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Link to this page: https://www.socialistparty.org.uk/articles/24217
Posted on 12 January 2017 at 14:59 GMT
Anti-fracking protesters, Sherwood Forest, 7.1.16, photo by Jane Crowter (Click to enlarge)
Fracking protest in Sherwood Forest
On 7th January, with only a week's notice, over 300 people came together to protest against plans by chemical giant INEOS to carry out seismic surveys in Sherwood Forest - a move which marks a clear intent to frack in the area. The rally at the Major Oak on a cold winter's day brought together environmentalists, socialists and even Robin Hood himself to make their voices heard.
Socialist Party banner at the protest, photo Jane Crowter
The Tory government has introduced laws to assist the shale gas industry while simultaneously blocking the growth of renewable energy. Fracking has now been approved, but not yet begun, at three sites in England, however Sherwood Forest is the first forest to be targeted.
Fracking is destructive, causing damage to properties and polluting the water table. Members of the Socialist party from Mansfield to Coventry attended the protest to share our call for investment in clean energy - to create decent, skilled jobs, and to protect the environment - and for democratic, public ownership of the energy industry.
Jane Crowter, Coventry Socialist Students
This version of this article was first posted on the Socialist Party website on 12 January 2017 and may vary slightly from the version subsequently printed in The Socialist.
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
- The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
2020