Madrid twice since I left in 2006 – both times I was warmly welcomed back by the owners Luis and Jose – and as a result whenever I think of my time in Spain I invariably think first of the cafe, sitting in the corner reading some book or another that I’d picked up from the second hand bookshop round the corner.

Today though, I found out that the cafe closed. It was no longer making any money. There’s no room for sentimentality in a Recession.

With the amount of media coverage dedicated to the effects of the credit crunch here in the UK, it’s easy to put on the blinkers and think that it’s only happening to us. But Spain has been deeply feeling the crunch since the beginning of the year and analysts expect it to be the worst they have faced for 50 years. We are not alone, so why are we seeking out individual solutions.

I’m not an economist, I have no financial background -  save for 6 weeks as a PA in a bank, but it would seem we are all fighting the same battle and yet are fighting against each other. Consequently, it is the little people who suffer.

Dragon slaying, London style! Saturday, May 23, 2009

I’ve always been left feeling slightly embarrassed by overt displays of pariotism – even singing the National Anthem makes me feel uncomfortable. So it’s probably not that surprising to hear I’ve never celebrated St George’s Day.

But a couple of weeks ago [sorry] I found myself shoulder-to-shoulder with the flag waving brigade in the shadow of Nelson’s Column.

It was all in aid of celebrating the huge variety of musical styles that British Folk has spawned. From Northumbria to Dartmoor via India and Zimbabwe, it would seem that Folk is not only still alive and kicking, it is evolving and experimenting, and attracting a whole new audience as a result.

But the celebration has provoked rumbles of discontent in the die-hard folk brigade, and not in the way you might think.

For centuries music has been used to cement ideologies and identities – just look at the Russian composers writing at the time of the Revolution or the hymns sung by anti-apartheid movement in South Africa. ‘Folk’ is no different. Traditionally the music of the people, its songs and tunes have been the people’s reaction to the situation and issues of the age. But more recently its revival in America during the time of the civil rights movement has meant that modern ‘folk’ has had a distinct socialist vibe.

So was it right for Boris Johnson to use the genre, and some of the country’s leading artists, to celebrate a day, which has, for all intents and purposes, been hijacked by the extreme Right? Well in all fairness, there was little politics at the concert itself – it seemed that most people had come to enjoy, what turned out to be a sunny day in London with some awesome music thrown in.

And as for the artists, they did all – in one way or another – keep the ‘protest’ tradition alive – with Bishi raising a round of applause when she came on stage wearing a fabulous dress encorporating both the Indian and Union flags. And her song Indian Skin definitely questionned what it is to be considered British. And with tracks like ‘Rise Up’ it would seem that the Demon Barbers embody the traditional folk spirit in a modern fusion style.

Folk is evolving - it needs to if it’s going to stay fresh. But I would hope it remains a genre ‘of the people’ and a space where we can make sense of the issues which surround us.

I went to the gig in my new role as a ‘contributor’ to the Daily Music Guide. As a result I was able to interview the very wonderful Netsayi.

Listen to my interview below -  or read my review on the site!