European Railroad Discussion > Greenpeace stunt

Greenpeace have staged a stunt involving a coal train heading for EDF Energy's Cottam generating station in Nottinghamshire and a life size polar bear puppet. All very peaceful although reading some of the intemperate posts on UK railfan websites you would think they had dismembered the driver and eaten him!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-29334128

Eh, class 66 vs. polar bear?

I wonder if I could borrow that polar bear, it would make a great prop for an upcoming VIA trip to Churchill. Way easier to work with than the real ones...

These people are idiots.

andersonb109 Wrote:
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> These people are idiots.

Surely in the lands of the free everyone is entitled to their point of view? It was peaceful, no one got hurt, nothing much was disrupted and the activists got the publicity they sought. I recall on an earlier post you were advocating war with Russia, a far more idiotic thing to do don't you think?

86235 Wrote:
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> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > These people are idiots.
>
> Surely in the lands of the free everyone is
> entitled to their point of view? It was peaceful,
> no one got hurt, nothing much was disrupted and
> the activists got the publicity they sought. I
> recall on an earlier post you were advocating war
> with Russia, a far more idiotic thing to do don't
> you think?

Hear, hear!

Similar to the stunt they pulled at Drax in 2008.

Hmmmmm...I wonder how they heated the water for their morning tea/coffee before setting out on this stunt? (Most of mu UK friends/relatives have electric kettles or coffeemakers). I also wonder how they reached that location? Unless they walked or cycled, they were likely using either electrically-powered trains, or oil-powered cars/buses/motorcycles...

Roger Lewis (airbrakegeezer)

airbrakegeezer Wrote:
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> Hmmmmm...I wonder how they heated the water for
> their morning tea/coffee before setting out on
> this stunt? (Most of mu UK friends/relatives have
> electric kettles or coffeemakers). I also wonder
> how they reached that location? Unless they walked
> or cycled, they were likely using either
> electrically-powered trains, or oil-powered
> cars/buses/motorcycles...
>
> Roger Lewis (airbrakegeezer)

Whilst I know what you mean, I don't think that's the point. They carried out the stunt to draw attention to the climate change conference in New York. It seems to me that climate change and man's influence on it is rather like religious faith, you either have it or you don't. I don't necessarily agree with Greenpeace, but I would resolutely defend their right to express their views. As I said no one was hurt, there was minimal disruption and Cottam continued generation. It also occurs to me that if it wasn't for activists and grassroots organisations like Greenpeace much of what we take for granted in modern life - our freedoms for instance - wouldn't exist.

Yeah right, I'm sure you have no problem if I trespass on your property and temporarily block your exits and make you late for work (do you work?) as a 'peaceful' expression of my 'free speech'.

darkcloud Wrote:
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> Yeah right, I'm sure you have no problem if I
> trespass on your property and temporarily block
> your exits and make you late for work (do you
> work?) as a 'peaceful' expression of my 'free
> speech'.

So tell me then, in the world you live in, if there's something I don't agree with, how do I register my disapproval? You know full well that was done at Cottam was not directed against an individual, if it had been that would have been an entirely different matter under the law. It was directed at a Corporation, ironically the one I work for, which in law is a different entity to an individual.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/14 01:53 by 86235.

From reading the news report Greenpeace thought ahead and stopped this in one of the sidings as not to affect regular passengers. The driver on the Class 66 may have had some of his day consumed by this stunt but I'm sure it will be one of the fun things to tell people for years (being stopped by Polar Bears is not common in Britain). Greenpeace also seams to expect the repercussion of trespassing. Here in Cincinnati banners were hung on the P & G building earlier this year http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/03/26/greenpeace-stages-protests-pg/6919491/. It raises awareness, and it doesn't hurt anyone or inconvenience too many other than waisting the first responders time and money.

I like the Polar Bear in front of the Class 66 pictures.

Jim

So do I. Campaigning for different things and no more living in a monoculture this is part of the Western way of life. Something well understood in U.K. and U.S. as well as all Western European countries.

tq-07fan Wrote:
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> I like the Polar Bear in front of the Class 66
> pictures.
>
> Jim

This kind of behavior also goes well way overhead the Russian understanding. Late last year a group with a ladder tried to scale one of the Russian arctic oil rigs. The group was arrested for piracy! (in other circumstances this kind of charges would have been hilarious, not here because they might lead to life term in prison inside Russia). Their Greenpeace vessel was confiscated. Only recently the group and their vessel have been returned. How backward some can be...and I don't mean Greenpeace activists. I doubt scaling the oil rig for banners would have caused this kind of circus anywhere else in the World.

Here is more:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/15/greenpeace-arctic-30-russian-detention-extension

And lots of pictures:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/From-peaceful-action-to-dramatic-seizure-a-timeline-of-events-since-the-Arctic-Sunrise-took-action-September-18-CET/

tq-07fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> From reading the news report Greenpeace thought
> ahead and stopped this in one of the sidings as
> not to affect regular passengers. The driver on
> the Class 66 may have had some of his day consumed
> by this stunt but I'm sure it will be one of the
> fun things to tell people for years (being stopped
> by Polar Bears is not common in Britain).
> Greenpeace also seams to expect the repercussion
> of trespassing. Here in Cincinnati banners were
> hung on the P & G building earlier this year
> http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2014/03/26/gr
> eenpeace-stages-protests-pg/6919491/. It raises
> awareness, and it doesn't hurt anyone or
> inconvenience too many other than waisting the
> first responders time and money.
>
> I like the Polar Bear in front of the Class 66
> pictures.
>
> Jim

Yes, it was stopped on the track which accesses the power station so the only operations impacted were trains too and from Cottam. But at the moment one of the sets is out of service for maintenance so its not operating at full capacity in any case. Our CEO posted a factual report on the incident on the intranet, reminding staff that we are the largest generator of zero emission electricity in Britain (we own all the nuclear stations) and that it didn't impact operations. The perpetrators were arrested, as they knew they would be, and will be charged with trespass and interfering with the operation of the railway for which they will likely get a fine.

As I said earlier belief in climate change is akin to religious belief, and I guess like religion, when the cataclysm strikes (if it does) the believers will be able to turn to the unbelievers and say 'I told you so'. But by then it will be too late :-), hopefully I won't be around.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/28/14 11:06 by 86235.