SNEAKIN' SUPPOSITION

A while back, the Economics Officer at Wychavon District Council submitted her report on the Lenchwick Windfarm planning application. Quite properly, and in line with experience elsewhere, the officer concluded that there were no significant economic risks posed to the locality by the windfarm and, indeed, a slim package of economic benefits would come with the turbines.

Oh dear. Hasn't this got the nutty nimbies going mad? One absolute idiot (massive egotist) drafted a huge report criticising the Economics Officers conclusions. Another total nutcase emailed her, demanding how she could have made her observations when so many businesses and other interest in the immediate area are convinced that they face financial obliteration when the turbines are installed.

The standard argument goes something like: 'We (NIMBY Ltd.) contribute umpteen million to the local economy by letting out a holiday flat or two. All that will disappear when the wind farm comes. The wind farm will contribute nothing while making oddles of billions for Scottish Power. Blah blah blah frothing at the mouth ...'

Now, as the Economics Officer is perfectly well aware, no business elsewhere has been killed off by the arrival of a windfarm. Tourism is not adversely affected at all by windfarms - and yes, they do tend to bring positive net results for the local economy.

What is so astonishing, though, is how many of the NIMBY NUTTERS keep guessing about these things. Looking at the silly objections they've sent in (and, of course, discounting the many that were actually written by Stroud himself) you see that all their objections are based on nothing more than guesswork, ignorance and misunderstandings.

Take the people who let holiday cottages and are 'convinced' that the windfarm will destroy their business. These idiots have had nearly TWO YEARS in which to find out, from elsewhere in the country, whether windfarms impact on holiday lets. That's all they had to do. Then, when they had found out that, no, windfarms do not negatively impact on holiday lets, they could come back to the Lenches and keep their idiot mouths closed, for once.

But did they? Did they take that sensible, and relatively straightforward, step of finding out the truth?

Did they heckkers!

Same with the fools at the trout lakes. "These turbines are going to kill our fish!" they keep weeping. But have they visited the Tamar Lakes, where fishers still fish and walkers still walk and visitors stay for a few days, with wind turbines just a kilometre away?

No, of course not. That would be like, finding out the truth. And that would make those people UNPOPULAR IN THE VILLAGE.

Remember Rod Stroud's rule - if you're not against the windfarm, you're not welcome here.

So we have a bunch of idiots constantly sounding off when they don't have the foggiest idea what they're on about. They haven't bothered to do any proper research, they've just listened to the Stroudy lie machine. They wouldn't dare go visit a real windfarm in case they came back wondering what all the fuss is about (that's happened in the Lenches - chap walks into the Club and says just that - of course, they hated him for it).

Guesswork. That's all it is. These things haven't happened anywhere else but they're certain to happen in the Lenches. Why? Well, because we say so. We might be pig ignorant, stupid, hugely prejudiced, biased, foolish, borderline senile and totally wrong - BUT IT'S DEFINITELY GOING TO HAPPEN! ALL THESE LOCAL BUSINESSES WILL FOLD! THEY WILL, YOU KNOW! THERE'S REASON AT ALL WHY THEY SHOULD - BUT THEY WILL!!!

Basically, what they should do is rename their useless, fraudulent, offensive and puerile protest group 'Totally Wrong About Turbines', put 'TWAT' signs up outside their houses, and then for once in their lives they'd be right.

Honestly - it's now over a year since ScottishPower Renewables held their public drop-in sessions, so that locals could see the plans and ask questions, and of course the nookies of TWAT did all they could to disrupt the proceedings.

But have they bothered to find proper, honest, scientific, credible and factual answers to their worries in all that time?

No. They just keep on making stupid guesses. Like the TWATs they are.