From Camp to Cousland to Canada
Leaving our cosy field in the back of HQ for a field trip to Cousland felt a little bit like the shambolic field trips to the zoo or science museum that I remember taking as a child. I visited the loo before getting into the minibus (rule number one for field trips), and I wondered what this trip would be like. I couldn’t imagine that any village would really care whether or not fifty or so activists- half on bikes and half in minibuses- came along to simply say “we support you”. But as we arrived at the village, we were met by a big group of residents who warmly welcomed us and shared their story with us.
Cousland is located in beautiful countryside which is threatened with destruction if the plans for a new open cast coal mine go ahead. The plans are proposed by Scottish Coal, one of the main open cast coal mine operators in the UK. Their projects are made possible through loans from Lloyds TSB, another UK bank which, like RBS, prioritises profit over our future.
The area has a listed historical building, a protected badger population, and the ruins of a castle where Mary Queen of Scots met with one of her conspirators. In addition to all of this, the vast majority of the village (95%) is in opposition to the construction of the mine. Considering all of this, it is hard to believe that Scottish Coal is still pushing for planning permission. But Scottish Coal has a bad track record, as it just pushed ahead with plans to dig a new mine in Douglasdale, the site of the Mainshill Solidarity Camp.
With the recession showing no signs of receding, corporations seem keen to use the economy as a “get out of jail free” card that allows them to get away with anything. They promise that the open cast coal mine will create jobs for the local area- but the residents have conducted their own survey and concluded that in addition to the devastating effects on the landscape, local ecosystems, and the health of local people, the proposal would actually have a negative economic impact and harm local jobs.
The attempts of corporations to buy local approval- and the adamant refusal of local communities to sell out their future and the environment- reminded me of the plight of indigenous communities in Canada fighting against tar sands extraction. Indigenous communities are fighting against tar sands extraction- financed by banks like RBS and Barclays- as their communities suffer from alarmingly high rates of cancer and the absolute destruction of the ecosystems within which they live. I met two women from First Nations communities in Canada- they spoke about the devastation they are witnessing in Canada- all for the sake of profit and a fossil-fuel driven economy.
I found it incredibly powerful how the experiences of communities around the world were brought together through the lens of fossil fuel finance, and the brutal demands that banks and corporations make of people who live in areas where there is profit to be made from fossil fuel extraction. It is absolutely essential that we support these communities, in every way possible. Yesterday, that meant taking a field trip to Cousland and writing a letter of objection to the proposals. Tomorrow, it means joining in the day of mass action. The resistance won’t end there, but it’s a meeting point of many struggles where we can draw strength and inspiration from each other.
More information about:
Communities Against Airfield Open Cast
http://airfieldopencast.co.uk
Tar Sands resistance- Indigenous Environmental Network
http://www.ienearth.org/
Do you really have any idea whatever what the area around Couskland is like? Cousland is in the very heart of mining and always has been. Tranent, Ormiston etc are MINING communities who you are acting AGAINST.
Have a look at your history before giving a lecture on badgers and the local community. Those of us who live there know, those of you who don’t, DON’T.
tighthead on August 22, 2010
you people fail to see how you just annoy everyone else. What makes you think that you can possibly gain any sympathy for your cause when you come to another city and daub your graffiti on buildings and other infrastructure? How would you feel if the people of Edinburgh decided to camp on your doorstep, stake out your homes and slop crap over them. You just don’t get it do you. Can’t your little brains understand that people can’t see past your stupid stunts; your cause is lost; your antics just get in the way. Here’s some advice, pack up now before you lose what little credit you have left. All you have left is to humiliate yourselves further.
TIRED OF THIS on August 22, 2010
I agree – go home the lot of you. You aren’t doing anything constructive your all just a bunch of idiots with nothing better to do this summer and who clearly thought what a great way to get a cheap trip to the Edinburgh festival. Saving the climat? against fossil fuel use? where do you think your tents, bin bags, propane and the fuel that you are using to run your multitude of vehicles comes from d’uh!!!!
How many of you hopped on a flight, taxi, private car, train etc to get here!!! You didn’t all walk and cycle did you – otherwise, given where the vast majority of you are from you’d have had to set off three months ago..
More tired of this than tired of this on August 22, 2010
Many of these so-called protestors have no idea whatever about the area, its history, its people and its culture. When they cycled past Smeaton, for example, what did they think the hill on the west was?
How dare they imose their alien views on thes rest of us.
tighthead on August 22, 2010
…..of course, I forget. The protestors have absolutely no idea what Smeaton is, was and how it was central to the culture of that area.
tighthead on August 22, 2010
And I’d like to say (no) thanks for costing the local police a fortune in policing your shambolic arrest-fest – at a time when they, like every other public service, are facing cuts of 25% so could really do with saving some cash to deal with real criminals like the drug dealers who tear our communities apart
in the real world... on August 22, 2010
Dear middle class posh kids
In case you havent noticed – well noone else has. This act of criminal damage appears only on the BBC news website in the local section and only then because those bad boys in your camp have been smashing windows. When I was your age I used to have far better holidays than you are having. I suggest you go burst your plooks somewhere nicer next time because you clearly – as tighthead shows – know nothing about the place you have come to. And this will go down as the least successful climate camp yet – no matter what. When I was your age our demos changed governments – yours just gets some work for local glaziers.
Local citizen on August 22, 2010
The hypocrisy of you people is astounding – I’ve just read on BBC news how you’ve been vandalising RBS’ head office for (your words) “supporting the oil industry”. The beeb’s article was complete with a picture of your camp, complete with at least half a dozen modern looking tents. No doubt you’ve learned to conveniently ignore the fact that these tents are manufactured using by-products of oil (so in fact, in buying them you are yourselves supporting the oil industry), not to mention the means that you used to get yourselves to Scotland in the first place. As others have said, you’ll get little support from the public at large with antics like this.
Fed up of hypocrites on August 22, 2010
“the plight of indigenous communities in Canada fighting against tar sands extraction”
What – don’t tell me that they’re still chasing poor unprotected bison across the broad sweeping plains?
There’s me thinking that they make their living running casions on the reservations – hard to see how that could be affected (except positively) by an influx of cash-rich oil workers!
P.S. what did the minibuses run on – pixie dust or petroleum products?
Edinburger on August 22, 2010
Amelia, your comments tonight following the vandalism and violence shown by the group that you are accompanying are shameful and beneath you.
That you would cheer such thuggish senseless behaviour is beyond me and unbecoming to you. You have fallen victim to mob mentality and the sad fact is you can’t see that – you are so caught up in it.
You have lost all perspective and any respect you once had.
Shame on you
You should be ashamed Amelia on August 22, 2010
No Edinburger they teleported themselves to cousland!! Would make more sense in their little land of make believe!!
Away on with Yourselves on August 23, 2010
“What did the minibuses run on – pixie dust or petroleum products?”
So many dummies keep bringing this point up. Of course the buses run on petrol and no one disagrees that a lot of things are made from oil.
The point of the camp is to draw attention to the way in which massive companies (like RBS) are shaping present and future energy consumption through aggressive investment in the most harmful methods of obtaining it.
Anonymous on August 23, 2010
Dear Comrades,
Hope all is going well at the camp. I would have loved to have been there, sadly I can’t afford the new VW Combi H2O edition, powered by salt water and lubricated by human excrement, and the 500 mile walk would be too much for my tired old legs. You must all be tired after your long walk/cycle to get there with nothing to eat but foraged berries and assorted fungi. Having no job and dwelling in a mock stoneage self build, I would have felt a bit hypocritical turning up and protesting at the HQ of a tax payer owned bank. You however have earned this right from your hard working, well paid jobs,so show them who’s the boss. I would also have had to borrow some items on your list such as a tent, sleeping bag, clothes, toothbrush and waterproofs as I rid myself of products extracted from petroleum awhile ago. Soap would also have been a problem, so you stick to your morals and keep dodging it to avoid the petroleum peril. I happily spend most days wandering naked without the shackles of a modern existence.
I have travelled to an internet cafe in an evil place called the city to compose this rallying cry to you. To save my blushes from the brainwashed masses I am robed in a sack woven from my own armpit hair ripped out by hand. What a strange place, however the skinny latte is particularly nice. (Fair Trade of course!!)
Choke,choke, splutter, I have just realised this PC is tainted. Drawing its power from the evil national grid. I urge anyone at home who does not wish to be tarnished by nuclear/fossil fuels to burn all your PC’s, laptops, iPods and electrical gadgets. I am about to smear excrement over this machine and do the same.
Hope the rest of the camp goes well. Remember be true to those strong morals. If you don’t fancy the long naked walk home, you could always hitchhike and be safe in the knowledge that it is someone else’s fuel. It will be them that goes to hell for it.
Solidarity.
AAAAAaaagggghhh thats better. Does anyone have a lighter!!!!!!!!!!
Anonymous on August 23, 2010
From Northern Alberta… the forests are not devistated but rather fully mature, the cancer rate epidemic doctor has had his research questioned and thrown out, the water is as pure downstream as it is upstream… so… have fun is Scotland (if any of you are Canadian, please stay there)and before you write,,, read and visit the beautiful north…. have a great day.
Cold White North on August 24, 2010