Last night I attended a public meeting on Fracking. Now for those of you who don’t know what fracking is here is a brief description for you:

Fracking or hydraulic fracturing enables natural gas extraction from shale plays that were once unreachable with conventional technologies.

(From http://www.what-is-fracking.com)

It was a very good meeting, with a very impressive turnout. Councillor Ray Bolton made an appearance and so did the aide of David Willetts (who was busy in the Commons with the Syria debate). 

Ray Bolton speaking to the meeting.

I had heard from many people the case for and against Fracking, and I feel that the case against is definitely stronger. Why? Primarily because I have seen evidence (much like the same way the government had seen ‘evidence against the Assad regime’ on YouTube) of people in America turning their taps on and being able to set fire to the methane that comes out of the taps.

Multiple sites across the UK have been confirmed, one being along the M27 (Towards Cosham and Portsmouth) and so I believe that it is right that we should inform the local residents of areas that would be affected by fracking about the dangers.

Local resident of Balcombe speaks about the dangers of fracking and how the residents of Balcombe feel about it

The meeting had several key speakers, many of whom had been/come from Balcombe. They all had interesting and very informative things to say, many of which did wash very well with many of the people attending the meeting. A man there who asked the Councillor about his views on fracking was most displeased when the councillor failed to give a direct answer, soon after the councillor attempted to leave but when a resident of the local areas had said that she wanted to ask him a question, the aide of the local MP ran out to go and grab the departing councillor.  

The councillor came back in soon after being told that there was someone who had came to talk to him directly about fracking. After the councillor (yet again) failed to give a direct answer to how he would properly deal with the situation, he soon left, and she warned him the people “will rise up”. Very inspirational woman and I have the upmost respect for her.

As the meeting drew to a close, local residents I spoke had some really interesting things to talk about. One person said her family had been working with water for generations, and that her father used to tell her off for wasting water, and hearing about how fracking could contaminate the water supply only sent alarm bells for her – and clearly she wasn’t the only one!

The Green Party has always condemned fracking, with Caroline Lucas being arrested at Balcombe and various other Green Party people, it’s so obvious that there are people around who do care about the issues and are willing to properly stand up for them, even after they are given a position of some power.

I just think, there’s got to be a better way than Fracking, something renewable is better than this.

Thank you for reading,

Miles Grindey

Terry Mitchell (left), Me, and Tim Dawes (right)