Why I went to Preston New Road Fracking Site
So after having left the site of protest at the fracking site on Preston New Road I feel a lot less driven to write about my few days there. And that’s it, unless you are part of it, on the frontline, acting daily and seeing the nodding oil donkey, the security and the people on each side of the fence it can be easy to forget, or perhaps not forget, but feel like there is nothing we or I can do, that ‘they’, not me, are fighting but probably the Frackers will win.
This is why I wanted to write something, not to gloat about what I did but to share with others my thoughts and experience to bring people one step closer to understanding the situation and feeling that they can do something, that together we can get the fracking company, Cuadrilla, to Frack Off!
Firstly, Preston New Road people protectors site shouldn’t exist, I shouldn’t have been there.
In June 2016 Lancashire County Council rejected Cuadrilla’s proposal to frack at Preston New Road because another expensive fossil fuel is not what we need to reduce our carbon emissions and curb catastrophic climate change. Fracking also contaminates freshwater supplies for people and animals nearby, causes earthquakes, ruins public health and provides very little employment. In October 2016 the UK government used archaic powers and overturned this decision, thus allowing Cuadrilla to start preparing and fracking at Preston New Road in January 2017. This makes me angry, that our own democratic processes so blatantly ignored and disregarded those on the frontline in Lancashire.
Since Cuadrilla have entered on site in January 2017 there has been a permanent presence of protesters outside their gates with camps set up nearby to enable round the clock presence and action the the gates. The only option now is direct action, which is what I did.
As part of actions I was involved in and other actions happening throughout July lorries are being prevented from entering through people blocking the gates or climbing on the lorries, causing serious delays to Cuadrilla’s work and thousands of pounds wasted each day as work is further and further behind schedule.
Despite feeling broadly calm throughout my stay I went through many emotions such as; sadness in seeing the nodding oil donkey up but not yet in use; excitement and happiness when two lorries were prevented from entering the site and had to turn back at the end of the day; deceit and anger at the UK government for spending hundreds of thousands of pounds to support Cuadrilla though excessive policing to try and allow cuadrilla to work; further frustration at the government for ignoring the voice of the local people and of science and enormous pride for those working tirelessly to disrupt and stop Cuadrilla, which is working.
Direct action is disruptive but it is all we can do to stop Cuadrilla when all democratic and legal routes have been ignored and exhausted and when the government are effectively supporting Cuadrilla through its’ willingness to provide so much extensive policing and support despite the UK police force being underfunded and stretched.
And of course, I can’t forget the hilarity of our ability to stop 2 lorries entering the site for over 4 hours with two people lying on the road holding hands in a tube of plastic. This shows the power of people to cause such disruption with such little resources.
I really enjoyed my short, intense time meeting people from Lancashire and all around the UK, working with them to stop lorries, play around and be a nuisance outside Cuadrilla’s office and really see that each day, each person and each action was all part of a much bigger plan to stop Cuadrilla. And that big plan is working, it has been 7 months and still fracking has not started at Preston New Road.
“This is history in the making” is what I first thought when I entered the camp and protest site, and leaving I still know that what happens at Preston New Road will be historic, let’s hope Cuadrilla join us on the right side of history and Frack Off!
Annie
To show your support for Preston New Road anti-Frackers come on down for a day or more at the gate or get involved in upcoming protests. You can find out more here:
What I do and Think 