At the meeting last wednesday of Copeland Borough Council the nuclear dump was ‘discussed.’ Questions from the public have to be registered days beforehand in order for pat answers to be be provided. I’d registered early on my own behalf as a wildlife artist but we arrived 5 minutes late and I was initially refused the right to speak by Elaine Woodburn, leader of the Borough Council and Moorcide nuclear plant cheerleader. Luckily the democratic services officer stepped in so I spoke after the newly formed nukiller dump cheerleaders, The Sellafield Workers Campaign.
Here are the questions asked.
Elaine Woodburn agreed with the Sellafield Workers Campaign that people opposing the dump have never shown the slightest interest in the future of Copeland. This is insulting puerile rubbish. One of the public questions was from Gareth Harrison of Seascale, a self employed artist and photographer who has also worked for Sellafield who said “I and many others have a view of our area that extends beyond the nuclear sphere. I ask OUR councillors to consider the bigger picture also. West Cumbria is a unique and beautiful area that does not need or deserve the proposed repository. Please do not assume that we all want this process to be imposed upon us.”
Councillor Woodburn objected to the use of the word “dump” in my question. I replied that, as outlined in the MRWS’s own literature, it is not a case of if but when this ‘repository’ leaks which by definition makes it a dump.
There was a lot of reference to the (dodgy) Ipsos Mori poll showing how willing the community is and to community benefits. The fact that most communities have voted against the dump and therefore the community benefits are meaningless was not referred to.
Three councillors opposed going forward while the rest who spoke were in favour and did a lot of kowtowing to the Sellafield workforce who cheered Councillor John Kane when he said ” I have no control over my Parkinson’s disease but I worked in the nuclear industry and I do have control over the nuclear industry. We have regulators and we trust in them!” The blind faith of some Sellafield workers is breathtaking. Do they not realise that the regulators are merely there to tick the boxes of government policy no matter how dangerous it is, from new laws to “exempt” radioactive waste so it can be dumped in landfill, to increasing the levels at which emissions of antimony and other nasty stuff can be released due to increased reprocessing etc. The regulators are toothless watchdogs. The Environment Agency has said as much to Radiation Free Lakeland when we urged them to take action over the dumping of nuclear waste in landfill “the new laws allow it.” We can be sure if this dump is allowed to go ahead new laws will accommodate the explosion in radiation dose to the public.
The Sellafield Workers Campaign and some councillors referred to their pride in the economic benefits of the nuclear industry and that this decision should be taken by Copeland and others should keep their neb out. The inconvenient truth is that nuclear is not and never has been an authentic wealth generating industry. It is an illusion. All the jobs at Sellafield are paid for by the taxpayer. Private Companies out for the bottom line rather than safety are paid for with government cheques. In all the nuclear largesse of everything from new sports halls to festivals and wining and dining of the Councillors, the fact that the taxpayer is footing the bill seems to get lost. Ultimately we are being bribed and literally poisoned with our own money. Neat trick!
The Sellafield Unions could do with taking a leaf out of the more progressive stance of other unions worldwide who are looking to protect their workforce and the public…
http://revitalisinglabour.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/electrical-trades-union-bans-members.html
RADIATION FREE LAKELAND 