Another day, another anti wind letter in the Western Mail.
Mr Ivor Rees rails against Pen Y Cymoedd windfarm on the Western Mail letters page saying it will destroy tourism with(as usual) no evidence to back up his charges or any alternative energy source.
For those readers outside of Wales you'll be interested to know it has a national newspaper:The Western Mail, published 6 days a week. It aims to cover and reflect the news and opinions of Wales. By and large it does and yet....and yet when it comes to the subject of renewable energy in general and windfarms in particular it seems to delight in representing the small minority that oppose windfarms to an obsessive degree.
Despite every published opinion poll showing strong support for windfarms normally in the range of 60% plus, (the same polls showing only 12% strongly disliking them). Every week and sometimes every other day up to three anti-wind letters appear on the Western Mail letters page, invariably all from the small clique of authors or written using very similar words and syntax. Why? Are those who oppose windfarms so insecure about their cause that they have to constantly bombard the media to prove the legitimacy of their myopic views? And why does the Western Mail continually publish this nonsense? If I constantly sent in letters saying that Elvis was alive and well and living in Newport presumably the Western Mail would publish them on a regular basis? Probably not....
And those supporting windfarms? Do they get a fair hearing? No! It is very rare to see a pro wind letter published by the Western Mail despite the fact that myself and others often write in. Invariably when they are they tend to be from renewables industry spokespeople making them open to the charge that they are merely paid to say these things. Pro wind people like myself regularly write into the Western Mail to put the other side of the argument but hardly ever have our letters been made public and when we do the windfarm hater is given another published chance to get back at us.
So why is this all a worry? Isn't Wales largest windfarm (Pen-Y-Cymoedd) about to constructed? Proving that windy nimbyism has ultimately failed? True, but for a supposed 'national' newspaper it is very worrying that a negative minority view is allowed to dominate it's public discourse. It's difficult to see how to have meaningful debates on energy when one side is not represented and other forms of energy generation such as fracking and open cast mining (whose impacts are proven to be far more harmful than any turbine) are giving scarce coverage on the letters page despite attracting huge amounts of opposition. Wales needs energy and how that energy is generated is becoming increasingly a point of conflict and protest. If the Western Mail is as it claims the national newspaper of Wales it would do well to reflect majorities of opinion and not give itself over to the runaway-from-a decision dead end that is windy nimbyism.
Nigel Baker
For more on renewables and why we need to abandon fossil fuels go to:http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/oil
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