An inspiring afternoon - 400 gather again at Balcombe in anti-fracking rally

19 January 2014

The sun was shining on Balcombe this afternoon - reminding us of one of the energy sources that we need to be using - as around 400 people gathered in an anti-fracking rally.

European MEPs Jose Bove and Rebecca Harms, both with extensive successful campaign experience on a range of issues, told a rapt crowd that the fight against fracking can and should be pan-European.

Rebecca Harms reflected on her experience of decades of anti-nuclear campaigning in Germany, stressing the need for a movement, for fun, creative non-violent actions, and to take your protests to the place where decisions were made.

But in the end, she concluded, it wasn't enough to protest outside parliament, you had to put your people into parliamentary seats.

She concluded: "Fracking is a continuation of athe fossil fuel age. We need to move on."

Jose Bove began by apologising as a French man for the fact that two French companies, EDF and Total were leading the charge in Britain on nuclear energy and fracking. He noted that they had been blocked in France, so were now looking elsewhere.

But he stressed the possibilities of political pressure.

"When politicians will be afraid to lose their place in parliament they are going to change the way they think. You have to say to all candidates 'are you for or against fracking?'"

When I spoke, I reflected on how the camp at Balcombe grew from my two former visits - Day 5 and then about two weeks after that, then today there were also 400 people who turned out at short notice.

I referred to the Harvard University study which concluded that the geology, geography and most critically the politics of Europe meant that fracking would not expand across the continent in the same way as it had in America. They very turnout today reflected that.

And I stressed that the announcements last week from David Cameron of "bribes" for communities that accepted fracking had shown two things. First that the prime minister is desperate because he know he's losing the public argument, and second, that he's given away the nature of fracking - something you don't want in your vicinity.