Back For The Future (Winchester)
By King Arthur Pendragon
Last year, I found myself on familiar ground. One of my Orders "Battle Honours" reads Twyford Down-but not out. For those of you who don't know Twyford Down was the site of the first major Anti-roads protest in the nineties where Non Violent Direct Action was employed for the first time.
Back then, a deal was struck, not a good deal, not a deal the protesters agreed to, but a deal never the less...
The then Minister for the DTR, (Department of Transport and the Regions) gave to the people of Winchester, in compensation for the Twyford Cut, (M3 extension) the old A road, and it was duly grassed over and returned to meadowland where many species of rare butterflies and other wildlife flourished as Nature fought back.
Surprise - Surprise, less than ten years later it has been re-tarmacked. This was enabled by the new Minister for DOTR overturning the previous decision (then The Right Honorable John Prescot MP) under the New Labour Government.
In the Nineties we apposed a Tory MP for Winchester, under a Tory Government. Back in Winchester last year it was a Liberal MP under a Labour Government, just goes to show, in the Anarchists words, " It doesn't matter who you vote for, the Government still get in"
There is a serious point here, one of Honour, if in International Law there is such a person, known as 'The Immortal Corporate Entity' who is held responsible for the pledges, and held accountable for the decisions taken by his/her predecessors, then why not in domestic Law, an Inherent Council or Ministerial Officer.
English Heritage, along with The Highways Agency and The Department of Transport are at present at the Public Enquiry stage with their planned tunnel and road widening scheme of the A303 at Stonehenge, they plan to Grass over the A344 and return Stonehenge to its natural environment, a grand scheme in a World Heritage Site but what assurances can they possibly give that aren't like Winchester, not worth the paper they are printed on ?
In their election address the same John Prescot was reported as saying "No more Twyfords under New Labour" and true to their word they put a monitorium on Road Building. Which they have subsequently overturned and more than that announced a further £11 Billion road widening programmed of our major motorways.
If nineties style Road building is back on the agenda then be assured, so too is nineties style Protest.....
Blessed Be
Your Brother, Friend, Servant and King
Arthur Pendragon /|\