Yesterday morning seemed almost normal. I had to get up in time to be in town for 08.45 - I was going to take part in a demo. It has been a long time since I have been able to express my feelings in person about some injustice or other, but this was a real demo, albeit a rolling demo with bubbles and "social" distances and face masks. Yesterday was the first morning. There'll be another demo with six people tomorrow, three more next week. On some days there will be two or more groups around the town. Of course the masks made it seem like a very serious demo. I've been on some demonstrations where masks have been considered anti-social. It's funny how times change and that I find myself attending a demonstration/vigil where the wearing of masks is now seen as more responsible than criminal.
Of course, as with any demo, one wishes one wasn't forced to do it. Sometimes though, there just doesn't seem to be any choice. If I don't get involved why should I expect anyone else to?
I've been here before. Cory Wheelabrator, an American company wanted to build a mass-burn incinerator in King's Lynn some ten years ago. They managed to get Norfolk County Council to agree to guarantee £20 million in compensation if the plans fell through. That was £20,000,000 of the taxpayer's money extracted from the public for the provision of public services. The council vastly underestimated the strength of local opposition. To cut a long story short a concerted campaign lasting some years, multiple vigils and rallies and a public enquiry eventually saw Cory Wheelabrator leave without building their precious.
Yesterday we were alerting people to MVV, a company from Germany this time, that wants to build a waste incinerator in Wisbech. Not just any waste incinerator, but a massive construction with a chimney that would tower some ninety-five metres above the capital of the Fens. This is a much larger proposal than the one for King's Lynn. To put this in perspective, if the chimney stood next to Ely Cathedral the cathedral would be dwarfed. For all sorts of reasons this is not an appropriate development for Wisbech. The toxic output would poison the town and surrounding countryside, much of which supplies fresh fruit and vegetables for the nation's larder from the most fertile soil in the country. The Wash, with what's left of a fishing industry, would also be in the path of prevailing winds and no longer be capable of supplying shellfish and delicious samphyr. The proposed incinerator site is close to a high school and primary school and there is not sufficient road infrastructure to cope. Summer already sees the busy A47 jammed into or out of Norfolk with holiday traffic and the mega-incinerator would see an additional 750 lorry movements every twenty-four hour day bringing in toxic waste to burn from all over East Anglia and the East Midlands. Were such a beast to be built it would demand to be fed 24/7.
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| Marshlander with banner, mask and new hat at the aptly named, Freedom Bridge. |
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| What a socially distanced demo looks like |
Further details can be found on the WisWIn (Wisbech Without Incineration) website
Yesterday's demo took place in freezing fog and it was COLD! There is clearly a lot of support in the town already for this campaign judging by the number of drivers who tooted their horns and waved as they were driving by. Of course there are still many people who don't know what the campaign is about, some who've never heard of it and some who don't understand why we should oppose the project. MVV have been clever. More recent government rules mean that projects above a certain size cannot be accepted or rejected by local councils or planning procedures. This proposal is on such a vast scale that it has to be decided on at central government level despite the fact that every local and county council and our MPs are in opposition to the plans.
Of course one cannot be complacent. So many things have happened in recent years that many failed to foresee. As part of the King's Lynn campaign a decade ago, several musician and poet friends got together to contribute to a CD of songs which was sold to raise money towards the legal costs of the campaign. We raised a modest amount and even sold out the stock of CDs. I nearly missed the deadline for adding a contribution, but after a lot of thought I decided to use the form of a traditional song, "Who's The Fool Now?" I changed the content and lyrics as well as the melody. Under normal circumstances such changes would be sufficient to disguise any song completely and create something original. However the origin of my song, "Who's The Fool?" is very easily recognised by both the form of the song and the archaic language of the refrain. I looked for alternatives to the old words, but sometimes tried and tested is still best; besides Fie! is exactly the right comeback. The song takes the shape of an argument between two people. One, falling progressively deeper into his cups makes wilder and wilder boasts while the other responds with sarcasm refuting the veracity of every barmy claim.
In those days I had only attempted to record one other song. I hadn't yet established how or even whether I was going to be able to perform my songs. I knew I wanted to be a d-i-y operation and used my home recording studio to make music I could not possibly recreate live on my own. The monoband idea gradually developed over the next few years. We did go out into the street and serenade the public with our work. I sang "Who's The Fool?" a cappella. It was generally met with a mixture of indifference and irritation by Saturday shoppers in King's Lynn. I, on the other hand, was smugly content with the way the song turned out.
🎵 Listen to Who's The Fool? by Marshlander (2010) from the "Smoke On The Wash" CD 🎵
Cory said to his man, “Fie, man, fie!”
Cory said to his man, “Who’s the fool now?”
Cory said to his man, “Top up your pension while you can!
Twenty million in my hand! Who’s the fool now?
Who’s the fool? Who’s the fool now?”
I heard his man tell the truth.
Fie, man, fie!
I heard his man tell the truth.
Who’s the fool now?
I heard his man tell the truth and I grew a sparrow’s tooth!
You’ve drunk a skinful, man! Who’s the fool now?
Who’s the fool? Who’s the fool now?
West Norfolk folk believe the lies. Fie …
And a baby never cries. You’ve drunk a skinful, man …
Sixty-five per-cent agree …
Sixty-five per-cent agree ComRes, so trustworthy …
I saw the mouse lead the pack …
I saw the mouse lead the pack squeaking orders from the back …
I breathed the air so sweet and clear …
I breathed the air so sweet and clear and saw a squirrel brewing beer …
Emissions too small to count …
Emissions too small to count do no harm in such amounts …
I saw the town all employed …
I saw the town all employed and asthmatics overjoyed …
I saw his man win the day …
I saw his man win the day and a tiger feast on hay …
Cory said to his man, “Fie, man, fie!”
Cory said to his man, “Who’s the fool now?”
Cory said to his man, “Top up your pension while you can!
Twenty million in my hand! Who’s the fool now?
Who’s the fool? Who’s the fool now?”
Music and lyrics by Marshlander
copyright dP2010
There is one more song from "Smoke On The Wash" that I have found in the public domain. The John Preston Tribute Band (or rather half of them) recorded "No Incinerator" one evening in Filth And Fury recording studio. It's a jolly little number that allowed the inclusion of the whole street crew in the outdoor performances. I really like the opening line, how typically John Preston ... "I don't want to be a dioxymoron ..."
Of course, whatever happens next there is another conversation that needs to be had. We have some consensus on what we don't want. We don't want a mega incinerator polluting the area. At some point we are going to have to come to terms with deciding what we do want. We cannot continue to consume at the present rate and expect the inevitable problems to go away. We need a considered lead by us, the people, by elected members and by officers employed to devise and enact truly democratic and sustainable solutions. We need to be responsible for reducing the waste that is suffocating and poisoning the planet.
