A: ‘A CHOICE OF FUTURES’
Some bright spark had the vision and organisation to print out this message, one letter per page, laminate each one (OK, a bit fossil fuel-friendly) and pin them to the gate alongside the entrance to our site. It provided a perfect backdrop to loads of press pictures, as well as lifting the spirits of loads of people arriving to participate.
B: BUDDIES
On our actions our group used a system of ‘buddying’ every individual together with one other, the idea being that they would stay together through the thick and thin of twisted ankles or arrest. It made sure no one was left behind or lost, and also that each of us had someone to chat to about how we were feeling. At times there was a nursery school ‘two-by-two’ vibe to this that I found quite comforting.
C: CAMPING LIGHT
My impact on the planet was well minimised by living in a tent in a field for 10 days, using (beautifully constructed) compost toilets, eating locally-grown food and washing in crisp, cold water of a morning.
D: DRAX
Now miraculously included in the FTSE 4 Good index of 'ethical' companies, and included here for being so eminently rhymable, my favourite being 'cracks'. Also included for providing such a powerfully forbidding and symbolic backdrop to our drop in the ocean of a solution. Let's raise a glass of CO2 especially to Melanie Wedgebury, Drax Power’s External Affairs Manager, who stuck doggedly to the satisfyingly ridiculous line that we were all working for the same thing, but that some were working from the inside. Melanie, we await your leaks!
E: EVERYONE WHO MADE IT HAPPEN
I kept finding myself overwhelmed by the enormous chunks of people’s time that had been ploughed into making it happen, and making it so brilliantly organised on pretty much every level. Not enough people came to make some of the mass action stuff really effective in a beyond-symbolism kind of way, but on the other hand the 500 or so of us that made it were tightly-knit enough to trigger a real sense of fellowship in the face of the job we have to do. And maybe with 1000, some of the logistical stuff (eg. overburdened compost toilets) might have really struggled…something to ponder when we come to look at how and when to do this again, and again.
F: FEAR
In the long build-up I’d worried that I would struggle to stay through the ten days without wanting to scurry away from the prospect of non-stop other people. I also didn’t relish the thought of long days and nights punctuated by physical confrontations with the police, (particularly those from London town, the Petropolitan Police). But in the end, sharing such a powerful collective desire to change the world for the better with so many others meant I was fuelled by a strong but not overwhelming sense of euphoria right through to the end. The trickier trick of course is to carry at least the spark of that euphoria back to everyday life…
My direct action and police aggression fears are always there, but here I felt I was mostly able to move through them rather than be engulfed by them. Realising that long shadows are often born of tiny, surmountable seeds is a lesson I have to keep relearning…
G: GRASS
That was good green stuff we were camped on, and the ground beneath took a tent peg very nicely.
H: HYPOCRITE WITHIN, THE
Learning to love him/her and take action all the same. We’re all complicit to some degree in this shot-to-hell system, but that’s no reason to burrow down under the covers muttering ‘I’d be a hypocrite if I helped ‘cos I flew to Minneapolis last week to see my niece.’
Let’s not hear it for mind-numbing, soul-searing guilt which can cripple the heart and write a sick note excusing us from getting out there and making good things happen. Let’s hear it instead for an awareness of the effects of our actions on others, and for that awareness to act as a spur to minimise the negative impacts of what we do…and while we’re at it to transform this entire rotten economic growth-crazed system.
I: INCURSIONS
Here’s to the brave souls (especially those for whom this was a first taste of direct action) who got over the fence and dismantled the myth of Drax as ‘impregnable fortress’.
J: JOY
Even some of the dourest amongst us confessed to being tickled by this most necessary of feelings. I felt it most every time I noticed how we took care of eachother in all kinds of practical and emotional ways, and the way the daily routine jobs found volunteers without the usually obligatory embarrassing silence.
A good brew of inspiration, dedication, fresh faces and experience helped us to pull off plenty of what we set out to do, (and more than many of us dared to expect). Best of all, the euphoria bubbling up and over towards the end of the camp looks to have some staying power, helped by the pre-announced follow-up meeting in Manchester on October 14/15th and local groups already sorting public showings of the rough cut of peoples’ camp footage.
K: KITCHENS
They came from Yorkshire, Oxford, London, Nottingham, Scotland, the West and Manchester. Miracles of last-minute (if London was anything to go by) organisation, they still managed to knock out tasty meals twice a day, (three times if you include the porridge, incidentally the only way to start a long day of action.)
L: LOCAL PEOPLE
I couldn’t believe it, cycling round Drax and its surrounding villages, seeing people wave to us even before we had a hand raised in greeting. And here’s to our neighbour who came over especially to thank us for being such considerate neighbours and ended up on local telly saying the same with real feeling.
M: MEDIA
On the whole, it was pretty damn good, and even some of the bad was excellent, because at least being slagged off in The Sun, Sunday Times or Yorkshire Post meant the news of what we were up to had filtered out beyond the ‘liberal’ media. (I did take issue though with our great and good sharing a front page of The Independent with Arnold Schwarzenegger and his free market solutions.) The policy of an hour per day for them to come on site with an escort (carrying a red flag as if escorting a plague victim), which was hammered out at one of the monthly weekend meetings leading up to the Camp, seemed to work well, but next time everyone needs to know about it before it starts.
Some media folk were bewildered that we would rather forego publicity than ignore a collectively-made decision about access, which led to some terse exchanges at the gate, but too bad.
News that The Independent had decided to run the story on its front page on the morning of the mass action lifted the spirits of many, with even some of the voices most critical of the corporate media arguing that our visibility was key to the success of the Camp. Those lifted spirits did get close to exasperation though when the word came through that the shot of a load of smiling, energised Campers was deemed too light, and could they get another, angrier or at least more determined shot? This resulted in some angry words being thrown about between us as the debate about how much we were prepared to be manipulated was played out in full earshot of various media types at the gate. Eventually the second shot was abandoned, partly at the recommendation of the media working group. And the original shot ended up looking very nice on page 2 of the paper, with an aerial shot of Drax winning top billing on the front page beneath the headline ‘The Battle of Drax’.
N: NUCLEAR BLOCKADE, HARTLEPOOL, TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH
One of the (too) few smaller actions that took place before or after the mass day of action, this 10 hour blockade of Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station was a fantastic shot in the arm to everyone at the Camp, and made sure that there was no chance that the pro-nukers could portray our anti-coal stance as an implicit vote in favour of that absurdly suicidal form of energy destruction.
O: OUR OSTRICH
A recently-awoken ostrich gradually became the Camp’s unofficial mascot, especially after a lovely circular sticker bearing its likeness was sent round the country. After seeing inspiring footage from street protests outside the first UN meeting to discuss the climate problem back in Berlin in 1995, I’d been hoping that our day of mass action would be similarly joyous and beautiful to behold. So it was a real thrill to walk past on the day before a rapidly materialising 10 foot ostrich, sporting high fashion accessories made from (I think) old plastic bags and the like.
Press reports that said animal was a ‘Trojan ostrich’ stuffed with bike locks, and as such had to be impounded by the police, were denied by sources close to its belly.
The questions that need urgent answers are:
a) does he/she have a name?
b) has our 3D mascot been released from police custody?
c) has he/she been charged?
P: POETRY SLAMMED IN THE BAR
This was real shiver-down-the-spine stuff on the slightly jittery night before the mass action, reminding us with heart and soul and a fantastical waterfall of words why we do what we do.
Q: QUESTIONING THE LIMITS OF THE DEBATE AROUND CLIMATE CHANGE
We were able to bring issues around the suicide that is economic growth and the gobsmackingly pitiful governmental and corporate response to climate change into the mainstream, albeit for a few precious days, and albeit surrounded by the same lunatic advertisements for cheap flights and ‘yah-boo I’m higher than you’ Land Rovers.
R: RISING TIDE NORTH AMERICA
They were inspired to come, and they ended up inspiring us with their commitment to building a global movement for climate justice, their understanding that climate change is much more than just an environmental issue but something that’s a symptom of capitalism itself…and the fact that they were lovely people.
S: SUPER-SORTEDNESS
Did I say this already? It’s worth saying a few times – the organisation was brilliant, as was the lack of hierarchy between the jobs that needed doing,
ie. staying up all night doing gate duty is just as important as blockading the entrance to a nuclear power station, and cleaning the compost toilets is just as important as doing media interviews.
One of the most encouraging sorted signs was the effort put into reaching out to local people even before we arrived on site, which really seemed to pay off. As did the stall at Selby train station and the visit by the lovely Bicycology crew to have a ride round the town and run a Dr. Bike session in the centre, which was mobbed by tikes with busted bikes.
T: TENT OF THE HOLY DECKS
I swear this materialised out of the ground just as it was most needed on Friday night. It was set up with lights, tiaras and decks for a very special birthday, but it ended up being a real blow-out party for loads of people who’d been through a lot and were dying to let off some steam. That did mean we went well past the ‘powerdown’ at midnight though, and some weary people were kept awake too late…Anyone know how best to soundproof a tent?
U: UNABLE TO MAKE IT, (ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO COME BUT WERE)
Next year, maybe?
V: VEGGIES
Nottingham’s ever-reliable catering campaign and burger van saved many a day with their ever-excellent delights, (though I really felt the absence of their brandy chocolate cake.)
W1: WELLBEING
There’s a real emphasis at big actions and mobilisations these days on taking care of our physical and emotional needs, which is a real sign that we’re moving beyond a culture of wanting to be heroes that never crack or wobble. The Wellbeing space was beautifully set up and a crucial part of our rural temporary autonomous zone.
W2: WORKSHOPS
160 or so workshops running the entire goddamn gamut of energy dissent/descent and beyond. Wow.
X: EXHALATIONS
A little tai chi of a morning helped with these, and there’s nothing quite like doing it with grass underfoot.
Y: YOUR GOOD THING HERE
In a tip of the hat to participatory alphabetting, insert your favourite bit of Campery here…
Z: ZZZZZs
Pumping them out, dreaming with any luck of climate justice here and now, (though never for quite long enough)…
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See also www.climatecamp.org.uk
