tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45083064656461512812024-03-12T16:41:32.646-07:00A few thoughts on...Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-27639449628554341802022-05-10T13:05:00.006-07:002022-05-10T13:47:10.340-07:00Bridgerton 2<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHoS4n8nqmENTz-1PVzhYtcP9SwV1vI6hYl-5r_SzqDbrawuPCsLGcJtKzKEursFI-5tx401E8C92Oh0317h9b0iQfs6x_iofAi8DOZZPahS01Dn5mQBzEOpS5dwofDh1blDA3jkjpeZqMSYccWPwhn_moszvDgR5vVaPOy820MJLSJ_cstSFk8a8/s640/Bridgerton2croquet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPHoS4n8nqmENTz-1PVzhYtcP9SwV1vI6hYl-5r_SzqDbrawuPCsLGcJtKzKEursFI-5tx401E8C92Oh0317h9b0iQfs6x_iofAi8DOZZPahS01Dn5mQBzEOpS5dwofDh1blDA3jkjpeZqMSYccWPwhn_moszvDgR5vVaPOy820MJLSJ_cstSFk8a8/s320/Bridgerton2croquet.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><p>I launched this blog early last year with a post exploring
the appeal of the Netflix series <i>Bridgerton </i>(if the details are a little hazy you can refresh your memory <a href="https://nicolabarfoot.blogspot.com/2021/02/bridgerton.html" target="_blank">here</a>). That post ended with a
question: would season two be able to find a central thread as engaging as the
romance between Simon and Daphne?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You’ll be pleased to hear that – taking my blogging duties
seriously – I have now viewed the entire second season just so I can answer
that question for you. And the answer is… yes and no.</p><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Bridgerton 2</i> delivers more of what made the first season
appealing. A glorious fantasy of Regency England, where people of various ethnicities
in fabulous costumes dance, drink tea, gossip and flirt in a range of sumptuously
decorated settings. A new activity is added to the mix this time: the sport of croquet,
serving to showcase the charmingly boisterous Bridgerton siblings. The contrast
between the wealthy, well-bred and effortlessly tasteful Bridgertons (predominant
colours: white with hints of blue) and the garish yellow and orange frocks of
the perennially cash-strapped Featheringtons (brought to you by the letter P)
is as striking as ever. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There are plots and side plots galore. The
independent-minded Eloise (Bridgerton sibling number 5) is due to be presented
to the queen, and arrives at court a bundle of nerves at the beginning of episode
one. She is spared the horror of the curtsey, however, when a copy of the
latest Lady Whistledown scandal sheet is delivered to the queen mid-ceremony,
distracting her from the debutantes. In the course of the season, Eloise’s intellectual
and political interests and her curiosity about Whistledown lead her into a perilous
friendship with a lowly printer’s apprentice. Will her reputation survive? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As in series one, the boys of the family are free to mix with
whoever they want without endangering their social standing. Anthony’s opera
singer from season one has vanished, but he satisfies his sexual appetites with
a series of brief, transactional encounters, while Benedict (sibling number 2)
enters the Royal Academy as an art student and consorts with an attractive life
model. Dull Colin (sibling 3) is the only adult male Bridgerton not getting any
action. Though still pining for the woman who nearly entrapped him into
marriage in season one, he is beginning to appreciate the loyal attachment of
Penelope Featherington, the girl next door. But can the two (whose love story
forms the focus of the fourth Bridgerton novel) generate enough romantic and
sexual tension to power an entire future season? I find it hard to imagine.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Penelope was the subject of a major and in my view highly
implausible revelation in the final episode of season one: this sheltered
17-year-old, we are asked to believe, is behind the suave, knowing voice of gossip
writer Lady Whistledown. Whistledown’s identity remains unknown to society at
large, and the mystery obsesses both Eloise Bridgerton – oblivious to her best
friend’s secret pursuits – and Queen Charlotte. The latter, taking liberal
pinches of snuff and sporting a series of increasingly elaborate wigs (almost
worthy of their own spin-off), launches a determined campaign to unmask the
writer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The queen’s only other narrative function is to choose her “diamond”,
the most promising of the season’s debutantes. Here the makers of <i>Bridgerton </i>have
somewhat implausibly taken a real expression – “a diamond of the first water”, the
queen’s epithet for Daphne in season one – and turned it into a title, and an
imaginary annual tradition: in episode one, high society is eagerly awaiting the
queen’s choice.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This year’s “diamond” is the beautiful and accomplished Edwina
Sharma, the younger of a pair of sisters recently arrived from India. Her debut
coincides with Anthony Bridgerton’s decision to do his duty as the head of the
family by marrying and producing an heir. The weight of those family duties, incidentally,
is shown in a montage where Anthony pores over paperwork at his desk, glances
frequently at his watch, and looks increasingly frazzled. The quest for a bride
is just another of these burdensome duties, and he approaches it in
businesslike fashion, with a checklist of the qualities he requires. Since Edwina
ticks all the boxes, he chooses her. There’s an problem, though: her fiery elder
sister Kate disapproves of him, and sets out to thwart his plans. The two clash;
sparks fly. I think you can see where this is going.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What is surprising is how long it takes to get there. Despite
his attraction to Kate and her obviously more suitable temperament (demonstrated
in that pivotal game of croquet), Anthony persists in his pursuit of the wrong
sister. As in season one, the obstacle to true love has its origins in the hero’s
past and the mistaken conclusions he has drawn from it. Simon, leading man in
the first season, had vowed never to produce an heir in order to spite his
cold, unloving father. Anthony, in contrast, is haunted by the memory of a good
father cut down in his prime (by a bee sting, of all things), and of his mother’s
intense, debilitating grief. The lesson he has learnt is that love is to be
avoided at all costs, since the death of a beloved spouse leads to unbearable
pain. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Despite frequent admonitions from his mother and sister
(Daphne, now a wife and mother), it takes a whole season for Anthony to realize
what we all knew all along – that it is better to have loved and lost than
never… well, you know how it goes. The question is: do we like him enough to wait
around for this realization? Anthony doesn’t have quite the same sex appeal as
season one’s hero, Simon, but he’s undeniably handsome and has a good line in smouldering
gazes. His wrongheadedness is infuriating, as is his insensitivity towards both
the Sharma sisters, but the revelations about the traumatic loss of his father
make us more willing to forgive his faults.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kate makes an appealingly spirited heroine, feistier and more
resolute than Daphne in season one. But is there enough chemistry between the
two to keep us watching? They certainly try hard. There are several near
kisses, moments where their lips are millimetres apart, their breathing erratic.
At one point Anthony’s nostrils actually flare – I have to say that’s something
I’d always associated with horses, but there we go, it seems it’s a sign of attraction.
Anyway, romance junkie that I am, I did keep watching and waiting. Was it worth
the wait? Strangely I found their first actual kiss, despite the vertiginous
camera work, slightly less thrilling than all those almost-kisses. Definitely something
to be said for unresolved sexual tension.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It's been widely noted (and in some cases lamented) that
season two has far fewer sex scenes than season one. I don’t find this a
problem, but what I do miss here is the emotional rapport that was established
between the romantic leads in the first season. Simon and Daphne talk to each
other; Anthony and Kate barely seem to do so. Perhaps it’s inevitable in the “enemies
to lovers” storyline. There’s ample evidence of physical attraction, but little
sign that they actually like each other. A bit more dialogue wouldn’t have
gone amiss here – though there is that all-important croquet match, where one
shot is worth a thousand words.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Overall, I’d say <i>Bridgerton 2</i> more or less pulls it off. Anthony
and Kate are both easy on the eye, their parallel struggles to suppress desire
and uphold duty win our sympathy, and the tension between them keeps us watching.
As a conscientious blogger, I may even feel duty-bound to tune in to season
three…<o:p></o:p></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-40648481641155592402022-04-30T01:51:00.000-07:002022-04-30T01:51:41.177-07:00La figlia oscura/The Lost Daughter<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwln87G9TZQneed-hO_DnznwczjUWvEuCsqymQIW9miPkjjFNbPZx-wFxQLaCrqcQ7vIopxUQQgCLR-mGTLoM5LjK92ZlcAP6vQvC17eWAMzs4t-uxbe3h3NRjLKEcM-bH6BDmMcfNzW_Uas3nQTu33otccIcQesZQbY4eO34WIXAXSN6w9XNR64Q/s3885/La%20figlia%20oscura%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3885" data-original-width="2392" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwln87G9TZQneed-hO_DnznwczjUWvEuCsqymQIW9miPkjjFNbPZx-wFxQLaCrqcQ7vIopxUQQgCLR-mGTLoM5LjK92ZlcAP6vQvC17eWAMzs4t-uxbe3h3NRjLKEcM-bH6BDmMcfNzW_Uas3nQTu33otccIcQesZQbY4eO34WIXAXSN6w9XNR64Q/s320/La%20figlia%20oscura%20cover.jpg" width="197" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT52bJGKZYjkpC07yomUl9a2Nn6QbhajRnU5JZlFEkKKmZlv6o03XbUstRxU9BJK3kjxPUa2Gn5uoLQPZ8ZJ0eDX0ne5Ng7CYft_iyQS8aMDJcdQB5HqmNRWSBpuP8o0inYDBNQI9jNDoSUf0c-pAKZpgliW9CRIdmSKN3G3C1AJkLAoTzUkAU5lDP/s314/The_Lost_Daughter_(film).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="220" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT52bJGKZYjkpC07yomUl9a2Nn6QbhajRnU5JZlFEkKKmZlv6o03XbUstRxU9BJK3kjxPUa2Gn5uoLQPZ8ZJ0eDX0ne5Ng7CYft_iyQS8aMDJcdQB5HqmNRWSBpuP8o0inYDBNQI9jNDoSUf0c-pAKZpgliW9CRIdmSKN3G3C1AJkLAoTzUkAU5lDP/s1600/The_Lost_Daughter_(film).jpg" width="220" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">We all know childhood can be traumatic, but what about
parenthood? Can living with our children leave lasting psychological scars?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is one of the questions explored in <i>La figlia oscura</i>,
a short novel by Italian author Elena Ferrante. The novel has been translated
into English as <i>The Lost Daughter</i>, and adapted into a highly acclaimed film
by Maggie Gyllenhaal, starring Olivia Colman. I’d like to talk about both the novel
and the film here, with a particular focus on their depiction of motherhood.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>La figlia oscura</i> is the story of Leda, a lecturer in
English literature at a university in Florence. Long divorced, she is adjusting
to life on her own after her two twenty-something daughters have gone to live
with their father in Canada. At first she feels liberated, and life becomes easier.
She decides to rent an apartment in a seaside town for the summer, taking her
work with her. Returning to the same beach every day, she becomes obsessed with
a large Neapolitan family, whose noisy vulgarity recalls her own family of
origin. The novel describes Leda’s activities and encounters during this
holiday, but its focus is on her thoughts and memories, particularly of the
period when her daughters were young and she was struggling to launch an
academic career while looking after them. Most of the action takes place inside
her mind.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How does the film cope with this challenge? First of all, it
has to be mentioned that Gyllenhaal’s adaptation has one major weakness, an
unfortunate side-effect of the Covid pandemic. The film script had initially
transposed the action to the US, with the British-born protagonist working at
an unnamed university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and taking a holiday on the
nearby coast of Maine, where she meets a family from Queens, New York. So far,
so plausible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Since Covid restrictions made filming in Maine impossible,
however, the entire production was shifted to a Greek island – while leaving
the characters’ origins unchanged. So we have a British-born, US-based lecturer
in Italian literature (specializing in Italian translations of English
literature) taking an extended summer holiday on a random Greek island, where
she meets a tough-as-nails family from Queens, New York. An altogether less convincing
scenario, and one that eliminates the complex relationship between Leda's own
origins and her response to the family she meets.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This problem aside, Gyllenhaal’s film is an excellent
adaptation, which makes effective use of expressive acting, camerawork, dialogue
and flashbacks (where a brilliant Jessie Buckley plays the younger Leda) to
convey the protagonist’s inner life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The initial scenes show her pleasure in her new-found
freedom: driving to her destination with the car windows down and the radio
blasting; immersing herself in the sea; stretching out on a sun-lounger with a
cheeky Cornetto. As she nibbles her ice cream, the idyll is suddenly disrupted
by the arrival of a large and vocal family group; Leda’s disappointment is
palpable. Later, though, she notices a quiet spot amid the noise, the slender,
dark-haired young mother Nina (played by Dakota Johnson) and her small
daughter. In the novel, Leda observes the apparently perfect harmony between
them and concludes that there is something special about the young woman’s way
of being a mother: she seems to want nothing other than the child.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The film gets us right inside this mother-child interaction.
As Nina and her daughter play aeroplane, the mother’s feet supporting the
flying child, the camera takes us so close that we almost see the child from
the mother’s perspective, feel her weight and warmth, hear her giggles. Leda,
the observer, is visibly moved by these scenes: first smiling, then tearful,
then agitated. As she walks to the beach bar and requests a glass of water to
calm her nerves, we see the first fragment of memory begin to surface: the
camera slides – for a second, if that – over a girl’s face with unruly braids
and another girl’s bikini top and wavy hair. Then we’re back to Leda in the
present, fighting to regain her composure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is followed by a longer scene from the past, a few
seconds this time. Two girls, one on her mother’s lap, the other at her
shoulder, watch with fascination as she peels an orange, making a single, long “snake”
with the peel. Again, this is shot in extreme close up, showing the intimacy,
the almost-merging of mother and daughters. Here, though, the mother’s attention
is clearly divided. Music plays, slightly muting the childish chatter (“We
should stick googly eyes on his face and put him in a cage and decorate the
cage”); the mother laughingly agrees, but gazes over her child’s head into the
distance. The scene perfectly juxtaposes physical closeness with mental remoteness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As longer scenes from the past force their way into Leda’s
consciousness, this juxtaposition become plainer. There are cuddles and gentle
ministrations to the children’s physical needs – a fragment of memory from bath
time, for example – but often the girls themselves are slightly out of focus,
their talk muffled or drowned out by music. At one point the older Leda remarks
sentimentally how soft small children are, “their little bodies”, yet her
younger self, overwhelmed by her daughters’ needs and demands and desperate to
focus on her work, is often oblivious to this loveliness. The film shows the
duality of children – their beauty and unstinting physical affection, but also their
power to cling, to make demands, to inspire rage and helplessness.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The difficult physicality of the relationship between mother
and child is shown in another scene from Leda’s memory, faithfully reproduced
in the film. In the novel Leda recalls how her own mother had resisted her
desire for physical play, had not wanted to be combed, adorned with ribbons,
dressed and undressed, treated as a doll. Having suffered from this
unavailability of her mother’s body, Leda tried to be more available to her own
first-born daughter, lying on the floor and letting the child give her
medicine, brush her teeth, comb her hair. In the film we see the exhausted
young mother dozing off in the middle of these games, only to be painfully
woken when the comb, in the child’s inexpert hands, hurts her ear.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In a later scene, the young Leda refuses to give the
physical comfort demanded of her: interrupted while trying to work, she puts a
plaster on her crying child’s finger but ignores the request to kiss it better.
The crying continues unabated, and the camera rests on Leda’s back, her tense
posture showing how close she is to breaking point. In another display of
deficient parenting, described in detail in the novel and enacted in the film, Leda
loses her temper and shoves her daughter, who is defying her. “She was a child
of three, but at that moment she seemed bigger and stronger than me.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Leda’s greatest sin as a mother is withheld from the reader
until she blurts it out accidentally, prompted by a desire to shock Nina’s
smugly pregnant sister-in-law. When asked what her daughters were like as small
children, she claims that she recalls very little. “I went away. I abandoned
them when the older one was six and the second one was four.” Subsequently we
learn that she left her family to pursue a sudden prospect of academic success
and recognition, and an affair with a prestigious scholar. She returned and took
back her daughters three years later.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The middle-aged Leda we encounter in the novel and the film
is a woman whose mental health is crumbling as a suppressed trauma resurfaces. Some
of this springs from guilt at her abandonment of her children, but much of it
is a direct result of the experience of living with them. The film focuses on
their early childhood, while the novel includes glimpses of what it was like to
live with them as teenagers and young women, and touches on Leda’s present
long-distance relationship with them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The novel as a whole offers a fairly pessimistic view of
parenthood. It suggests that the effort to do things better than one’s parents is
doomed to failure; that the level of selflessness required to be a “good mother”
is incompatible with any other kind of self-realization; and that it is almost
impossible to make up for past mistakes and build better relationships with one’s
adult children. Leda comments that she wrote a letter to her teenage daughters,
trying to explain her actions and trigger a discussion. Her daughters, however,
did not respond. Leda reflects bitterly: “What foolishness to think one could
give an account of oneself to one’s children before they turn fifty at least.
To expect to be seen by them as a person, and not as a function.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The film ends on a slightly more optimistic note. Leda is
last seen on a beach, sitting at the water’s edge, peeling an orange in a
single long strip of peel, a ritual that had delighted her daughters in their
childhood. Her daughters, previously somewhat uninterested in her well-being,
call from Canada to check whether she is alive or dead, and she responds
joyfully: “I’m alive!” Perhaps there’s hope that they can put their respective
traumas – of childhood and parenthood – behind them, and move forward together.
I like to think so.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-30360821737882932382022-01-31T14:39:00.002-08:002022-02-01T12:42:04.979-08:00Migrants and refugees<p>Is the UK a “soft touch” for migrants and refugees? Does the
government need to take a tougher stance? The answer, in my view, is a
resounding “no”. The UK’s treatment of migrants and refugees is already
unwelcoming, and the bill currently passing through Parliament will make
it even harsher.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In recent months, the very visible spectacle of people
crossing the English Channel in small boats has exacerbated anxieties about migration.
Take a look at this newspaper article from November 2021, “Tory MPs tell PM to
get a grip on Channel crossings issue”: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tory MPs have warned Boris
Johnson to get a grip on the number of migrants crossing the Channel amid fears
the issue is costing the party votes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hundreds of people, including
children, made the crossing over the weekend despite freezing temperatures,
prompting angry backbenchers to demand the Government take tougher action. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Several Conservatives have insisted
that the issue of migrants arriving on the south coast is the single biggest topic
coming up on the doorstep, sparking fears that the party could lose crucial
votes if it is deemed to be “soft”. </span><span style="font-size: small;">[…]</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Polling […] yesterday showed that
55 per cent of the public, and 77 per cent of Tory voters, believe the Government
is “too soft” when it comes to migrant crossings.</span><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">[1]</span></span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s something both chilling and depressing about this article.
It’s the juxtaposition of extreme human misery – people sufficiently desperate
to risk their lives and those of their children by crossing a busy shipping
channel in freezing temperatures – with extreme indifference to this misery –
the “angry backbenchers” who see these people only as a political problem. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s nothing new here. For well over a century, pressure
of this kind has influenced government policies on asylum and migration. When Jews
escaping pogroms in Eastern Europe began to settle in London’s East End and
elsewhere from the late nineteenth century, hostile reactions from the public, press
and politicians led to the Aliens Act 1905, which aimed to limit the number of poor
and Jewish migrants entering the UK. Numerous other pieces of anti-immigrant and
often racist and/or anti-Semitic legislation followed. Winston Churchill – the
‘Greatest Briton’ of all time, according to a BBC poll in 2002 – voted against
the 1905 act,<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> but
later proposed “Keep England white” as a campaign slogan, and argued that
restricting immigration from the Caribbean was “the most important subject
facing this country”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Today’s Conservative government is responding to current
concerns about immigration with its own new law, the Nationality and Borders
Bill, currently at the committee stage in the House of Lords.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The bill has come under severe criticism from various quarters. The Joint
Committee on Human Rights (a committee bringing together members of both Houses
of Parliament to scrutinize legislation) has criticized it as incompatible with
the UK’s human rights obligations.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Several UN experts have signed a statement declaring that it undermines the
UK’s commitment to international law (particularly with regard to assisting the
victims of trafficking) and increases the risk of discrimination.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
And the charity Refugee Action has called it the “Anti-Refugee Bill”, and “the
biggest attack on the refugee protection system that we have ever seen”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So what exactly is wrong with this proposed law? Firstly, it
makes it an offence (punishable by up to four years’ imprisonment) for anyone
who requires a visa to knowingly enter the UK without one. Yet people fleeing
from persecution or war may not have the leisure to apply for a visa before
leaving. There may not even be a British embassy to apply to – there is none in
either Afghanistan or Syria, for example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More importantly, though, the chances of obtaining leave to enter the UK
are slim. There’s no such thing as a visa for the purpose of claiming asylum,
so for most people who don’t hold a first-world passport and don’t have a job
or course of study to go to, a visitor visa is the only option. But the rules
for visitor visas are geared to exclude anyone who might conceivably not want
to return home when the visa expires. Applicants have to supply a substantial
body of documentation proving their ties to their home country, financial
resources and employment. In the period from 2016-2020, well over half of all
visitor visa applications from citizens of Afghanistan, Eritrea and Syria were
refused.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Secondly, the bill states that anyone with a “connection to
a safe third state” is ineligible to apply for asylum; applications from such
people will be deemed “inadmissible”, with no right of appeal. Such a
connection is considered to exist if someone has travelled through a country where
they could have claimed asylum. This means that anyone who comes to the UK via
Europe will have their application for asylum rejected automatically. And since
no one is allowed to board a flight for the UK without the documents required
to enter the country – airlines face severe fines for any such passengers –
this effectively makes all routes to the UK either inadmissible or illegal. The
only exception is official resettlement programmes, but these are extremely
limited in scope. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In themselves, these new rules will probably not stop people
coming to the UK. But the bill has a provision for that. It explicitly
distinguishes between two classes of refugees. Group 1 are those who have “come
to the United Kingdom directly from a country or territory where their life or
freedom was threatened” (essentially impossible, as outlined above), and who,
if they have entered unlawfully, “can show good cause for their unlawful entry
or presence”. All other refugees are in Group 2. The bill authorizes the Home
Secretary or any immigration officer to treat these two groups differently in
terms of how long they are allowed to stay, whether they can have any recourse
to public funds, and whether their family members will be allowed to enter or
remain in the country.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Refugee Council is particularly critical of this part of
the bill, since removing refugees’ rights to family reunion eliminates one of
the few safe routes to the UK for women and children who have been stranded in
war zones or refugee camps.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
It is worth noting that while the majority of refugees who arrive by boat are
men, most of the adults who arrive via family reunion are women.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another key element of the bill is tucked away at the end in
a section on “maritime enforcement”. This is the infamous “pushback” policy, giving
immigration officers the power to turn back boats containing migrants, using
force if necessary. The bill also stipulates that immigration officers will not
be liable in any criminal or civil proceedings for any actions they carry out
in this context, provided they acted “in good faith”. Parliament’s own Joint
Committee on Human Rights has severely criticized this section of the bill because
it risks endangering the lives of those in small and unseaworthy vessels, thus failing
to protect an essential human right – the right to life.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
It also violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which enshrines the
obligation to rescue anyone in danger at sea.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another sinister aspect of the Nationality and Borders Bill
is that it eliminates the existing rule that asylum seekers may not be removed
from Britain while their case is being examined. Instead it states that an
asylum seeker may be removed to a safe third country. This may sound innocuous,
but it paves the way for the possible future establishment of offshore asylum
processing or detention centres like those used by Australia. A recent
newspaper article reported that ministers were “ready to provide hundreds of
millions of pounds to any country willing to host a processing centre”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Countries approached so far include Albania, Rwanda and Ghana. It is easy to
see why the Home Office likes the idea of offshoring asylum procedures. For one
thing, it would prevent refugees from gaining a foothold in British society and
building up the years of residence that might eventually earn them the right to
stay. For another, it would remove the treatment of asylum seekers from the
scrutiny and interference of well-meaning British citizens and charities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All in all, then, this is a bill that is fundamentally
hostile towards migrants and refugees. It may not make much difference to the
numbers arriving on Britain’s shores, but it will make the lives of those that
do arrive, and of the wives and children they may have left behind, much more
difficult.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In their fear of being thought “soft”, British governments
have not only taken a harsh stance towards migrants on British soil, they have
also pressured France to take a harder line on people gathering in Calais while
waiting for a chance to cross the Channel. In <i>Fortress Europe: Dispatches
from a Gated Continent</i>,<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span>
Matthew Carr describes his first-hand observations of the cruel and systematic harassment
of migrants by the French authorities: arresting them as they queue for food,
emptying their water supplies, confiscating their blankets and sleeping bags,
destroying their tents, evicting them from whatever shelter they have managed
to find. Carr speaks to the deputy mayor of Calais, who assures him this
approach is being carried out in consultation with the UK Border Agency.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In an effort to win votes by taking a visibly tough stance
on migration and asylum, successive British governments have built up an
environment in which migrants in general, and especially those seeking asylum,
are treated with deep suspicion. The underlying assumption is that most of
those seeking to enter the UK are not genuine refugees, fleeing for their
lives, but “economic migrants”, looking to improve their living standards.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is it actually possible to make a clear distinction between refugees
and migrants? Some argue that it is: “Migrants are lured by hope; refugees are
fleeing fear.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftn15" name="_ftnref15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> I’m
not sure that the distinction is quite so clear. Natural disasters, weak or
corrupt governments, political and economic instability, crime, political or
religious repression, persistent discrimination, the fear of violence, the
actual experience of violence: all of these are things that might make people leave
their country and seek a safer, less precarious existence elsewhere. They may
not qualify for the narrow definition of “refugee” set out in the Geneva
Convention – someone who has fled their country due to a “well-founded
fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership
of a particular social group or political opinion”– but that does not make
their need less pressing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How do we decide whose reasons for migrating are acceptable,
and whose are not? Who should be allowed the chance of a new life in the UK?
This is an exceptionally difficult question, and I don’t have an answer. But
simply keeping everyone out and allowing no one to seek refuge can’t be the
solution. On each one of those little boats bobbing across the Channel there
will be people who have endured unimaginable hardships, both in their own
country and on their journey to northern France. They’ve made the hard decision
to leave behind their home, their language and culture, families and friends;
they’ve suffered hunger and thirst, heat and cold, terror and hopelessness;
they’ve been at the mercy of people smugglers and other criminals, and they’ve probably
been mistreated by the police and border forces of various countries.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I can see that simply opening the UK’s borders and welcoming
everyone who wants to come here isn’t realistic, yet surely there must be a
middle way between this and the hostile, punitive attitude that is currently in
place and will be further entrenched by the new bill? It seems to me that what
is needed is not a tougher stance, but a kinder one. More compassion, more imagination,
and more empathy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A bit of reading might help. Literature has to be one of the
best ways to see things from another point of view. Let’s get our kids reading
Benjamin Zephaniah’s <i>Refugee Boy</i> or Morris Gleitzman’s <i>Boy Overboard</i>;
let’s get our MPs reading – for example – <i>The Beekeeper of Aleppo</i>
(Christy Lefteri) or <i>American Dirt</i> (Jeanine Cummins). Maybe then those angry
backbenchers could return to their constituents’ doorsteps with a different
message. Maybe they could start to talk to voters about why they fear migrants,
and try to allay those fears rather than falling over themselves to confirm them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not holding my breath, but it’s something to work
towards.<o:p></o:p></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicgUa_xHoEVjE8Iyj3ITI4uXjqBRsJhq0Nt8hq-bIXcU2-fpaLHHb62Tsnn3F97F_NsTFXnBPK7R0M5_FLBwl-dMYnjGPgsisgE7Qo4UEbZ6zUY0BGm1Upg7OFT_QyruuVA3sgnjnKzydVEwe7gpMEK3adZLaZPeYBu2vqlWP_ATnDwzjxg6FB0l_x=s1200" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicgUa_xHoEVjE8Iyj3ITI4uXjqBRsJhq0Nt8hq-bIXcU2-fpaLHHb62Tsnn3F97F_NsTFXnBPK7R0M5_FLBwl-dMYnjGPgsisgE7Qo4UEbZ6zUY0BGm1Upg7OFT_QyruuVA3sgnjnKzydVEwe7gpMEK3adZLaZPeYBu2vqlWP_ATnDwzjxg6FB0l_x=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: Middle East Monitor</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The <i>i</i> newspaper, 21 November 2021.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> At
the time he praised “the old tolerant and generous practice of free entry and
asylum to which this country has so long adhered and from which it has so
greatly gained”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliens_Act_1905<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Quoted from Maya Goodfellow, <i>Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became
Scapegoats</i> (London: Verso, 2019), p. 50.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/58-02/082/5802082_en_1.html">https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/58-02/082/5802082_en_1.html</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/93/human-rights-joint-committee/news/159292/new-powers-to-pushback-and-criminalise-channel-crossings-breach-uks-human-rights-obligations-jchr-finds/</p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109792">https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109792</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/All-Punishment-No-Protection-Report.pdf">https://www.refugee-action.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/All-Punishment-No-Protection-Report.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/39579/pdf/<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/government-plans-will-all-but-destroy-main-safe-route-out-of-conflict-for-women-and-children-at-risk-warns-refugee-council/">https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/latest/news/government-plans-will-all-but-destroy-main-safe-route-out-of-conflict-for-women-and-children-at-risk-warns-refugee-council/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/39579/pdf/<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn11" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt5802/jtselect/jtrights/885/88503.htm#_idTextAnchor000">https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/jt5802/jtselect/jtrights/885/88503.htm#_idTextAnchor000</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The <i>i</i> newspaper, 18 January 2022.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn13" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
London: Hurst & Co., 2012.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn14" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Carr, <i>Fortress Europe</i>, p. 129.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn15" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Nicola/creative%20writing/migrants%20and%20refugees.docx#_ftnref15" name="_ftn15" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn15;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[15]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Alexander Betts and Paul Collier, <i>Refuge: Transforming a Broken Refugee
System</i> (London: Allen Lane, 2017), p. 30.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-57793540413916586342021-12-24T05:24:00.014-08:002021-12-24T05:29:39.265-08:00Cycling in winter<p>The shortest day of the year was upon us, cold and gloomy. I
wanted exercise, but could I bring myself to get changed and get my bike out? I
hesitated, but the prospect of a workout in my living room had little appeal,
and the desire to be outdoors prevailed.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A few years ago I’d decided winter cycling wasn’t for me.
The days were too short, the weather too cold, the sun too low – shining in my
eyes and, worse, dazzling the drivers, increasing the chances of a bike-car
collision. For a year or two my bike lived in the shed from December to
February. But in the last couple of years I’ve realized it can be worth getting
out cycling even in the depths of winter. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not getting carried away here. I’m not advocating
cycling through snow and ice. I might be fooled by a dodgy weather forecast and
get caught in a shower, but you won’t see me setting out in the rain. I’m not
going to follow my partner’s example and ride 200 km on one of the shortest
days of the year in chilly fog and drizzle, plunged into darkness for the last
60 km or so. No, I’m talking civilized, fair-weather cycling, getting out for
an hour or so in the middle of the day (a perk of self-employment) for a blast
of fresh air and physical exertion.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the shortest day of the year I follow my shortest route,
a circuit northwest of Chelmsford. At first the chilly winter air cuts through
my leggings, numbs my gloved fingers and makes my eyes water, but I soon warm
up. Within about ten minutes of leaving my back garden, I’m out of suburbia and
in the countryside, in Hollow Lane. On the left, gateposts mark the entrance to
a long driveway leading to a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>large
house, plain and dignified, with splendid oversized chimneys. Shortly after, on
the right, comes a house of a completely different character: Scravels, with its
colourful façade of cream walls, red roof and finials, green trim, and a
decorative motif of leaves below the gables.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I first discovered this route a few years ago, Hollow
Lane was entirely rural, but its western end has now been swallowed by a new housing
estate, and the road surface is thick with the mud of construction traffic. I’m
soon out again, though, heading north on the oddly named Woodhall Hill (there
is no hill to speak of).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At some point, a sign announces the beginning of Chignal
Smealy, but it’s hard to see where the village starts and stops: there’s the
Pig & Whistle, a pub transformed into an upmarket restaurant, a few houses,
and a neatly thatched cottage at the corner of Breeds Road. Then fields and
hedgerows again, as the road narrows and curves westward, then another cluster
of houses around the pretty red-brick-and-ivy church of St Nicholas. Next door
is Church House, a picture-postcard half-timbered building with a distinctly
discouraging sign announcing “No enquiries”. Whatever I might wish to know, the
inhabitants of Church House are clearly not interested in telling me.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At Church House the road makes a sharp turn south, and soon
after that I’m heading homeward along Mashbury Road. This takes me through the
equally sprawling Chignal St James: a cluster of houses, a brick schoolhouse
converted into a dwelling, a smart modern village hall – and then another
substantial stretch of countryside before the village resumes, with a few rows
of cottages, a red phone box, and a small flint church (St James, presumably),
converted into a house. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Passing the ex-church and the cricket green, I have to pedal
harder to get up a little hill, then I sail past more houses, one of them
previously the village pub, the Three Elms. Its days as a pub are not in the distant
past: I sat here in the garden with a beer a few summers ago, and sang carols here
with my choir one Christmas (anyone remember which year?). Another tiny hill,
more barns converted into luxury housing, and before I know it I’m back on the
outskirts of Chelmsford.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Apart from the well-spaced charms of the Chignals, the real
appeal of this ride is the countryside itself. Its beauty is a lot less obvious
at this time of year: no exuberant blossom, lush greens or gorgeous displays of
autumn leaves. But adjust your expectations, and the beauty is there. Trees
that might melt into a mass of green in summer reveal their individual shape
and structure in winter, bare against a pale sky. Oak with its sturdy, sharply bent
branches ending in a delicate tracery of twigs; ash with its thick, upward-curving
twigs and fat black buds; blackthorn and dog rose revealing their full spiky
nature.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The landscape isn’t completely devoid of colour, either. The
sky isn’t a monotonous grey, but mottled, multi-shaded, a watercolour sky.
There’s light green grass, a darker green field of winter cabbages, and the
still darker green of ivy. There’s the pale, pale yellow-grey-brown of dead grasses.
The twigs in the hedgerows are not just brown or grey, but show, from a distance,
hints of colour: some are a dark purple-grey, others a faint orange-red. And close
up there are small splashes of contrasting colour: a few dark red haws, the
feathery white seed heads of traveller’s joy (aka old man’s beard), a scattering
of small, bright yellow leaves, mostly blackthorn and dog rose. Brambles, not usually
my favourite plant, redeem themselves at this grey time of year with a riotous
mix of green, yellow, red and brown leaves.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most of these things, of course, could also be enjoyed on a
walk, but cycling gets me out of town quicker – the alternative would be a long
trek through the suburbs or a car trip, braving Chelmsford’s traffic and the
hassle of parking. Walking warms me slightly, but cycling really gets my heart
pumping. Country walks in winter can be lovely, especially in good company, yet
there are times when trudging alone along muddy footpaths fails to thrill me.
On my bike I can stick to sealed roads and whizz past any less appealing bits
of scenery.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I could potentially get some of this from running – the
pumping heart, the faster-passing landscape, the distracting effect of physical
exertion. For me, though, running is all effort and no fun, whereas cycling is
a delightful mixture of both. Running is supposedly good for my bone density,
but it’s a strain on my hamstrings, shins and feet. Cycling gives more movement
for less work, and doesn’t exacerbate my middle-aged aches and pains. Running,
I’m sluggish and heavy; cycling, I’m as light as air. Running makes me feel
old, cycling keeps me young.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Anyone fancy a ride?<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2UuG_TK23vcw7lq7dQsDxhBE3AFyzgLw1xp71fTugiwcwEmpvZMKn0HezmWAoqqxPRmrkD1FpjFoRh4HbcVAyOQUk8BhYrvofo3jOWCtiY6RIeJOiip9wdc_HQe7_vBJGJugWhSgt53SmigatypyJp2ltPHcC6LU5KzNV2QqBasZn1hpayA-QVC-S=s4128" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2UuG_TK23vcw7lq7dQsDxhBE3AFyzgLw1xp71fTugiwcwEmpvZMKn0HezmWAoqqxPRmrkD1FpjFoRh4HbcVAyOQUk8BhYrvofo3jOWCtiY6RIeJOiip9wdc_HQe7_vBJGJugWhSgt53SmigatypyJp2ltPHcC6LU5KzNV2QqBasZn1hpayA-QVC-S=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj44eSuGWQM3IK_4osdgiFCD9835rtg5bgreh1aT2wn7gcdpPl_BGTEkDxjcMYEw2BnKb6RH8D7r8ZDX4e5Qq2w_R7A649HIFpFd4qdweF_RuIqUkxR_Klg5e0ocnLtEtlO5DsSAlAZR83pTeL46Z6CvRiVqgf8-ENo48XrwH4qmR7x-Vj2wucFvg34=s4128" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj44eSuGWQM3IK_4osdgiFCD9835rtg5bgreh1aT2wn7gcdpPl_BGTEkDxjcMYEw2BnKb6RH8D7r8ZDX4e5Qq2w_R7A649HIFpFd4qdweF_RuIqUkxR_Klg5e0ocnLtEtlO5DsSAlAZR83pTeL46Z6CvRiVqgf8-ENo48XrwH4qmR7x-Vj2wucFvg34=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-69809100842058452342021-10-31T13:13:00.000-07:002021-10-31T13:13:10.104-07:00Illegal immigration <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9wDFIw-8VOMRDr1jaYwXM_Yje3sWThogPmvc7TX6wMu5a7r4WqIcWQxr-jzUZHR0F4wGSxa1u7-qEECpvZpUseDf_rId_UrvHT7YYj2QnCM1TTMEdw2ggBU4xc3QzKN3szQ6ZFn1JPJ3_tEH_i2nF-0ZdZMOdonUcT-p_jkW_DwMn9bdk1Nwpxx6P=s976" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9wDFIw-8VOMRDr1jaYwXM_Yje3sWThogPmvc7TX6wMu5a7r4WqIcWQxr-jzUZHR0F4wGSxa1u7-qEECpvZpUseDf_rId_UrvHT7YYj2QnCM1TTMEdw2ggBU4xc3QzKN3szQ6ZFn1JPJ3_tEH_i2nF-0ZdZMOdonUcT-p_jkW_DwMn9bdk1Nwpxx6P=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Do you remember that news item two years ago about a lorry
found in an industrial area in south Essex, containing the dead bodies of
thirty-nine people? For many of us, the passage of time has dulled the shock,
but a new BBC Two documentary has detailed the events of October 2019 and the
subsequent police investigation. Despite its rather sensationalist title and
occasionally intrusive background music (haunting strings, of course), </span><i style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010ldl" target="_blank">Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers</a></i><span style="text-align: left;"> is a well-made, sensitive account of the events, and compelling viewing.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It’s fascinating to see elements familiar from fictional
crime drama appearing in real life: the smashed, charred mobile phone fished
out of a drain and the broken SIM card found some distance away, yielding
crucial information on who the driver had contacted between discovering the
bodies and calling the ambulance; the painstaking analysis of CCTV to trace the
movements of the lorry and the trailer; the extraordinary luck of finding an
eyewitness in the French countryside.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Above all, though, this is heartbreaking. The film-makers
travelled to Vietnam to speak to the families of the victims: a father, a
mother, a young widow left to raise her children alone. All those who died in
that lorry were fairly young – the youngest two were fifteen – and they weren’t
refugees fleeing war or persecution, just young people setting out to seek
their fortune, to escape relentless rural poverty, and to try to make enough
money to improve their own lives and those of their families.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To enable them to take that step, the families had borrowed
the huge sums demanded for the journey; one family had paid $22,000, another
person paid £13,000 just for the passage from France to the UK. Sacrifices had
been made. One father describes how he borrowed money from the banks and from
relatives, some of whom had sold their cows and buffaloes to lend the money. Interviews
with the family members are interspersed with footage of their everyday lives and
their agricultural work, hinting at the hardship those young people were hoping
to escape.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One mother talks about how her daughter had resisted
pressure to marry young, and had even concocted the story of a fortune teller informing
her “she would only be happy if she got married after she turned 30”. Like many
of the others, this young woman had hoped to work overseas for a few years and
then come home. Her mother had known she was waiting to get from France to the
UK, but hadn’t known the details – only that she was travelling “VIP class”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For $22,000 one would certainly expect VIP treatment, but
the reality was long hours sealed in an overcrowded lorry trailer, where the
temperatures gradually rose from a chilly 12 degrees to over 38 degrees (all
the victims were found stripped to their underwear). At the same time, with
more than twice as many people in the trailer than on previous trips, the
oxygen level was dropping. In the end, everyone in that lorry died of
suffocation shortly before reaching the English coast. Their final phone
messages to their families make devastating reading. The mother of the
free-spirited young woman mentioned above confesses that she has not yet been
able to bring herself to read the last messages her daughter sent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks to the police investigation, the criminals most
directly involved in the deaths were eventually convicted (of thirty-nine counts of
manslaughter) and sentenced to long prison terms. The policeman who had led the
investigation made a brief statement outside the court, beginning with the
words: “Every man, woman and child that died in that trailer was following the
false promise of a better life abroad.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I found myself wondering about this false promise, this hope
of a better life, as I watched the programme. How many of those who make the
same journey, but are still breathing when the doors are flung open, actually
do succeed in the UK? How many earn enough money not just to support
themselves, but to repay the horrendous loans taken out for their passage, and
to support their wives, children and parents back home? Given that they live in
the UK illegally, what leverage do they have to demand even the minimum wage
from any future employer? I suspect that for many, the long and difficult
journey to the UK does not lead to prosperity, but to poverty and exploitation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My fleeting research into the topic suggests that this is
probably true. Many illegal immigrants from Vietnam to the UK are smuggled
rather than trafficked; that is, they consent to being brought here and their
relationship with the smugglers ends on their arrival. However, <a href="https://www.antislaverycommissioner.co.uk/media/1159/iasc-report-combating-modern-slavery-experience-by-vietname-nationals-en-route-to-and-within-the-uk.pdf" target="_blank">this report</a>
from the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner suggests that the difference between trafficking and smuggling is not always
clear-cut: many of those who pay smugglers to transport them are exploited en
route, or end up in conditions of complete dependence and even captivity,
working long hours and in unhealthy conditions in nail salons and cannabis-growing
operations. A large proportion of women and girls illegally transported from
Vietnam become victims of sexual exploitation. For a good overview of these issues,
have a look at <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/01/world/europe/vietnamese-migrants-europe.html" target="_blank">this article</a> in the <i>New York Times</i>.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Is there any way we can stop unscrupulous people smugglers
from exploiting the hopes of the poor, and extracting huge sums that may
condemn their families to worse hardship than before? Is stricter border
control the answer? Checking the contents of every single lorry before it
boards the ferry? This particular group would have been intercepted if that had
happened. But such a level of control is probably not feasible, and even if it
were, smugglers might resort to hiding smaller numbers of people, packed into
tiny spaces among other, legal imports, or sending them across the Channel in
small boats. Either possibility would certainly result in more deaths.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So perhaps tighter controls are not the answer. What about
legal migration? What about giving young people from Vietnam (and elsewhere) a
chance to come and work in the UK for a couple of years? One suggestion I have seen
(though I’ve unfortunately lost track of the source) is to sell visas at a
price that compares favourably to the sums paid to smugglers for illegal entry,
then pay some or all of the price back to the migrants when they return to
their home country. Worth considering, perhaps?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At present the UK does not seem to be contemplating any such
scheme. Instead it has intensified efforts to uncover and stop people-smuggling
operations, while warning people not to attempt the journey with a <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-year-after-essex-lorry-deaths-uk-funded-ads-wont-stop-vietnamese-migrants-risking-their-lives-148653" target="_blank">hard-hittingadvertising campaign in Vietnam</a>.
In some ways this seems a reasonable approach: the more awareness there is of
trafficking mechanisms, and of the possible negative outcomes of migration, the
less likely it is (one would hope) that people will be sucked into the worst kinds
of exploitation. It is unclear how much impact such campaigns can have, however.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Given the irreducible complexity of migration issues, it’s
hardly surprising that I can’t produce a conclusion here, let alone a solution.
I do recommend <i>Hunting the Essex Lorry Killers</i>, however. At the very
least, it reminds us that migrants – legal or illegal – are not just an
anonymous mass, but individuals who are ultimately not all that different to us,
with hopes and dreams, parents who worry about them, and collections of silly
selfies on their phones. Humans, in other words. Perhaps, if enough of us
watched it, it might even inspire a useful public debate, informed by
compassion rather than hostility and fear.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSGRf4wp6RpNDhu9d5qW3KYNjGI2c1AJIg6msEANpi0Aa4RqvVT_JuFrFVYQXq6O1WxMOnvrGr1U5ftpQ65_so5cHU4t3cuOGPQlYUm8L6QHvtaXeBTlNyhnWl1jrSrQfFnbJzP7lOzXEXQqSo8M0vBnA32rKnQoAQ7Y2_AdwzRQxiusEIf43XCFKT=s976" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="976" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSGRf4wp6RpNDhu9d5qW3KYNjGI2c1AJIg6msEANpi0Aa4RqvVT_JuFrFVYQXq6O1WxMOnvrGr1U5ftpQ65_so5cHU4t3cuOGPQlYUm8L6QHvtaXeBTlNyhnWl1jrSrQfFnbJzP7lOzXEXQqSo8M0vBnA32rKnQoAQ7Y2_AdwzRQxiusEIf43XCFKT=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>(Photos from bbc.co.uk)</o:p></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-72810191225964820352021-09-15T07:31:00.002-07:002021-09-15T13:43:31.844-07:00Women and sport<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBJHKAaX2wO8K8SpTnGl0TW9BaBeQXcUIZQTWPWtDz-sAjyKKCGyc0Y2U54fNnD0dMJ-viDFinPmipOaXucIv6Ws-Ns6_KxkgutCZ4LCUN4JMxcauaDm9cmrQD5DoLSQeLEzTRa49VG0/s620/image+cricketers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="372" data-original-width="620" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBJHKAaX2wO8K8SpTnGl0TW9BaBeQXcUIZQTWPWtDz-sAjyKKCGyc0Y2U54fNnD0dMJ-viDFinPmipOaXucIv6Ws-Ns6_KxkgutCZ4LCUN4JMxcauaDm9cmrQD5DoLSQeLEzTRa49VG0/s320/image+cricketers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Photo: Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">“It’s not necessary for women to play cricket.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Up to a point, I have to say I agree with this statement.
It’s not necessary for women to play cricket. It’s not necessary for men to
play cricket. It’s not necessary for children to play cricket.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And yet, inexplicable though it may seem, there are many
women, men and children in various parts of the world who want to play cricket.
They enjoy playing cricket. They get a kick out of it. And it does no harm at
all to anyone else. Well, perhaps just occasionally a ball slams into an
innocent spectator or passer-by (a potentially fatal accident, given the rather
hard nature of cricket balls), but fortunately this isn’t an everyday
occurrence.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So although I might question the necessity of cricket, and
would protest quite vigorously if anyone tried to make me watch a game, it
would never occur to me to ban it. Nor would I ban model aeroplane building, cross-stitch,
Monopoly or darts. None of these activities serves any useful purpose, but they
give people pleasure and do no harm. Each to his own.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is not an attitude shared by the Taliban, who have
recently decreed that women in Afghanistan will no longer be permitted to play
cricket, or indeed participate in any other sport. <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/taliban-say-women-won-t-be-allowed-to-play-sport/3d58c3c9-9ffd-4f13-98e7-b1ecfe9ce2df" target="_blank">In an interview with the Australian broadcaster SBS</a>, the deputy head of the Taliban's cultural commission,
Ahmadullah Wasiq, offered the spurious explanation that women’s faces and
bodies might be exposed while engaging in sport – not just to the people
present but to the media. The crux of the matter, however, is that “sport is
not seen as something that is important for women”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a statement I strongly disagree with. Most of my
female friends and relatives engage in some form of sport, or have done so in
the past. My mother was a keen skier and tramper (hillwalker or hiker, for
those of you who don’t speak New Zild) as a young woman, and has continued to
enjoy walking all her life. My aunt was a world champion triathlete in her
seventies, and is still a hardy cyclist and swimmer in her eighties. My cousin,
always sporty, fought back after cancer and major surgery and now cycles, runs,
and swims impressive distances. My partner plays hockey and takes part in increasingly
adventurous cycling events. One of my sisters-in-law competes in triathlons, another
played football for several years and now runs across London to get to work. My
mother-in-law tracks her step count and cycles around the countryside on her
e-bike.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sport means different things to different women. It’s important
for physical health: a way to keep fit, prevent weight gain, and stave off the
decline brought by menopause and ageing. It’s important for mental health: an
opportunity to spend time outdoors in the natural world, to set goals and
achieve them, or perhaps just to let off steam. It’s hugely important as a
social activity, connecting us with others and fostering a sense of community.
For a small minority – the most talented, the most dedicated – it’s a source of
public recognition and in some cases financial security. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Take a look at <a href="https://www.rainews.it/dl/rainews/media/Afghanistan-i-talebani-vietano-lo-sport-alle-donne-espone-i-loro-corpi-97c0456c-02cb-42d0-b425-bd3546c0b52b.html#foto-1" target="_blank">this photo series</a> of women in Afghanistan
engaging in various sporting pursuits.
The one that affects me most is the last one, showing a woman on a bicycle; it
gets to me because I can’t imagine being forbidden from riding my bike. Cycling
is my vitamin pill and antidepressant rolled into one: it gets me outdoors,
feeling the sun and the wind on my skin, seeing the changing seasons in the fields
and hedgerows and woods. It gets my muscles working and my heart pumping. Cycling
makes me feel like a kid, not a middle-aged woman.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other thing that saddens me when contemplating these
photos is that all these women are doing their best to cover up as much skin as
they can. It’s impossible to tell whether this stems from personal piety or
from a fear of punishment, but in either case, it’s not enough to satisfy the
Taliban. Imagine how much you would have to love your sport to jump through
those hoops. Imagine compromising your comfort, your enjoyment and your performance
with all those hot, constricting extra layers, only to be told “Sorry, no sport
for you – it’s just not necessary”. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I know that this is far from the worst thing the Taliban
have done or are likely to do. They’ve also been quoted in the last few days as
saying that women can’t be government ministers, because their job is to have
children. Keeping women out of government, preventing them from working or even
leaving their home unaccompanied, and excluding girls from education: all these
things are more significant in the big scheme of things. And women are
certainly not the Taliban’s only victims; their persecution of religious
minorities and their brutal suppression of dissidents is well known. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But there’s something particularly chilling in this prohibition
and its almost offhand justification. It highlights the breathtaking arrogance
of a regime which seeks to suppress – or indeed deny – the diversity of human personalities,
desires and interests, and to impose the same narrow and rigid patterns on
every single life. Or rather, to impose one
pattern with a certain amount of variation on every male life (since men are permitted
a range of different jobs and some freedom of movement) and another far more
restrictive one on every female life.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I don’t have a conclusion or a solution – invading and occupying
Afghanistan doesn’t seem to have helped much. All I can say is that I’m extremely
grateful to live in a place and time when women have equal rights to education,
self-determination and mobility. Where women can decide for themselves what
occupation to pursue, who to sleep with and/or live with, and whether or not to
have children. And where women can swim, run, climb mountains, ride bicycles
and even – if they really feel so inclined – play cricket.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p> </p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-46831226495928652172021-08-31T06:51:00.002-07:002021-08-31T08:59:06.906-07:00Six things I like about Chelmsford<p class="MsoNormal">It’s exactly six years since I arrived in Chelmsford, on a bank
holiday weekend at the end of August 2015. We’d left New Zealand in a
nightmarish flurry of last-minute packing in mid-July, and spent a few fairly
restful weeks with family in Germany. Then Daniela had flown ahead to the UK
with the boys, while I’d stayed on with the girls to visit friends in Berlin.
Now, however, the day of reckoning had come. As the taxi from Southend airport
carried us and our mountain of suitcases towards our new home, I wondered what
awaited us. I’d never set foot in Chelmsford before, in fact a few weeks
earlier I would have had trouble locating it on a map, and yet here I was
moving in – kids, furniture and all – for at least a year, probably longer.
What would it be like?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Well, Chelmsford hasn’t swept me off my feet, but it’s grown
on me. It’s a city with many good qualities, some instantly apparent, others less
so. Here are a few of my favourites, in no particular order.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>1. The rivers </b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph">My first walk into town, the day after arrival, took
me over the footbridge by the Tesco carpark. Looking down, I saw a slow-flowing
river, its clear water revealing a complex landscape of bright green waterweed and numerous small fish. It was a brief glimpse,
but rather magical. This river turned out to be the Chelmer, which is joined just
south-east of the city centre by the somewhat smaller Can. Both are confined to
austere concrete channels as they pass through the urban centre, but further upstream
they meander through a nature reserve (the Chelmer) and parkland (the Can), their
banks lush with plant life. Some of the most attractive spots have been
created by human intervention: a lovely pool below a lock on the Can, just
outside Admiral’s Park, and another at the foot of a weir across the Chelmer
next to the university. I haven’t been tempted to take a dip personally, but on
rare occasions I’ve seen teenagers venturing in. After sustained rain, on the
other hand, both rivers offer the thrill of rather dramatic floods, transforming
the familiar landscape and making footpaths impassable.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY6BDmXzlfVqNHQQUrOsXUHg33GAkzzR8I61OnbTumM82EpOa4NB30vLDDK2w64O50elsSobQSke0vHYsnDw5HXQVgiph9-ri5ZYXQMOtsl71jIhRmz-faUe91dEWew_5-056CwEspdE/s2048/20161229_102709.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSY6BDmXzlfVqNHQQUrOsXUHg33GAkzzR8I61OnbTumM82EpOa4NB30vLDDK2w64O50elsSobQSke0vHYsnDw5HXQVgiph9-ri5ZYXQMOtsl71jIhRmz-faUe91dEWew_5-056CwEspdE/s320/20161229_102709.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">Here and below: the Chelmer in various seasons</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhac6KVQIUutht4lCbHK7XD0fDo2BY1IYVFgmbyr2gZ3HWdJ8k0lY-XlKIM0S9dF1WQX4XKpF-5sg2DojRFJ9GwZDfftLoUacXYwDGx-_fbApPZFrY_rZX4HsDr3J1MPeQgEwxx8UnLqtA/s2048/20170417_160411.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhac6KVQIUutht4lCbHK7XD0fDo2BY1IYVFgmbyr2gZ3HWdJ8k0lY-XlKIM0S9dF1WQX4XKpF-5sg2DojRFJ9GwZDfftLoUacXYwDGx-_fbApPZFrY_rZX4HsDr3J1MPeQgEwxx8UnLqtA/s320/20170417_160411.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE9Zg6BSSu2NCX7IGEijccC0vHdakBxkzQuM1b9UxpEu8sVKRMs4Ybk0oBnzbU_iS4ekSaW_H8yFhR8_mYEDnnIO__Z7qjyqJaJ1qQxb3AbNOTvnqRERrNVAvOHAisZSafN4IiNOsK9s/s2048/20210210_162520.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE9Zg6BSSu2NCX7IGEijccC0vHdakBxkzQuM1b9UxpEu8sVKRMs4Ybk0oBnzbU_iS4ekSaW_H8yFhR8_mYEDnnIO__Z7qjyqJaJ1qQxb3AbNOTvnqRERrNVAvOHAisZSafN4IiNOsK9s/s320/20210210_162520.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeb6VPNWvoLAmea4KwDf6xBScGi5KU9Nx3cuiGl_88HeOkCC44-tZBsY1FM3JU3hZ6FEVcQwucENDEbNWgL0_aVtuY2_J8EhkBqZ44WUGFASi1tE5h6cZNu0kvBoUg9KZTp6cx8q3IG74/s2048/20170417_170614.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeb6VPNWvoLAmea4KwDf6xBScGi5KU9Nx3cuiGl_88HeOkCC44-tZBsY1FM3JU3hZ6FEVcQwucENDEbNWgL0_aVtuY2_J8EhkBqZ44WUGFASi1tE5h6cZNu0kvBoUg9KZTp6cx8q3IG74/s320/20170417_170614.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y4-3RyFwIn_1YH_NtEvJ5Z2jbCzSN68wyGRSxPeEf5FjCk6Pge0xl2gFPgTJaT7R4apiYBQ7Z8F5cLyTSMzgADaqOApafu_1CEuPvLTRioIho_5jBWPogVDsLwQa9HL5AbnQgKpzaAo/s2048/20190730_143413.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y4-3RyFwIn_1YH_NtEvJ5Z2jbCzSN68wyGRSxPeEf5FjCk6Pge0xl2gFPgTJaT7R4apiYBQ7Z8F5cLyTSMzgADaqOApafu_1CEuPvLTRioIho_5jBWPogVDsLwQa9HL5AbnQgKpzaAo/s320/20190730_143413.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QpaRA-s5CUnJU3lLEtKhGxOSdX8GVg9D6zEughn4zf6rTVLDy-gsoqBZztQCMVrtVdH2GB1wEyn7yZJ5TtQxfDyWTQVhiFmzMDwapiJklMymXeBM2l99f5zFopsYEpIL2qBmVRPq-ok/s2048/20191221_115017.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QpaRA-s5CUnJU3lLEtKhGxOSdX8GVg9D6zEughn4zf6rTVLDy-gsoqBZztQCMVrtVdH2GB1wEyn7yZJ5TtQxfDyWTQVhiFmzMDwapiJklMymXeBM2l99f5zFopsYEpIL2qBmVRPq-ok/s320/20191221_115017.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoListParagraph"></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>2. The parks</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph">One of my walks takes me along busy roads
(Parkway and Rainsford Road) to the corner of Admiral’s Park. As soon as I’m in
the park, the noise of the traffic is forgotten; I’m on a lovely avenue of
copper beeches cutting diagonally across a large green field and – a rare thing
in this fairly low-lying city – the land slopes away slightly, giving a broad
view of the park and a glimpse of the countryside beyond it. The path takes me past a
popular children’s playground and a cricket green to a bridge over the Can. At
this point the river is shallow, clear, and attractively overhung with elms
and horse chestnuts. If I turn left after the bridge I can walk through parks,
along a wide path lined with weeping willows, sycamores, ashes, plane trees and limes, all the way
into the town centre. After passing under the railway viaduct, I reach the lake
and gardens of Central Park. Much thought and care (and money and manpower) has
been put into keeping these both beautiful and interesting. Age groups less
interested in flowers have also been catered for: there’s a big new children’s
playground, outdoor table tennis tables, tennis and basketball courts, and a skatepark.
It’s all well maintained, tidy and clean – a real asset for the people of
Chelmsford.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIqG6hf8F7TFvzR9TXciymVhyphenhyphen1KIu-4iBTgch4w5QLO0e3zQS7T5zLt4nA7XmMoMPZg6x3AHft5d3KNtk3R73eWWLlJXKI0DiLy7y3Av4BlygziGhVeZdx0ecd1pDm7I_fh-WuynXKAQ/s2048/20151025_145301.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimIqG6hf8F7TFvzR9TXciymVhyphenhyphen1KIu-4iBTgch4w5QLO0e3zQS7T5zLt4nA7XmMoMPZg6x3AHft5d3KNtk3R73eWWLlJXKI0DiLy7y3Av4BlygziGhVeZdx0ecd1pDm7I_fh-WuynXKAQ/s320/20151025_145301.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admiral's Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcSEsxPV9ObNwXeYXlTsDncE9beB5dVivHBGxTlL6qBaKpKKRjx7kWZ2Hm6QRNh3wrnH7-L5D7mnjODyzE7ZD2HJef5s0kQ5W_a9s-_BshsLi75ZXnEuBlD2lr-rfz221PYq8dl7oZdk/s2048/20160223_151157.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcSEsxPV9ObNwXeYXlTsDncE9beB5dVivHBGxTlL6qBaKpKKRjx7kWZ2Hm6QRNh3wrnH7-L5D7mnjODyzE7ZD2HJef5s0kQ5W_a9s-_BshsLi75ZXnEuBlD2lr-rfz221PYq8dl7oZdk/s320/20160223_151157.jpg" width="193" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Admiral's Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wpt491d6kn7STyAsz_nGb6esTAXi3l2kdggmXMucAbn4FbXFywl60xizPk3hdsUUpLMIUsu1q92wtOTw-Tv1LhpOGxlQaCUvl5b1xy49a20bne9mxEnhzU7ScEkd-20EGo65nI9S3hk/s2048/20170424_155656.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9wpt491d6kn7STyAsz_nGb6esTAXi3l2kdggmXMucAbn4FbXFywl60xizPk3hdsUUpLMIUsu1q92wtOTw-Tv1LhpOGxlQaCUvl5b1xy49a20bne9mxEnhzU7ScEkd-20EGo65nI9S3hk/s320/20170424_155656.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Central Park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoListParagraph"><b>3. The historical structures</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">Chelmsford doesn’t exactly abound with wonderful
old buildings – preserving the architectural heritage evidently hasn’t been a
priority of the town’s planners over the years. The oldest, according to
Wikipedia, is the cathedral, which incorporates remnants of the parish church
rebuilt in the fifteenth century. This might not be a sight you would leave
your home town to visit, but it has several attractive features (check out the
ceiling of the nave, for example), and looks wonderfully Gothic on a foggy
winter’s night.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZ_FW6wYvoxGqHp6nm1ENyxcGfpuJgAAkuAqCPyoviXtyhJTfVXiY7rBf0IbPoeRH5emE24upFM3l4g2ePvJnt-bZ2FvMqP_Yornx9t1b1lCwr9u0n-F4yuyE9cvaU4ApuEdRtEoY4aw/s2048/20161014_135134.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZ_FW6wYvoxGqHp6nm1ENyxcGfpuJgAAkuAqCPyoviXtyhJTfVXiY7rBf0IbPoeRH5emE24upFM3l4g2ePvJnt-bZ2FvMqP_Yornx9t1b1lCwr9u0n-F4yuyE9cvaU4ApuEdRtEoY4aw/s320/20161014_135134.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaENvrNdce13m-HH0AequmDUJE4_y9oDsC62TRCL5LduNNz027uNf-geg4N-I6RmPEzDCoFvy9rLPnZlhwJYL-e1wjNQNmXCVOdWelxMYsZSvkx7bRCNrp7CUC4UU103cOeN3wUl3Lvw/s2048/P1010589.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaENvrNdce13m-HH0AequmDUJE4_y9oDsC62TRCL5LduNNz027uNf-geg4N-I6RmPEzDCoFvy9rLPnZlhwJYL-e1wjNQNmXCVOdWelxMYsZSvkx7bRCNrp7CUC4UU103cOeN3wUl3Lvw/s320/P1010589.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguky2NUU8t44pXrOe1yCyL9YEfky_v7RATdUz28ds_DLpTLLUj3bVrfAZG3YTv9VYLwWJ6a8B0APSFI9PK4-Qd4QmczWT_9XdsDifvpoCh8sB7QWGWe4z5Xd-IZ9i-dPvbNWT_kRRGu-U/s2048/20161230_175923.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguky2NUU8t44pXrOe1yCyL9YEfky_v7RATdUz28ds_DLpTLLUj3bVrfAZG3YTv9VYLwWJ6a8B0APSFI9PK4-Qd4QmczWT_9XdsDifvpoCh8sB7QWGWe4z5Xd-IZ9i-dPvbNWT_kRRGu-U/s320/20161230_175923.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQ2D7blb8KMWgI39-HlxLiTgJjppGAV0VkbodkXWQR34moAVAy7sYT56URandU8PtpO4k2KB72gc_0GEdgtHZnZwT3A4oeimc895aWA2gvBq-2Nsu3I4pUAQ0uUODRtcqnehfwqaNT2g/s2048/20181115_214933.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkQ2D7blb8KMWgI39-HlxLiTgJjppGAV0VkbodkXWQR34moAVAy7sYT56URandU8PtpO4k2KB72gc_0GEdgtHZnZwT3A4oeimc895aWA2gvBq-2Nsu3I4pUAQ0uUODRtcqnehfwqaNT2g/s320/20181115_214933.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">Another striking building is the Shire Hall,
at the top of the High Street. Opened in 1791, it originally housed law courts,
a corn exchange, and assembly rooms. All these functions have gradually fallen
away and it now stands empty, awaiting a brilliant plan for its resurrection. Its
neoclassical façade is rather splendid in the late-afternoon sunshine, and I
like to imagine horse-drawn carriages pulling up in front of it and spilling
out their cargo of provincial beauties for the county ball.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdeoBI8UvpBNcuR5m6PXSCXJTcU_UUF8_2YwDbsImBD-jgnwv0OoZiQnq6ZhKybEK2CC0OE7hyqmKgjCIf93DY7QN8xDPS6iqch0iO0A6muGkejt-ZAW94jlZuonm9BI8sdLSJuXkutg/s2048/20170105_153039.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdeoBI8UvpBNcuR5m6PXSCXJTcU_UUF8_2YwDbsImBD-jgnwv0OoZiQnq6ZhKybEK2CC0OE7hyqmKgjCIf93DY7QN8xDPS6iqch0iO0A6muGkejt-ZAW94jlZuonm9BI8sdLSJuXkutg/s320/20170105_153039.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">My favourite Chelmsford landmarks, however, are
the railway viaducts. Constructed in the early 1840s, they span Central Park
and the Can, then the Chelmer further east. I’m hardly a railway enthusiastic,
but I have to confess to a tiny moment of joy every time I pass under them and gaze
up at their arches. Not just an impressive feat of engineering (this could also
be said of modern motorway bridges), but aesthetically pleasing too.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9B1yEhTpLDGd3NYEcR0zr_8_-GFAl-cNvAm-edApW9Lnakf8OPDWqlr0KubLfgLG4sKxrZlFrM-pEJJKraLUc0gcpeeezDPbX-0lBNagS8utDHniolh6vcIArCOmbQe6wY8cWsUq5g8/s2048/20161204_144111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9B1yEhTpLDGd3NYEcR0zr_8_-GFAl-cNvAm-edApW9Lnakf8OPDWqlr0KubLfgLG4sKxrZlFrM-pEJJKraLUc0gcpeeezDPbX-0lBNagS8utDHniolh6vcIArCOmbQe6wY8cWsUq5g8/s320/20161204_144111.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiwE_zSKUxr6DkkboZ9CQR5_zrbzlOZzJlJHKAH8gmgvDmW4JuW2EbV2vD5JwS1Ugkk1k51tV5KC8TZpWYXhbwHvkaDTGwVYoosfR9iDq0D-UuH_o7tBXCGNBC3rPQp6TlkMSh4dWLGw/s2048/20171216_095516.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiwE_zSKUxr6DkkboZ9CQR5_zrbzlOZzJlJHKAH8gmgvDmW4JuW2EbV2vD5JwS1Ugkk1k51tV5KC8TZpWYXhbwHvkaDTGwVYoosfR9iDq0D-UuH_o7tBXCGNBC3rPQp6TlkMSh4dWLGw/s320/20171216_095516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7pIO7LQUT0BnPhFm4t2X7FqeQP3Ss7KU7P_WIk98v-7_-g42pZL1CwZXvn5RCRF46zUms1xPveUkwLqeFEMRHtd7_-NHBYCrmAHz1Oc-m1hXCnw0cS1AGR9VtrwGAjmplB7dZ7DWJhg/s2048/20171216_095534.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7pIO7LQUT0BnPhFm4t2X7FqeQP3Ss7KU7P_WIk98v-7_-g42pZL1CwZXvn5RCRF46zUms1xPveUkwLqeFEMRHtd7_-NHBYCrmAHz1Oc-m1hXCnw0cS1AGR9VtrwGAjmplB7dZ7DWJhg/s320/20171216_095534.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>4. The cycling</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">Chelmsford’s traffic can be truly
diabolical, but the good news is that if you’re willing to get on your bike you
can avoid the traffic jams: the city has an excellent network of signposted
routes and dedicated cycle lanes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">Better still, if you head out of town in the
right direction, you can access miles of quiet lanes through very pleasant
countryside. To the northwest are the lovely villages of Good Easter and High
Easter, Pleshey and Great Waltham; to the southwest the shady, deer-filled
woods of Writtle Forest and the extravagant mansions of Fryerning. Or you can
follow the national cycle route 1 eastward to Maldon for a breath of sea air (or
at least estuary air). This route includes an off-road stretch with sand,
gravel, puddles and winter mud, but if you can cope with that and don’t mind a
bit of an ascent (it goes over the only hill for miles around), you’ll be
rewarded with a delightful mix of countryside and woodland.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-SJ-xTtgdBhsvNy-vFVRiUjYVWTV2UeHg2mAtawy_9rzPXlc6u8lvAzdfMqAc808Hu7ujmsxYwfRxkmzyt_CqQ7r1cfaANe6YPX35zXzOSBKaTLL1oSSwWcnhAM-O-0mEDAqCUuBV1c/s2048/20180609_105337.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb-SJ-xTtgdBhsvNy-vFVRiUjYVWTV2UeHg2mAtawy_9rzPXlc6u8lvAzdfMqAc808Hu7ujmsxYwfRxkmzyt_CqQ7r1cfaANe6YPX35zXzOSBKaTLL1oSSwWcnhAM-O-0mEDAqCUuBV1c/s320/20180609_105337.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">The Chelmer at Sandford Mill</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcaroU3RO58Ia8Svjor0nRFiDMiLZGvAiP5af9_r4E-ZLytBfap-ovkexLU9PoY5IBmlcUQWtxgy4dkhxUDpSpR9hVSSOilb5N_vTYeaWqztgT9ULmbP6jDufYcVm5KyGfeMdISC96kg/s2048/20180929_133131.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcaroU3RO58Ia8Svjor0nRFiDMiLZGvAiP5af9_r4E-ZLytBfap-ovkexLU9PoY5IBmlcUQWtxgy4dkhxUDpSpR9hVSSOilb5N_vTYeaWqztgT9ULmbP6jDufYcVm5KyGfeMdISC96kg/s320/20180929_133131.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">National Cycle Route 1</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTRxHgxR1vqZ7iwF-8XuWXUuYod5bHZHw-xY83E4qtmvRz4ngjFWvNJwOeaaNY3KfdtnpKLa5wQMyC3LpKngnG0LNAxJVdmN2p3a-84GPmf4nP_sus5BBkHxbvuKaXYm8Fewln7-ltKM/s2048/20200818_141859.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTRxHgxR1vqZ7iwF-8XuWXUuYod5bHZHw-xY83E4qtmvRz4ngjFWvNJwOeaaNY3KfdtnpKLa5wQMyC3LpKngnG0LNAxJVdmN2p3a-84GPmf4nP_sus5BBkHxbvuKaXYm8Fewln7-ltKM/s320/20200818_141859.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: x-small;">The Chelmer at Great Waltham</span></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>5. The culture</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph">Chelmsford has a well-stocked central library and several
welcoming local libraries – despite the threats of Essex County Council to
close many of the latter. Its theatres (in normal times) provide a varied
programme, including free lunchtime concerts by local artists. And the city’s
clubs and societies cater to all sort of cultural interests. When I looked for
a choir (a first for me) a few months after arriving, I soon realized that
there were several, including the very friendly and undemanding one that I
joined. A year or two later a choir member invited me to join her book club (another
first). And around the same time I decided to do something about my rusty
French, and signed up to the French Circle. I haven’t yet felt moved to join
the German Circle, but it’s nice to know it’s there.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>6. Our house and garden</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph">When we bought this house in 2016 it was a shabby ex-rental
with a poky kitchen, the back door leading to a disused outside toilet and a bare
garden edged by a sagging chicken-wire fence. Within months our builders had created
a brilliant extension, giving us a bright, airy kitchen-diner, a second
(indoor!) loo, and a long, skinny annex for me to work in. And once the builders
had departed and the fence had been replaced we set to work on the garden,
building a deck, laying out a lawn and flower beds, sowing and planting. Within
four years it has been transformed from a wasteland to an inviting, relaxing
green space, full of flowers and alive with insects in spring and summer. It’s
more than we could ever afford in London, and it’s probably my favourite thing
in Chelmsford.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSMezNp3pXaWzdHpeZOEcJN3Shyphenhyphenh_wqUGLF3zFL4d8FoU9lNcE0JhcP4cCagEFcDo8GPAFfxXjfgcmvvp0AvI03Kbj_g-2XeZ3Fm8DS5Vmf-r_xee2FRvM3RJOoqXrHKfhRuvkzD8j34/s2048/20170506_111018.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrSMezNp3pXaWzdHpeZOEcJN3Shyphenhyphenh_wqUGLF3zFL4d8FoU9lNcE0JhcP4cCagEFcDo8GPAFfxXjfgcmvvp0AvI03Kbj_g-2XeZ3Fm8DS5Vmf-r_xee2FRvM3RJOoqXrHKfhRuvkzD8j34/s320/20170506_111018.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTXSVZ7CLoMYpvzbUbXVmGwVHvsrh_5IpoJG7PXduDVIHDXnrv6iUq4UZ5Nh4TdmV0A7B_pTXngDrORVoZkjBTPNE2KVJgLNwcGst3BaKNTdUUcHHk8fMm5URS_VCEAPhf6SnyqClUIU/s2048/20170825_105925.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTXSVZ7CLoMYpvzbUbXVmGwVHvsrh_5IpoJG7PXduDVIHDXnrv6iUq4UZ5Nh4TdmV0A7B_pTXngDrORVoZkjBTPNE2KVJgLNwcGst3BaKNTdUUcHHk8fMm5URS_VCEAPhf6SnyqClUIU/s320/20170825_105925.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDywxbJ9ZkRnz2jk7HTp6MJSCuIhTFh4lsn2vgrTXcEy8WaMRPhmHVZ5j0eQrMsy1ZkVifXBG7L90MLaQCYYcEi7IA7Gu6vqfr6djeH-VvtPuermcj0VzNBhn7AIMsS3xkRUIgIsVm-Xc/s2048/20170917_140303.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDywxbJ9ZkRnz2jk7HTp6MJSCuIhTFh4lsn2vgrTXcEy8WaMRPhmHVZ5j0eQrMsy1ZkVifXBG7L90MLaQCYYcEi7IA7Gu6vqfr6djeH-VvtPuermcj0VzNBhn7AIMsS3xkRUIgIsVm-Xc/s320/20170917_140303.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUFi8-LzTjCO96cNbuMXplFWS-AkzHM8epAr0sFqzLMBr45sGm9exe-er8IpvStZcVLF8fjox9t5oliw_G54RjF_2Cwf8L-RGIG16pDxLB75RWr1AfjWrEn5B9DzM-9-_AMoMmgmw-_I/s2048/20171004_175631.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrUFi8-LzTjCO96cNbuMXplFWS-AkzHM8epAr0sFqzLMBr45sGm9exe-er8IpvStZcVLF8fjox9t5oliw_G54RjF_2Cwf8L-RGIG16pDxLB75RWr1AfjWrEn5B9DzM-9-_AMoMmgmw-_I/s320/20171004_175631.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jVb6Y7R6xNGU7ob5R0XejC8bKYMaGKK6EKNuSCmpYsZAxbJ9R9VcYz2tyfOdzboRNdP8jtsm4NVI6yV7H8UiQJMEADkWJruvtdvDr2xCYZ1TF100qsrzjCrZl9SkAVH3RgWttVx1GRk/s2048/20210610_092248.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jVb6Y7R6xNGU7ob5R0XejC8bKYMaGKK6EKNuSCmpYsZAxbJ9R9VcYz2tyfOdzboRNdP8jtsm4NVI6yV7H8UiQJMEADkWJruvtdvDr2xCYZ1TF100qsrzjCrZl9SkAVH3RgWttVx1GRk/s320/20210610_092248.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoListParagraph">So there you go, a very personal top six features of the
city I live in. Other people’s lists might well give higher rankings to shops, restaurants
and bars, all of which Chelmsford has in abundance, or to the city’s sports
clubs or its recently rebuilt leisure centre. All these have served me and my
family well – but for this post I wanted to focus on a few things that have
made my life here more pleasant.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>It may not be forever, but for now Chelmsford and I are
getting on fine. </p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-61955179558464318332021-07-15T09:55:00.001-07:002021-07-15T09:55:31.272-07:00John Ball and the Peasants' Revolt<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Sing, John Ball, and tell it to them all<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Long live the day that is dawning<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">I will crow like a cock, I’ll carol like a lark<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">In the light that is coming in the morning.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">This was part of my introduction
to Essex; one of the first songs I sang when I joined a community choir after
moving to Chelmsford. It was also the first I’d heard of John Ball. Who was he?
And why were we urging him to sing?</p><p class="MsoNormal">A glance at Wikipedia established that John Ball was an
English priest who took a prominent part in the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. The
song was written by Sydney Carter in 1981 to mark the 600th anniversary
of that event. Sydney Carter, incidentally, was also responsible for a song
very familiar from my childhood, “The Lord of the Dance” – possibly the
jolliest ever account of the crucifixion. Who would have thought that “They
whipped and they stripped and they hung me high,/ And they left me there on the
cross to die” could sound so cheery?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Sing John Ball” doesn’t juxtapose gruesome lyrics with a
jaunty tune – both tune and lyrics are pretty upbeat. It’s a song about
equality, fraternity, and fellowship. It conjures up a future time, a new dawn,
when we’ll all be “ruled by the love of one another”, working harmoniously
together.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Labour and spin for fellowship I say<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Labour and spin for the love of one another<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Labour and spin for fellowship I say<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">In the light that is coming in the morning.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">It’s rather heart-warming. Not a
brutal call to arms like the Marseillaise, for example. Something that a community
choir can sing without feeling uncomfortable.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And yet when I delved deeper into the history behind it, I
found that the events commemorated by this song were far from innocuous. The
Peasants’ Revolt was a bloody, brutal uprising, which led to even bloodier and
more brutal reprisals by the authorities.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The peasants, artisans and townsfolk undoubtedly had every
reason to revolt. The situation of the common people in late-fourteenth-century
England was dire. The Black Death had swept through the country in the middle
of the century, killing almost half the population. This had made labour more
scarce, potentially allowing workers to demand higher pay and choose their
employers. Horrified by this development, the ruling classes enacted laws to stop
it. In 1349 the Ordinance of Labourers condemned demands for “excessive wages”,
and in 1351 the Statute of Labourers set out maximum daily rates for every job,
at pre-plague levels, and made it a crime to refuse work:<span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span>“every person, able in body and under
the age of 60 years, not having enough to live upon, being required, shall be
bound to serve him that doth require him, or else be committed to gaol […] and
[…] the old wages shall be given and no more.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
This led to massive discontent and efforts to circumvent the new law. In
response, employers resorted to prosecutions. By the 1370s, the majority of
legal business in the king’s courts involved the labour legislation,<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
fuelling a widespread hatred of the law and its representatives. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Other laws also attempted to stop the lower classes from
getting above their station: the sumptuary laws of 1363 restricted what the
common people were permitted to eat and wear – for example, no one below the
rank of knight or lady was entitled to adorn themselves with fur, and the lower
classes were not allowed to wear the extravagantly pointed shoes that were
fashionable at the time. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other crucial feature of the fourteenth century was England’s
war in France, an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to assert the English claim
to sovereignty over that country. Beginning in 1337, this conflict continued
for over a century (the name Hundred Years’ War is an understatement) and
drained the country’s financial resources. In the late 1370s, the people’s rage
at the oppressive labour laws was exacerbated by a series of poll taxes imposed
by Parliament to raise funds for the war. The third of these, decreed in
November 1380, was particularly onerous, requiring every person over the age of
15, men and women alike, to pay 12 pence, the equivalent of a month’s wages for
many. To avoid paying, many did not register on the local rolls. In response,
the government sent out commissioners to investigate and enforce the tax.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">This was the trigger for the
Peasants’ Revolt. On 30 May 1381, royal commissioners attempted to demand
payment of the poll tax from representatives of a number of Essex villages who
had gathered in Brentwood. Thomas Baker of Fobbing declared that his village
would not pay; others followed his example. Violence was threatened, and the
commissioners were forced to flee empty-handed. Messengers travelled from
village to village, spreading news of the uprising. The first casualties were
three jurors who had informed the authorities of the uprising in Brentwood: they
were beheaded and their heads were paraded on poles by the rebels.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In the days that followed, the movement gathered momentum across
Essex and Kent. Many of the sites of the action are places that I’ve got to
know over the last six years. Here in Chelmsford there was a ceremonial burning
of royal records, especially financial ones. In the quiet, picturesque little
town of Coggeshall, rebels broke into the home of the sheriff of Essex, destroyed
documents, and gave the sheriff a beating. He was lucky to escape with his life;
another official, the escheator of Essex, was decapitated.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cressing Temple Barns is a popular spot for craft fairs and
other such events, where I’ve performed “John Ball” with my singing group on at
least one occasion. At the time of the revolt this estate was in the possession
of the Knights Hospitaller, whose grand prior, Sir Robert Hales, was also the Lord
High Treasurer and deeply loathed for his role in imposing the poll tax. The rebels
sacked the manor, stole valuables, burned books, pulled down the house and set
fire to it. The splendid thirteenth-century barns were left undamaged and are
still standing today.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In a number of towns the insurgents stormed castles and
freed prisoners. The most famous of these was our hero John Ball, who had been incarcerated
in Maidstone earlier that year by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Simon Sudbury. Ball
was a priest who may or may not have been born and raised in the Colchester
area,<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
but had certainly worked as a junior priest at St James’ Church, East Hill,
Colchester. He had been excommunicated by Sudbury in 1364 for preaching a
radical message of equality, which did not sit well with the wealthy and
hierarchically organized church. Sudbury, by the way, was not just the most
senior figure in the church, he was also the Lord Chancellor, one of the
highest ranking members of government, and had been instrumental in introducing
the poll tax.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIExrEtKiOPEt2m1I5b-acgcTzz04TbT2bjl4PL_2iBxCRb8TOvXR0tm0m-Rrs_KS3uVZhFlHYe4TsgaCjmp1a1G4OIcYJIjkM0Xmrn714PsaRBJ2IBCzXT4x2gGzAZ9YUGyKLKegeVGQ/s1424/John+Ball+preaching+2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIExrEtKiOPEt2m1I5b-acgcTzz04TbT2bjl4PL_2iBxCRb8TOvXR0tm0m-Rrs_KS3uVZhFlHYe4TsgaCjmp1a1G4OIcYJIjkM0Xmrn714PsaRBJ2IBCzXT4x2gGzAZ9YUGyKLKegeVGQ/s320/John+Ball+preaching+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John Ball speaking to the rebels. Unknown artist, in Froissart, <i>Chronicles</i>.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal">With Ball as their spiritual leader and Wat Tyler, also
originally from Essex, as their general, a large army of mainly Kentish rebels
made their way to Blackheath on the south bank of the Thames, where they had
been promised a meeting with the king. Despite their hatred of the royal
advisors, the rebels were unswerving in their devotion to the king himself, the
fourteen-year-old Richard II: their rallying cry was “King Richard and the true
commons!” Their fervent belief was that if they could put their grievances to
the king in person, he would support them and abandon his supposedly traitorous
advisors.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On the morning of 13 June 1381, John Ball reportedly
preached to the 50,000 or so rebels assembled at Blackheath. His message was
that there was no biblical basis for social hierarchies, and that all goods
should belong to everyone. The inspiration for Sydney Carter’s lyrics is
obvious:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">When Adam delved and Eve span,
who then was the gentleman? […]<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">Why should we be kept thus in
servage? We be all come from one father and one mother, Adam and Eve; whereby
can they say or show that they be greater lords than we be […] <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">They are clothed in velvet and
camlet furred with grise, and we be vestured with poor cloth: they have their
wines, spices and good bread, and we
have the drawing out of the chaff and drink water: they dwell in fair houses,
and we have the pain and travail, rain and wind in the fields.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ball went on to argue that the corrupt elites were like weeds
that had to be eradicated to make way for a new, free society: in short, all
the great lords, lawyers, justices and jurors had to be destroyed.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
If this account by a contemporary chronicler is accurate, then Ball’s sermon
was incitement to wholesale slaughter.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ball’s preaching stirred up the rebels, and the meeting with
the king did nothing to calm them. Richard approached the shore in the royal
barge, but was too frightened to land. Offered the opportunity to present a
petition, the rebels demanded no less than the execution of several royal
advisors, including two of those on the barge with Richard, Treasurer Hales and
Archbishop Sudbury. Not surprisingly, these demands were not accepted.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDDoS32UPYL-PYy9rRfZsaCuE6iDC6rB-GiCMjbryMSlhKYvvOhlHhGtN5oAIdQKytLYQEoWzDqHidB5fjszYE6gxJMv5PnbaobSr5MbaPDfKNesQKzSznM6c0CNJ6Q0up80c6nPHlfQ/s2048/Jean_Froissart%252C_Chroniques%252C_154v%252C_12148_btv1b8438605hf336%252C_crop.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1975" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDDoS32UPYL-PYy9rRfZsaCuE6iDC6rB-GiCMjbryMSlhKYvvOhlHhGtN5oAIdQKytLYQEoWzDqHidB5fjszYE6gxJMv5PnbaobSr5MbaPDfKNesQKzSznM6c0CNJ6Q0up80c6nPHlfQ/s320/Jean_Froissart%252C_Chroniques%252C_154v%252C_12148_btv1b8438605hf336%252C_crop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Richard on the royal barge, rebels on the shore. Unknown artist, in Froissart, <i>Chronicles</i>.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal">Furious and disappointed, the rebels headed to London Bridge,
which they were allowed to cross with little resistance. Soon after, Aldgate
was opened to allow an army of Essex rebels to enter from the east. Their
numbers swelled by Londoners, the rebels went on a systematic spree of
destruction, attacking the property of particularly unpopular figures and
destroying documents associated with the law. They sought out further
“traitors” and beheaded eighteen of them that evening, then set up camp around
the Tower of London, where Richard and his advisors had taken refuge.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The next critical location was another place very familiar
to me – Mile End, where I studied and worked in the 1990s and 2000s. Now a drab
urban district dominated by a busy intersection, in the fourteenth century it
was an open area a mile from the city of London. On the morning of 14 June
Richard summoned the rebels to meet him there, and agreed – no doubt for
tactical reasons – to all their demands. These included freedom from serfdom
and a rent limit of 4 pence per acre. Many rebels were appeased by the charters
offered and returned home to Essex and Kent.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Others, however, had ignored the invitation to Mile End and continued
to blockade the Tower. As Archbishop Sudbury was saying mass in the chapel, the
rebels managed to enter and began to hunt down their most hated enemies.
Sudbury, Hales and two others were dragged out of the fortress and onto Tower
Hill, where they were summarily beheaded. The inexpert executioner evidently required
several axe blows to finish off the archbishop. The heads of the victims were
then carried on poles to Westminster Abbey and back, before being displayed on
London Bridge.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman"; letter-spacing: normal; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXvt9VzoItibCXpXUTJB-eFMIRoWCOXOidCpFf-h9bwBIG5GbWeefw3njMpeAvTU9wprhHP9SYD-rsMhjj0fqnU6BCVOQ82uEBV67Ls065Js0hetsiL-MBl5kac6UnEgHMGkpaIuBME8/s462/death+of+Sudbury.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXvt9VzoItibCXpXUTJB-eFMIRoWCOXOidCpFf-h9bwBIG5GbWeefw3njMpeAvTU9wprhHP9SYD-rsMhjj0fqnU6BCVOQ82uEBV67Ls065Js0hetsiL-MBl5kac6UnEgHMGkpaIuBME8/s320/death+of+Sudbury.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Killingof Archbishop Sudbury and others. Froissart,<span> </span><i>Chronicles</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal">As the day went on more acts of violence took place, some
apparently unrelated to the rebels’ core grievances. The most shocking was the
massacre of scores of Flemish residents (estimates range from 40 to 140), a
group who had been subject to violence from Londoners in the past. Many were
dragged out of churches where they had sought sanctuary, and beheaded in the
street.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The next day Richard met the rebels again, this time at
Smithfield, where he summoned Wat Tyler to approach him and explain his continued
presence in London. Alone and far from his army, Tyler was fatally stabbed by
two members of the king’s party – whether this had been the king’s plan is
unclear. Before the rebels had realized what was happening, Richard galloped
over to them and proclaimed himself their leader and sovereign, leading them further
out of the city. In the meantime the London authorities had mustered a
respectable military force, beheaded Tyler, and presented his impaled head to
the rebel army to demonstrate the end of their hopes. Disheartened, they
surrendered to the king and returned home.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUnCu959hE2IOPLsMfBlfnSAFC2B4fSMi69mPQLg1Y3sBB2Nqbo-t-7yDvWUbGOMgfwWve6hyphenhyphenfVbLujb8WXco7j-lOb3NvzHxGfChIbU-OJ7DWFZSNtLYxvHd4moJg05GDhLeGgiI3I4/s1422/DeathWatTylerFull.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1130" data-original-width="1422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCUnCu959hE2IOPLsMfBlfnSAFC2B4fSMi69mPQLg1Y3sBB2Nqbo-t-7yDvWUbGOMgfwWve6hyphenhyphenfVbLujb8WXco7j-lOb3NvzHxGfChIbU-OJ7DWFZSNtLYxvHd4moJg05GDhLeGgiI3I4/s320/DeathWatTylerFull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Death of Wat Tyler, Richard addresses the rebels. <br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outbreaks of rebellion continued in other parts of the
country, but the tide had turned. Richard subsequently revoked all the charters
he had issued and ordered severe punishment of the rebels. In the months that
followed, thousands were killed for their part in the revolt. In Colchester, a
particularly brutal judge appointed ordered so many hangings that new gallows
had to be built. On one occasion, nineteen men were reported to have been
hanged on a single gibbet.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the debacle at Smithfield John Ball fled north, but he
was captured in Coventry and brought to St Albans for trial. On 15 July 1361 he
was hanged, drawn (i.e. disembowelled alive), quartered and beheaded in the
presence of the king. Richard had offered to mitigate the punishment by having
him hanged to death first (yes, that’s the medieval version of mild sentencing)
if he would kneel to the king, but Ball refused.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So a revolt that had started with genuine and legitimate
grievances, bringing together a huge number of people with shared hopes and a
common purpose, ended in utter disaster. Could there have been any other
outcome? The general consensus seems to be that the rebels were condemned to
failure by their naïve faith in the king, whom they saw as appointed by God. It
was this that allowed Wat Tyler to be lured into the ambush at Smithfield, and prevented
his army from taking advantage of their superior numbers after his death. In a
fictionalization of the events published in 2015, Melvyn Bragg has John Ball experience
a flash of insight when he sees the young king riding to Westminster with his
courtiers: “The King was not from God. […] The King was no innocent among the
wicked. The King was no different from his traitorous councillors around him on
horseback now.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Had the rebels realized this, they might have acted more
decisively at crucial moments – and yet if the movement had been openly
anti-monarchist from the start it would probably not have gained the popular support
that it did.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In any case the revolt failed to bring about any major
changes in English society – if anything it condemned the common people to even
harsher servitude than before. This, at least, was Richard’s intention: “Rustics
you were, and rustics you are still; you will remain in bondage, not as before
but incomparably harsher.” And it failed to go down in history as a source of
national pride: unlike the 14<sup>th</sup> of July in France, the 13<sup>th</sup>
of June is not a public holiday or a day of celebration here.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There have, however, been attempts to rehabilitate the
Peasants’ Revolt and present it as part of a long history of socialism in
England. In the 1880s, five hundred years after the revolt, William Morris
painted an idealized picture of the camaraderie of the rebels in <i>A Dream of
John Ball</i>. This may have supplied some of the inspiration for Sydney
Carter’s song. And the song wasn’t the only commemoration of the 600<sup>th</sup>
anniversary in 1981. A mural painted in Bow Common Lane in East London showed
oppressed peasants fighting desperately against fully armed knights on one side
and the monarchy, in league with the corrupt church, on the other.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
And closer to home in Colchester, a plaque was erected and two streets in the
Dutch quarter were named after John Ball and Wat Tyler.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahdrCW7yGgBrn_0nawAXIy9jhezHOc1zW2WtP1cMBbjOCNqBsAWbMR9RNKCKwSaj1oeA-ynJeYEbMorjrzf70t5SCAHTZIECp_8RwQG_mpEh1A2KZierDE7B4Fe__85d-Olv7IRJt0Ss/s2000/Walker-Peasanst-right-hand-side.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahdrCW7yGgBrn_0nawAXIy9jhezHOc1zW2WtP1cMBbjOCNqBsAWbMR9RNKCKwSaj1oeA-ynJeYEbMorjrzf70t5SCAHTZIECp_8RwQG_mpEh1A2KZierDE7B4Fe__85d-Olv7IRJt0Ss/s320/Walker-Peasanst-right-hand-side.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mural by Ray Walker in Bow Common Lane.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal">The event was also celebrated at the Socialist Workers Party
Rally in Skegness, where the journalist and campaigner Paul Foot delivered a
stirring speech.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> He
described the revolt as “perhaps the first time the standard of socialism was
raised in England”, and emphasized the disciplined, systematic approach of the
rebels: “They didn’t burn or loot anywhere at random”; “they acted swiftly and
with great restraint”. Foot’s speech makes no mention of the slaughter of the
Flemings, and glosses over the other killings carried out during the revolt. Quite
reasonably, he notes that the king’s revenge was far more savage than the
revolt: “In the rising itself, perhaps a hundred dead, most of them people
guilty of the most terrible extortion and exploitation […] In the putting down
of the rising, perhaps three thousand dead”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">In 2011, well after the
disturbance caused by another unsuccessful poll tax had died down, the Labour-run
council of Islington invited residents to vote for the people and places they
would like to see commemorated with green “people’s plaques”. The Peasants’ Revolt was one of the winners, and
a plaque was unveiled to mark the site where Highbury Manor, the home of Robert
Hales, had been destroyed during the uprising. At the ceremony, veteran socialist
campaigner Tony Benn described the Peasants’ Revolt as “the first of a long
series of campaigns to secure freedom and democracy in Britain”. Local MP Jeremy
Corbyn linked the rising to Islington’s “tradition of dissent”, and made no
bones of his approval of the rebels’ actions: “Why did the peasants march here?
[…] because they were poor and angry at the injustices of the time […] because
one of the people who had instituted the poll tax lived here in a big moated
house. They thought it was better if he didn’t live in a moated house so they
came here and burned it down.”<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On 15 July 2015, the anniversary of John Ball’s death, further
prominent left-wing or Labour-affiliated figures gathered to unveil a new
monument in Smithfield. This time the central role went to film director Ken
Loach; former mayor Ken Livingstone was also present. The stone triptych gives
the following summary of the events at Smithfield: <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36.0pt;">At this place on 15th June 1381
Wat Tyler, John Ball and other representatives of the Great Rising met King
Richard II to finalise terms for ending the Rebellion. The King had
agreed to all the political reforms aimed at alleviating the plight of the
people. However he and his advisors later reneged on that agreement after
killing Tyler in the process near this spot. John Ball and many others of
the Revolt were also later executed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Between the lines of this description, the following quote
from John Ball is inscribed: “Things cannot go on well in England nor ever will
until everything shall be in common. When there shall be neither Vassal
nor Lord and all distinctions levelled.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">I don’t believe “Sing John Ball”
was performed on this occasion, but it might as well have been. The song is part
of a tradition of celebrating John Ball’s message of equality, while
downplaying the violence unleashed by his preaching. Perhaps it’s fair to overlook
the massacre of the Flemings, which was probably not part of Ball’s and Tyler’s
plans.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
The beheading of the archbishop, the treasurer and many others, however, was clearly
integral to their programme.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">Were these killings justified?
Paul Foot would say yes, and Jeremy Corbyn might agree, but I’m not so sure. It’s
partly middle-class squeamishness, I expect; the same feeling that makes me applaud a
well-organized political rally (for a cause I agree with, naturally) but condemn
the destruction of property, with two thoughts in mind: What about the effort
and resources that have gone into making that? And who’s going to clean up the
mess?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12.0pt;">I think my choir would probably
agree with me. And yet when our current crisis is finally over and we’re allowed
to sing together again, I’m sure we’ll all be happy to belt our way through
“John Ball”. Regardless of the bloody events behind it, it’s a rousing song - and it's part of our history.<o:p></o:p></p>
<div><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Labourers_1351<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Dan Jones, <i>Summer of Blood: The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381</i> (London: Harper,
2009), p. 15.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Brian
Bird, a retired clergyman, carried out extensive archival research and
concluded that Ball was born in Peldon and came of age in in 1350 before
training as a priest in York. See <i>Rebel Before His Time: A Study of John
Ball and the English Peasants’ Revolt of 1381</i> (Worthing: Churchman
Publishing, 1987). Dan Jones states that Ball came from York; Wikipedia is
non-committal on this point.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> Walsingham,
<i>Chronicon Angliae</i>, quoted in Brian Bird, <i>Rebel Before His Time</i>,
p. 66.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a>
Melvyn Bragg, <i>Now Is the Time</i> (London: Sceptre, 2015), pp. 276-277.<o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn6">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <a href="https://www.forwallswithtongues.org.uk/projects/ray-walker-peasants-revolt-1981/">https://www.forwallswithtongues.org.uk/projects/ray-walker-peasants-revolt-1981/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span></span></a>
Interestingly, this plaque was subsequently “removed from the wall of a house
in John Ball Walk at the request of the resident” (I would love to have read
the correspondence around this) then put into storage and lost for several
years. It was rediscovered, restored, reinstalled, and unveiled for a second
time by the Bishop of Colchester and the human rights campaigner and peer Shami
Chakrabarti, chancellor of the local university at the time. Given the pointed refusal of the Archbishop of Canterbury to join
in the 1981 commemorations, this could be seen as representing a change in
church attitudes – but on the other hand the Church of England has always
contained a broad spectrum of views.</p></div>
<div id="ftn8">
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <a href="https://www.marxists.org/archive/foot-paul/1981/06/1381.html">https://www.marxists.org/archive/foot-paul/1981/06/1381.html</a></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn9">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> <a href="http://camdennewjournal.com/article/left-wing-veteran-tony-benn-unveils-plaque-1381-peasants-revolt-saw-highbury-manor-bu?sp=20&sq=bench">http://camdennewjournal.com/article/left-wing-veteran-tony-benn-unveils-plaque-1381-peasants-revolt-saw-highbury-manor-bu?sp=20&sq=bench</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn10">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/John%20Ball%20blog%20post.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> On
the other hand, it has been argued that killing Flemings really was central to
the rebels’ aims, and that its purpose was to assert and shape their English
identity. See Erik Spindler, “Flemings in the Peasants’ Revolt, 1381”, <a href="https://www.academia.edu/1865034/Flemings_in_the_Peasants_Revolt">https://www.academia.edu/1865034/Flemings_in_the_Peasants_Revolt</a></p></div></div> <p></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-6923186903386268022021-06-02T05:01:00.000-07:002021-06-02T05:01:13.822-07:00Ashes, elms and epidemics<div style="text-align: left;"><i>The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly ‘tis speaking/ The harp through it playing has
language for me</i>. Growing up in New Zealand, I knew fragments of this song and
would sing them on car trips with my family long before I actually ever met an
ash tree in real life. When I did so at last, I was underwhelmed. Ashes in full
leaf are certainly graceful, but they’ve never really caught my imagination.
Not surprisingly, European ash groves evoke no wistful memories of childhood.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The leafless ash, though, is a different story: it’s been my
key to a new way of seeing the woods in winter. For years, they were just an
indistinguishable mass of bare trunks and branches. Then one day I happened
upon a reference in a book to the “jet-black buds” of ash trees. Black buds? I
began to look more closely. And lo and behold, walking through my local reserve
one day, I found a tree that did indeed have bold, black buds. And then
another! A whole grove of them! It wasn’t just the colour that was distinctive,
it was the shape, the energetic upward curve of the twigs, the symmetrical
cluster of the three buds at the tip, vaguely reminiscent of the club in a pack
of cards. Suddenly I was seeing them everywhere, and many of the gnarled old
trees I’d taken to be oaks turned out to have been ashes all along.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Since that discovery I’ve seen the winter woodland with different eyes. It’s no longer an undifferentiated and uninspiring background, but a varied cast of characters. I can’t identify them all, but it’s an enjoyable challenge. The clues are not just in the buds, but in the bark, the trunk, the arrangement of branches and twigs, the tell-tale leftovers of previous seasons: catkins and cones, clusters of winged seeds or “keys”. Some ashes – presumably those that bear female flowers, or flowers of both sexes<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> </span>(the sex life of ashes is complicated, to say the least) – are draped with untidy looking keys throughout the winter. It’s not their most attractive feature. Come spring, they put on a curious display of flowers: sprays of green stalks with purplish tips. Not the kind of obvious beauty that will win prizes in flower shows, but rather fascinating.<o:p></o:p></p><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-3OZ9QIsq4HgTNKZ2Bg4z6cvs8xuln4mxRp-B-hxA6gNr0PEFwfLdAgp3_IP0dHBQGFA7CrLaMpMdLA_1TwRW_CbpsJe30H77uP5qSLtVe9W5Q6O3Hw75ZdVwKhoxMacsIhFz5eex7k/s799/8433021957_0b3ef1d419_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-3OZ9QIsq4HgTNKZ2Bg4z6cvs8xuln4mxRp-B-hxA6gNr0PEFwfLdAgp3_IP0dHBQGFA7CrLaMpMdLA_1TwRW_CbpsJe30H77uP5qSLtVe9W5Q6O3Hw75ZdVwKhoxMacsIhFz5eex7k/s320/8433021957_0b3ef1d419_c.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash buds. Crabchick on flickr, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRR_tBNEGNoM9ZC8sQQma9tNZ6MgPlt9Ddo-QveE3nAqTOfNj3jfKdmqeMJWKcZxmu3xWrUO66LOcqmtw6X_WEjaMKhTDHNDb-sek1R4GrRyUL3s9oiF012egr251hV68DEAVK-FGJ5Q/s799/6886946618_e5868eb00f_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwRR_tBNEGNoM9ZC8sQQma9tNZ6MgPlt9Ddo-QveE3nAqTOfNj3jfKdmqeMJWKcZxmu3xWrUO66LOcqmtw6X_WEjaMKhTDHNDb-sek1R4GrRyUL3s9oiF012egr251hV68DEAVK-FGJ5Q/s320/6886946618_e5868eb00f_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash flower. Dean Morley on flickr, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlWq9D52PH-MoUnjiWtMUzTqC3BO_THKSnSZF3lbRP9HKcNKFDpWMLxNzqPCX7ldfvBykf7duY2kXtPfdHzdrhyphenhyphenQPy6DgxVnIF9-bdceMRpr3txoYtt8vuYRfS9SDfgJ4eTQJsLNDKmI/s2048/20180425_143715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlWq9D52PH-MoUnjiWtMUzTqC3BO_THKSnSZF3lbRP9HKcNKFDpWMLxNzqPCX7ldfvBykf7duY2kXtPfdHzdrhyphenhyphenQPy6DgxVnIF9-bdceMRpr3txoYtt8vuYRfS9SDfgJ4eTQJsLNDKmI/s320/20180425_143715.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old ash in Admiral's Park, Chelmsford</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5EcSzlaOG-OJAg-IJF3oU_a8p2YppEYAjmtzqnZW5jnl_YT7m_FevMxN-kZq9mewL4OR-PWBmk1Bb4i1oZ3vI_QwkIA1D2y8pEjSCPnC4FH_it9wU4KENWOcOkt6mY7h1YrL6ZTeMr4/s320/20180425_143800.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same tree close-up</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5EcSzlaOG-OJAg-IJF3oU_a8p2YppEYAjmtzqnZW5jnl_YT7m_FevMxN-kZq9mewL4OR-PWBmk1Bb4i1oZ3vI_QwkIA1D2y8pEjSCPnC4FH_it9wU4KENWOcOkt6mY7h1YrL6ZTeMr4/s2048/20180425_143800.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="color: black;"></span></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCED2veSTfpDACTexQ9dqrKYZunjrd8wYG34xxlR8s5ILU7XxGjAfzCdm0puKB1yWCNw3mnIs-sZss0ek_glhWl_eLaQcFaPkSzASHGr-Xx-IRlrKVuZQGSpAZpktne1hk-eCv_Tos3w/s2048/20210222_123428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCED2veSTfpDACTexQ9dqrKYZunjrd8wYG34xxlR8s5ILU7XxGjAfzCdm0puKB1yWCNw3mnIs-sZss0ek_glhWl_eLaQcFaPkSzASHGr-Xx-IRlrKVuZQGSpAZpktne1hk-eCv_Tos3w/s320/20210222_123428.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hollow ash on bank of the Wid</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Another tree that I’ve discovered fairly late in life is the
elm. I didn’t expect to find elm trees when I came to Europe; I assumed they’d
all been wiped out by Dutch elm disease. News of that disaster had made it all
the way to my science classroom in New Zealand in the 1980s. But then while
visiting friends in Wales a few years ago I spotted a majestic tree with round,
winged seeds and curious asymmetrical leaves, one side extending further down
the stem than the other. I took a leaf home to compare with my tree guide, and
was delighted to learn that this was an elm. Since then I’ve found more elms in
hedgerows and parks around Chelmsford, though none anywhere near the size of
that tree in Llanberis.<o:p></o:p><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/elms.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 15.6933px;">[1]</span></span></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These smaller trees are inconspicuous in summer, melting
into the background greenery. They’re at their most striking in spring, when
abundant clusters of winged seeds appear on bare branches. From a distance an
elm in fruit looks as though it’s covered in pale green blossom. It’s a lovely
sight, and this spring I’ve seen more and more of it on roadsides near
Chelmsford. My latest elm-related discovery, though, is the preceding phase:
the flowers. They’re easy to overlook, but unmistakeable once you’ve found them.
It was only this spring, in early March, that I noticed a few twigs with small
red flowers in my local reserve. What could this be, and why had I never seen it
before? A flick through my Collins Gem tree guide quickly brought enlightenment:
it was an elm! In
the weeks that followed I was able to observe the flowers morphing into fruits,
a remarkable transformation.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My elation at discovering elms was short-lived. On Easter
Day I was cycling around the countryside excitedly pointing them out to my
companions (could this have been a little annoying, I wonder?). Soon after
that, I noticed that one of the elms in my local nature reserve was surrounded by
dead trees of a similar height and build. Slender young trees, which had clearly
not died of old age. As the spring progressed, the difference between the
living and the dead became more and more obvious. I gradually realized that for
every healthy-looking fruit-laden elm I spotted in a hedgerow, there seemed to
be one or more gaunt skeletons nearby.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I take this as sobering evidence that <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/pest-and-disease-resources/dutch-elm-disease" target="_blank">Dutch elm disease</a> is
still active and the species hasn’t made a miraculous comeback. So what is this
disease, and why is it “Dutch”? It turns out that it didn’t originate in the
Netherlands, nor does it particularly affect the species known as the Dutch elm. Somewhat unusually, it got its name from the
nationality of the scientists who first identified it in the 1910s. It is
caused by two related fungi, spread by elm bark beetles. The first epidemic,
from around 1910 to the 1940s, killed up to forty per cent of the elms in some European
countries. The second was much more severe, killing an estimated two thirds of mature
elms in the UK (some 20 million trees) in the decade following its accidental
introduction in the late 1960s. Most of the rest had succumbed by the early
1980s. It must have been a heartbreaking time for European tree lovers, and I’m glad I
wasn’t around to witness it. Today new elms keep growing up, mostly in
hedgerows, many suckering from the roots of dead giants. But the disease is
still lurking, and it seems that once these young trees reach a certain height
the bark beetles can see them and come in to feed, bringing the fungus with
them. All that hopeful growing for nothing.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Dutch elm disease is an old and well-known enemy, but
there’s a much more recent addition to the ranks of villainous tree-killing
fungi, and this one is going after the ash tree. Not surprisingly, given the
fate of the elm, there’s a considerable amount of anxiety about the resulting
disease, <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/fthr/pest-and-disease-resources/ash-dieback-hymenoscyphus-fraxineus/" target="_blank">ash dieback</a> or Chalara. The Woodland Trust gloomily predicts that it
will kill around 80% of ash trees across the UK; other estimates are even
higher. The disease was first identified in 2006, by which time it was already
widespread in continental Europe. The UK, however, continued to import ash
saplings from affected countries until 2012, when the first cases were found
here. This led to a sudden panicked response, with a ban on imports, the
destruction of 100,000 nursery trees and saplings, and a meeting of the UK’s
emergency committee. Too little too late, some have said – does this sound at
all familiar?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I only heard about ash dieback a couple of years ago and
I’ve so far been fairly unconcerned, since most of the ash trees I see around
me look pretty healthy. Just this spring, however, I’ve started to wonder. One
striking fact about ash is that it’s one of the last trees to come into leaf in
spring, and this being an extraordinarily late spring, they’re not quite there
yet. Most trees are now in partial leaf, but some are still almost bare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And looking at those bare trees, I’m having
my doubts. In the young, planted ash grove in my local nature reserve, there
are a few trees that are unquestionably dead, bark already peeling off, no
signs of life. Others look as though they might still be dormant – yet those
black buds have a slightly dry and shrivelled look. And elsewhere in the
reserve I’ve noticed that some of the mature ashes have a surprising number of
dead branches. Walking through the reserve recently, I started to look at the emerging
leaves with a sense of anxiety – is it just a late spring, or are these trees
actually unwell? It reminded me somewhat of waiting for a<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>teenager to come home at night: as the evening
wears on you become increasingly anxious and begin to fear the worst – and then
at some point the child appears, slightly tipsy but otherwise unharmed, and
life goes on. Here’s hoping those ash trees that are starting to worry me will
soon be covered in healthy foliage, and I can put away my fears until next
spring.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It seems there’s little we can do about these diseases. Human
intervention – importing elm logs from North America and ash saplings from
continental Europe – has introduced these pests, but human intervention seems
more or less powerless to help their victims. In the case of Dutch elm disease,
felling affected trees has been the main strategy. Trimming the elms in
hedgerows to keep them out of the sight of elm bark beetles also seems somewhat
effective, but of course this means they will never develop their full
potential as tall and stately trees. As for ash dieback, the Woodland Trust
recommends that we clean our shoes or bike tyres after visiting the woods to
avoid spreading spores. This will sound painfully familiar to anyone who’s
lived in the northern part of New Zealand in recent years, where the efforts to
stop kauri dieback have hugely restricted access to the forest. As a keen
walker with an aversion to boot cleaning, I find this sensible advice rather
hard to swallow, but I suppose it’s a small price to pay if it does help combat
the disease. Now where is that scrubbing brush?<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNGCS7NoKbBL-SPzhiUbgGdAVuT8Uiy7qqOpty8clpk6udScMXD4uUvmykKJIDaUg8vTimvDPh5I-cXhVXQozQqY1O1lBjqGCnB_DYSmV95NMUojHE22LfoWJhLjBseTLelaXa_e4Yhs/s2048/20210308_152833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNGCS7NoKbBL-SPzhiUbgGdAVuT8Uiy7qqOpty8clpk6udScMXD4uUvmykKJIDaUg8vTimvDPh5I-cXhVXQozQqY1O1lBjqGCnB_DYSmV95NMUojHE22LfoWJhLjBseTLelaXa_e4Yhs/s320/20210308_152833.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elm flowers, Chelmer Valley LNR, early March 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY76zW1lD05dUf8bNC_g1Y_lNl5TkSr3f7_y9MqVDM6p92w-pzvmE3NR-JiUuY3QNbvf0kq5wfDfzd5GkzGRzR2vtlvGMjuBvDZ0dej0KKa-4kHqpwO-j8e-UAIkTEIpLMMy-U52h_18/s2048/20210416_091726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNY76zW1lD05dUf8bNC_g1Y_lNl5TkSr3f7_y9MqVDM6p92w-pzvmE3NR-JiUuY3QNbvf0kq5wfDfzd5GkzGRzR2vtlvGMjuBvDZ0dej0KKa-4kHqpwO-j8e-UAIkTEIpLMMy-U52h_18/s320/20210416_091726.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elm in fruit, Chelmer Valley LNR, mid April 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZZpVCkbp9PF4pcHYxSAQjfm2xdBOeF-GRv1jZ0Rn2LnJ8pAJyJzaR2Gle6YPwAqT-Qr-g70tqrVD8eCtiM6mV-qLeLgq4iOBwYlgVPyDo1zajUuyWCkE3QrAdVU3mFCm-9CsosYi1Q4/s2048/20210506_093236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZZpVCkbp9PF4pcHYxSAQjfm2xdBOeF-GRv1jZ0Rn2LnJ8pAJyJzaR2Gle6YPwAqT-Qr-g70tqrVD8eCtiM6mV-qLeLgq4iOBwYlgVPyDo1zajUuyWCkE3QrAdVU3mFCm-9CsosYi1Q4/s320/20210506_093236.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elm fruit, early May 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHF4ynYLPXyl-uLCEtupz0EGqpNaFQRf_COfoMAunN5zlxwWSjHVxbvafhW0hqJhVkXHa4sZCARXRk4W6k2WkxxJ14ookw-W7FugFVCcpYYXjBIvgj9WFndCUYI57xhbAjWCRgPYBH6A/s2048/20210518_183853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHF4ynYLPXyl-uLCEtupz0EGqpNaFQRf_COfoMAunN5zlxwWSjHVxbvafhW0hqJhVkXHa4sZCARXRk4W6k2WkxxJ14ookw-W7FugFVCcpYYXjBIvgj9WFndCUYI57xhbAjWCRgPYBH6A/s320/20210518_183853.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elm fruit and leaves, late May 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzZNRevRa0EqluLnain2cMWXG5gmzA3B7d2U5gotqcsMUMzDQtGZN9DjR_cpyoXjG18EKac33mhepF3ifIsTf3-RGpqnEcuo3A-6VjBKUcga7IXptMDzUFjVPbFyJ6mg307w6nFM-HzQ/s2048/20210525_171048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkzZNRevRa0EqluLnain2cMWXG5gmzA3B7d2U5gotqcsMUMzDQtGZN9DjR_cpyoXjG18EKac33mhepF3ifIsTf3-RGpqnEcuo3A-6VjBKUcga7IXptMDzUFjVPbFyJ6mg307w6nFM-HzQ/s320/20210525_171048.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rare mature elm found in Chelmer Valley LNR, late May 2021<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByaXW0iyfklKE10KXSHplS2VpLiTLcwELSmOgpCQdy8FtuD2RmaqtSTzaoUXa18KlQtbxhTcITE1zfCmWsapNYVWxO4cxqCi-W3tGGF5IFOvt84whrcmYYmrWvfnGqgtnE2ad5hUQJPw/s2048/20210525_171018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByaXW0iyfklKE10KXSHplS2VpLiTLcwELSmOgpCQdy8FtuD2RmaqtSTzaoUXa18KlQtbxhTcITE1zfCmWsapNYVWxO4cxqCi-W3tGGF5IFOvt84whrcmYYmrWvfnGqgtnE2ad5hUQJPw/s320/20210525_171018.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaves of above tree<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PhnWOEx0wvr_H0cowmTPtkd06Egs3mjoP_7U8o6-U5r1gPc-JxzvQixTyq7D-0xcELMrit5golePkP7OmVWs6FoIA-mrtu0GLPKbPDdepw0EbZQqQRSUKCD0TgIBoha2iOdIpRH7koU/s2048/20210525_171131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PhnWOEx0wvr_H0cowmTPtkd06Egs3mjoP_7U8o6-U5r1gPc-JxzvQixTyq7D-0xcELMrit5golePkP7OmVWs6FoIA-mrtu0GLPKbPDdepw0EbZQqQRSUKCD0TgIBoha2iOdIpRH7koU/w242-h322/20210525_171131.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fallen twig from above tree with fruit</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/elms.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span></span></a> Which
species of elms am I seeing, and are they all the same? The Collins Gem has two
main options, English and wych elm (<i>Ulmus procera</i> and <i>Ulmus glabra</i>
respectively); the flowers look similar but the fruits and the leaves are
slightly different, and appear in a different sequence: leaves first for
English elm, fruit first for wych elm. I can’t find mention of this elsewhere.
If the Gem is right then most of the elms I’m seeing are probably wych elms.
There are other options, though. Many of the small elms I’ve seen have
strangely ridged bark, even on quite slender twigs. It seems this “winged” or
“corky” bark is particularly typical of the Dutch elm (<i>Ulmus x hollandica</i>)
and the small-leaved elm, also known as the field elm (<i>Ulmus minor</i>). If
any readers know more, please get in touch!</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<br />
</div>
</div><br />Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-86911583108199518192021-05-14T04:33:00.016-07:002021-05-14T10:13:16.589-07:00Burning biomass. Part 2: The forests<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Britain destroyed most of its forests hundreds of years ago.
Alongside a myriad of other uses, countless trees were felled to fuel iron
smelters and build battleships. At present only about 13 %
of the UK’s land area is wooded, compared to a world average of 31 %.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Needless to say, when the UK began to convert coal-burning power plants to
biomass, we were never going to be burning British trees. Even if the entire
output of the UK’s forestry industry were to be poured into Drax’s maw, this
would not be enough to cover its consumption.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In countries blessed with greater forest coverage, canny entrepreneurs
have seized the opportunity created by European energy policies and have
rapidly built up a massive pellet-producing industry. This is most striking in
the south-eastern US, the source of 65 % of Drax’s pellets in 2019. Twenty-three
wood pellet mills now operate here, three of them owned by Drax itself. Enviva,
the world’s largest producer of wood pellets and Drax’s biggest supplier, has acquired
or built nine pellet mills in this area, all of them <b>since</b> the passing
of the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive in 2009. Several more mills, with even
greater capacity, are at various stages of the planning process.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">What exactly goes into these pellet mills? As mentioned in
<a href="https://nicolabarfoot.blogspot.com/2021/05/unintended-consequences-burning-biomass.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a>, Drax claims that its pellets are “largely <span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">made up of low-grade wood</span> produced
as a by-product of the production and processing of higher value wood products,
like lumber and furniture”. Biomass UK, the trade association for the industry,
similarly talks about “residues”. This is in fact nonsense: residues from the
timber industry such as bark and twigs may be used as fuel in pellet
processing, but they do not produce high-quality pellets, and there is ample
documentary evidence that wood pellets are mostly or entirely made from whole
trees.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Impressive aerial photographs of pellet plants show thousands of tree trunks stacked
outside, waiting to be processed.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The other major claim made by Drax is that its pellets come
from “sustainably managed working forests”. What does this mean? I can imagine
two scenarios for sustainably managed forests: one is established, natural
forests, from which a small number of trees are selectively felled without any
major disturbance to the overall forest environment; the other is pine
plantations so vast that the quantity felled is constantly replenished by new
trees. In fact neither scenario represents the real situation. The demand for
wood pellets, driven by the fashion for “low-carbon” biomass (see <a href="https://nicolabarfoot.blogspot.com/2021/05/unintended-consequences-burning-biomass.html" target="_blank">my previous post</a> for the truth behind this), is so great and has arisen so suddenly that a
careful, one-tree-at-a-time type of forestry has no hope of keeping up, and the
output of established plantations has also been outpaced. Instead what has
happened, and is still happening, is the clear-felling (or in some countries the
increasingly rapacious “selective” felling) of natural, diverse old-growth
forests. If these are replaced at all, it is with quick-growing monocultures of
pine.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is a tragedy on a huge scale, which is being played out
in numerous locations around the world. In the south-eastern US, substantial
tracts of mature hardwood forest, known as “bottomland” forest, have been
destroyed to feed the pellet mills. These are deciduous forests in low-lying,
frequently flooded land near rivers – imagine tall trees with buttressed trunks,
rising out of the still, dark water of wetlands. These forests are complex and immensely
valuable ecosystems, home to an enormous variety of plants and animals. Indeed
this area, the North American Coastal Plain, has been declared a World
Biodiversity Hotspot. Bottomland forest also provides essential “ecosystem
services” to humans, reducing the risk of flooding, and improving water quality.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
It is estimated that 80 % of these forests have disappeared in the last two
hundred years. Most of what remains belongs to private landowners, and only 10
% of it is protected.<span class="MsoFootnoteReference"> <a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is this fragmentation and lack of protection that has
allowed Enviva and other pellet manufacturers to prosper. Enviva, like Drax,
makes a very persuasive attempt to greenwash its activities. Its stated purpose
is to “displace coal, grow more trees, and fight climate change”. “Climate
change,” it announces, “is the greatest challenge of our time. Enviva was
founded to be part of the solution.” Its website shows an idyllic image of forest-clad
hills bathed in sunlight, and its argument is essentially that if Enviva were
not there to buy wood, nobody would have any incentive to grow trees. By providing
a market for “low-value wood”, and insisting that the landowners “commit to
return their land to forest after harvest”, Enviva says it is preventing this
land from being converted to other uses. “Keeping forests as forests” is one of
its mantras.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This is an unbelievably cynical claim. Much of the hardwood
forest now being clear-felled to feed Enviva’s mills consists of pockets of woodland
that have been left standing by generations of farmers, on the low-lying edges
of their farms, because the land is not viable for agricultural use. So in many
cases there is little danger of it being cleared to grow crops. Nor are these
remote tracts of swampland desirable real estate for shopping malls and golf
courses. In other words, if it weren’t for the pellet industry there is every
chance that these trees would remain standing, as they have for many decades.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Furthermore, Enviva’s claims about “keeping forests as
forests” are based on the assumption that any kind of forest cover is equally
valuable. This is simply not the case. A mixed-species, self-regenerating natural
forest that has been growing for many decades or centuries cannot be “replaced”
in any meaningful way by a single-species plantation which will be felled as
soon as it is viable, after as little as fifteen years.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The range of plant life that thrives in a natural forest – the moss, ferns,
flowers and creepers – need many years of undisturbed existence to develop. Fungi,
insects, birds and mammals need a range of shelter types and food sources that
only an established forest can provide – including dead and decaying trees. A
tree farm is not a forest – or at best it’s a “fake forest”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Quite apart from the loss of irreplaceable forest habitats, the
wood pellet industry causes severe local pollution. This is hardly surprising
given the processes involved. The tree trunks are delivered to the plant by
heavy logging trucks, then debarked and shredded in hammermills, a noisy process
that goes on around the clock. The next step is to dry the wood, using heat
produced by burning wood and bark. This combustion generates greenhouse gases,
while the wood chips emit harmful VOCs (volatile organic compounds) as they
dry, as well as at other stages in the process. A report in 2018 found that “The
21 wood pellet mills exporting to Europe emit a total of 16,000 tons of health-threatening
air pollutants per year, including more than 2,500 tons of particulate matter
(soot), 3,200 tons of nitrogen oxides, 2,100 tons of carbon monoxide, and 7,000
tons of volatile organic compounds. These plants also emit 3.1 million tons of
greenhouse gases annually”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">People living near the mills are affected by noise and dust
pollution, are unable to sit on their own front porches without wearing face
masks,<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
and suffer from an increase in respiratory diseases.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The presence of the mills exacerbates existing social inequalities: most are
located in poor communities with a high proportion of minority ethnic groups,
and their operations – while purporting to bring jobs and prosperity – in fact
diminish the quality of life of these communities.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
A number of grassroots organizations have sprung up to combat this polluting
industry, and in partnership with larger NGOs they have won some victories. In
2019, for example, Enviva was forced to install equipment to reduce air
pollution in its wood pellet plant in Richmond County, North Carolina. In
February 2021 Drax was fined 2.5 million US dollars for major environmental
violations at its pellet plant in Mississippi. This is an encouraging result,
but the fine has been aptly described as “a drop in the bucket compared to the
2 million [GBP] per day the UK government hands the company in the form of
biomass subsidies”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn13" name="_ftnref13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Campaigners on both sides of the Atlantic are working
tirelessly to try to stop this madness. Key players in the US are Dogwood
Alliance, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Natural Resources
Defense Council. In the UK, the campaign group most strongly focused on this
issue is Biofuelwatch. These UK and US organizations have joined forces in the
campaign Cut Carbon Not Forests, which urges the public to “stop the UK from
harming our planet’s forests” by calling for a end to biomass electricity
subsidies. Such efforts to raise public awareness can bear fruit: in 2020 an
opinion poll in the Netherlands showed that 98 % of citizens favoured ending
subsidies for biomass, and in February 2021, the Dutch government agreed to
reject future subsidies.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftn14" name="_ftnref14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Could this happen in the UK too?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Existing natural forests and wetlands are not renewable;
they are irreplaceable. Not only are they vital for the protection of
biodiversity, they are also our first line of defence against climate change. Burning
them in the name of sustainability makes no sense at all. We should certainly
be planting new trees – both to supply our other timber needs (more on this
another time!) and to increase permanent forest cover – but we shouldn’t kid
ourselves that this will make up for destroying mature trees and all the life
that depends on them. A fundamentally good intention – that of weaning
ourselves off fossil fuels and nuclear power – has led to horrifying
consequences. The mass production and consumption of wood pellets is bad for
local communities and environments, bad for biodiversity, and disastrous from a
climate change perspective. It has to stop. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> <br /></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxF8gVbP3awZoO8tPKRlfXzqUWUYnzqJqO5-m_oT2D9gkPcGI6tiLQV1zHmhpSFJHi2SVGk8r8WFcvjm-KDFpA2Htqrhaml7GINwd4rE9Ie0cUc5TmNaZTpnP6lraUPz_5R57Vq3za5s/s799/23102349496_94728163a3_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxF8gVbP3awZoO8tPKRlfXzqUWUYnzqJqO5-m_oT2D9gkPcGI6tiLQV1zHmhpSFJHi2SVGk8r8WFcvjm-KDFpA2Htqrhaml7GINwd4rE9Ie0cUc5TmNaZTpnP6lraUPz_5R57Vq3za5s/s320/23102349496_94728163a3_c.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Neil Wellons on Flickr, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/legalcode</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-G52q7NITpatZd54gr7hEHdH1tJaexXb4U3sAYimNv32goZB6xaItYbbeFZPP3KChw87a8Od7XNOtjtP_fRhM3aN9yH4BEC21WCCH6fCUpebxP-w94WLtAVHGPS_67NijkL00e1DMEk/s799/2136058189_341c143130_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="799" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-G52q7NITpatZd54gr7hEHdH1tJaexXb4U3sAYimNv32goZB6xaItYbbeFZPP3KChw87a8Od7XNOtjtP_fRhM3aN9yH4BEC21WCCH6fCUpebxP-w94WLtAVHGPS_67NijkL00e1DMEk/s320/2136058189_341c143130_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999; font-size: x-small;">Wndy on Flickr, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Special thanks to Jack Spruill, who first drew my attention to this issue and has given me an insight into the situation in North Carolina, as well as making helpful suggestions on this and my previous post.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/forestry-statistics-2018/international-forestry/forest-cover-international-comparisons/">https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/forestry-statistics-2018/international-forestry/forest-cover-international-comparisons/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.southernenvironment.org/uploads/images/SELC_WoodPelletExportMap_2020_1208_map+table.pdf">https://www.southernenvironment.org/uploads/images/SELC_WoodPelletExportMap_2020_1208_map+table.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/chatham-house-biomass-study-2288764699.html"><span style="line-height: 107%;">https://www.ecowatch.com/chatham-house-biomass-study-2288764699</span>.<span style="line-height: 107%;">html</span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/climate/wood-pellet-industry-climate.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/climate/wood-pellet-industry-climate.html</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/bottomland-hardwoods">https://www.epa.gov/wetlands/bottomland-hardwoods</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/our-work/wetland-forests-initiative/treasures-of-the-south/">https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/our-work/wetland-forests-initiative/treasures-of-the-south/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/26/biomass-carbon-climate-politics-477620">https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/03/26/biomass-carbon-climate-politics-477620</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2019/02/real-vs-fake-forests/">https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2019/02/real-vs-fake-forests/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn9" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Biomass-Report.pdf">https://environmentalintegrity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Biomass-Report.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/climate/wood-pellet-industry-climate.html">https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/climate/wood-pellet-industry-climate.html</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.greenbiz.com/article/europes-wood-pellet-market-worsening-environmental-racism-american-south">https://www.greenbiz.com/article/europes-wood-pellet-market-worsening-environmental-racism-american-south</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn12" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2020/06/a-pandemic-of-injustice-in-the-rural-south/">https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2020/06/a-pandemic-of-injustice-in-the-rural-south/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref13" name="_ftn13" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn13;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[13]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2021/02/release-drax-facility-fined-2-5m-for-major-pollution-violations/#:~:text=Release%3A%20Drax%20facility%20fined%20%242.5M%20for%20major%20pollution%20violations,-Written%20by%20Rita">https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2021/02/release-drax-facility-fined-2-5m-for-major-pollution-violations/#:~:text=Release%3A%20Drax%20facility%20fined%20%242.5M%20for%20major%20pollution%20violations,-Written%20by%20Rita</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/US%20forests%20and%20wood%20pellets.docx#_ftnref14" name="_ftn14" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn14;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[14]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2021/02/big-victory-for-southern-forests/">https://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2021/02/big-victory-for-southern-forests/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
</div>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-41900863110258514072021-05-07T02:29:00.010-07:002021-05-14T04:41:46.260-07:00Burning biomass. Part 1: Unintended consequences<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you were to travel by train from London to Manchester, as
I did early last year, you might notice an intriguing sight as you approached
your destination: a large freight train painted smartly in blue and silver, displaying
the slogans “Powering tomorrow”, “Powering the northern powerhouse”, and “Carrying
sustainable biomass for cost effective renewable power”.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If you were curious you might perhaps look up the name of
the company displayed on the train, Drax. And you might be pleased to discover what
seems to be an all-round good-news story: at the UK’s largest power station,
located in Yorkshire, four out of six generation units have been converted from
coal to biomass. They burn “compressed wood pellets sourced from sustainably
managed working forests […] largely <span color="windowtext" style="text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">made up of low-grade wood</span> produced as a by-product of
the production and processing of higher value wood products, like lumber and
furniture.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those sleek trains with their specially constructed wagons
are transporting 20,000 tonnes of pellets per day from Liverpool and ports on
the east coast to the power station near Selby. The pellets, Drax tells us, lead
to 80 % less carbon dioxide than coal, produce 12 % of the UK’s renewable
energy, and support more than 20,000 jobs.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
What’s not to like? Waste material is being put to good use, jobs are being
created, and the UK is massively reducing its carbon footprint. A dirty fossil
fuel – or so it seems – has been replaced by a clean, green fuel for the
future.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But is this really the win-win solution it appears to be? If
we were to follow one of those shiny blue and silver trains to its destination
in Yorkshire, and study what actually came out of Drax’s smokestacks, the
picture would be less rosy. And if we were to trace the journey of those wood
pellets back to their source, an even more sinister story would emerge. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ll return to that story, the source of the pellets, in <a href="https://nicolabarfoot.blogspot.com/2021/05/burning-biomass-part-2-forests.html" target="_blank">my next post</a>. For now, let’s take a look at those smokestacks. The first crucial
fact is that the emissions from burning wood pellets are no less harmful than those
generated by burning coal. Biomass produces less of some pollutants, but more
of others, most notably small particulates and volatile organic compounds.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn3" name="_ftnref3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Drax’s emissions of PM<sub>10</sub> particulates, which have extremely negative
effects on human health, have risen substantially as it has converted to
biomass.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn4" name="_ftnref4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But even if it worsens local air pollution, surely the change
from coal to biomass must have a positive impact on the global atmosphere? After
all, decarbonization is the main rationale for the switch. Here, once again,
the facts contradict the industry’s claims. Biomass-burning power plants emit
at least as much CO<sub>2</sub> as coal, if not more. According to one study,
biomass emits 150 % of the CO<sub>2</sub> of coal, and is less efficient in
terms of CO<sub>2</sub> per megawatt of energy generated.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn5" name="_ftnref5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Another study states that “Because combustion and processing efficiencies for
wood are less than coal, the immediate impact of substituting wood for coal is
an increase in atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> relative to coal.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn6" name="_ftnref6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The carbon emitted in the production, transport and storage of the wood pellets
exacerbates this impact. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These facts are not even especially controversial. So how
can Drax justify its claims? Why is woody biomass being promoted as a “low-carbon”
source of energy? Part of the answer is that, theoretically, the trees that are
felled and turned into wood pellets are replaced by newly planted trees. These
growing trees take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, supposedly balancing
out the carbon released during combustion – a highly questionable assumption,
given the time that it takes for trees to grow.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn7" name="_ftnref7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
The other part of the answer is a loophole in the complex carbon accounting
system established by the UN. According to these rules, emissions from biomass
are only reported in the land-use sector (i.e. the carbon emitted when trees
are felled), not in the energy sector (where they are burned). Since the UK
gets 82 % of its wood pellets from the US, which is outside this accounting
framework, the emissions related to this industry are simply not counted at
all.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">This has huge implications. As we all know, governments
worldwide are under enormous pressure to reduce the carbon footprint of their
countries without causing economic damage. The UK has recently committed to cutting
greenhouse gas emissions “by the fastest rate of any major economy”, reducing
them by at least 68 % (compared to 1990 levels) by 2030. The government boasts
that “Over the past decade, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any
similar developed country and was the first major economy to legislate for net
zero emissions by 2050”, thus demonstrating our “leadership in tackling climate
change”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn8" name="_ftnref8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is no coincidence that the past decade – in which the UK
has supposedly cut its emissions so dramatically – is also the decade in which
biomass has become a major part of the country’s energy sector. In other words,
the fact that emissions from biomass combustion are not counted is enabling us
to meet our international climate obligations. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As well as trying to reduce its carbon output as part of the
Paris Agreement, the UK is eager to demonstrate its commitment to renewable
energy (which is not synonymous with low-carbon energy, though they often
coincide). In 2009, the EU adopted a directive stipulating that 20 % of
European energy needs had to be met with renewable energy sources by 2020. Since
then, massive subsidies have been paid out all over Europe to support this
development. In the UK in particular, a substantial proportion of this has gone
to biomass. In 2018-19, for example, the UK government spent £1.5 billion to support
biomass electricity, nearly three times the subsidy paid out for solar power.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn9" name="_ftnref9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Are these subsidies justified? Is biomass (regardless of its
carbon output) a truly renewable source of energy? That depends on how you
define “renewable”. The EU directive contains a list rather than an
explanation: renewable energy comes from “non-fossil sources”, i.e. “wind,
solar, aerothermal, geothermal, hydrothermal and ocean energy, hydropower,
biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogases”.<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn10" name="_ftnref10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
A report by the UK Parliament’s Select Committee on Energy and Climate Change
gives greater clarity, stating that “Energy is renewable if it is derived from
natural processes and replenished more rapidly than expended.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn11" name="_ftnref11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a>
Drax offers its own definition: “Renewable energy is produced from a resource
that is infinite or can be replenished on a human timescale, such as the sun,
wind, water or sustainably managed forests.”<a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftn12" name="_ftnref12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is a critical difference between the time frames
envisaged in these two definitions. A “human timescale” can surely mean
whatever one wants it to mean: anything from half an hour to a millennium. If
time were not an issue, and if an enormous amount of land were devoted to
plantation forest, than perhaps it might eventually be possible to grow enough
trees to replace those burned – considering volume alone, not forest quality. There
is, however, no way that woody biomass can be replenished more rapidly than it
is expended. A tree takes decades to grow, but only seconds to burn.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In short, wood pellets are neither a low-carbon nor a truly renewable
energy source. In attempting to reach its internationally agreed targets and
demonstrate climate leadership, the UK has invested heavily in a polluting and
unsustainable form of power generation. Those smart new trains are taking us to
a far less promising future than their optimistic slogans suggest. The question
is whether, having set this juggernaut in motion, we have the power to stop it.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xPIuxpw2zmu-wLzDvHceS-lC2RSJuATkDERjSUIUEoHYuYEobfB3jFr5xexryh_FtDEeeflWL5MjKf7WGuvlrlcWozSlW2BMgdAKhOY4CeQX4BSvFix6SM9W46nzkJzo1uX8zRvdwjM/s800/48554162497_a27efe67cf_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xPIuxpw2zmu-wLzDvHceS-lC2RSJuATkDERjSUIUEoHYuYEobfB3jFr5xexryh_FtDEeeflWL5MjKf7WGuvlrlcWozSlW2BMgdAKhOY4CeQX4BSvFix6SM9W46nzkJzo1uX8zRvdwjM/s320/48554162497_a27efe67cf_c.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #999999;">Kitmasterbloke on Flickr, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode</span><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7pggbrhJZGQPUDtd-pa4-3g1o59UXnFtweCjmLcwPC8B2hSfo7DfVFa8NKrA05HaqMz3EtQqsf886FKEpus32mtwYDADt4lcGMYmz6bja0RDu3E2Pihit-T12u_3wX_oI5q7Ec05Ph4/s800/5315413879_2eed6f276b_c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7pggbrhJZGQPUDtd-pa4-3g1o59UXnFtweCjmLcwPC8B2hSfo7DfVFa8NKrA05HaqMz3EtQqsf886FKEpus32mtwYDADt4lcGMYmz6bja0RDu3E2Pihit-T12u_3wX_oI5q7Ec05Ph4/w317-h187/5315413879_2eed6f276b_c.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirokazan on Flickr,https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode</span><br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Click <a href="https://nicolabarfoot.blogspot.com/2021/05/burning-biomass-part-2-forests.html" target="_blank">here </a>for the next thrilling instalment ...</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.drax.com/sustainability/what-is-biomass/">https://www.drax.com/sustainability/what-is-biomass/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn2" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn2;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[2]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <span class="MsoHyperlink"><a href="https://forestscope.info/">https://forestscope.info/</a></span><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn3" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref3" name="_ftn3" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn3;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[3]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2018/biomass-basics-2/">https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/2018/biomass-basics-2/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn4" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref4" name="_ftn4" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn4;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[4]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Drax-and-air-quality-briefing-2.pdf">https://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Drax-and-air-quality-briefing-2.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn5" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref5" name="_ftn5" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn5;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[5]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.pfpi.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/PFPI-biomass-carbon-accounting-overview_April.pdf">https://www.pfpi.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/PFPI-biomass-carbon-accounting-overview_April.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn6" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref6" name="_ftn6" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn6;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[6]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa512">https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/aaa512</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn7" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref7" name="_ftn7" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn7;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[7]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/woody-biomass-power-and-heat">https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/woody-biomass-power-and-heat</a><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div id="ftn8" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref8" name="_ftn8" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn8;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[8]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sets-ambitious-new-climate-target-ahead-of-un-summit#:~:text=A%20new%20plan%20aims%20for,decade%2C%20compared%20to%201990%20levels.&text=The%20Prime%20Minister%20has%20today,2030%2C%20compared%20to%201990%20levels">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sets-ambitious-new-climate-target-ahead-of-un-summit#:~:text=A%20new%20plan%20aims%20for,decade%2C%20compared%20to%201990%20levels.&text=The%20Prime%20Minister%20has%20today,2030%2C%20compared%20to%201990%20levels</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref9" name="_ftn9" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn9;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[9]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sasha-stashwick/uk-must-end-biomass-electricity-subsidies-now#:~:text=In%202018%2D19%2C%20the%20UK,clean%20power%20to%20Britons%20today">https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sasha-stashwick/uk-must-end-biomass-electricity-subsidies-now#:~:text=In%202018%2D19%2C%20the%20UK,clean%20power%20to%20Britons%20today</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<div id="ftn10" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref10" name="_ftn10" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn10;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[10]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32009L0028">https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX%3A32009L0028</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref11" name="_ftn11" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn11;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[11]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenergy/173/17305.htm">https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmenergy/173/17305.htm</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a href="https://d.docs.live.net/57b26494b5f98556/Alt/General%20Documents/work/creative%20writing/Unintended%20consequences.docx#_ftnref12" name="_ftn12" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn12;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">[12]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a> <a href="https://www.drax.com/sustainability/what-is-renewable-energy/">https://www.drax.com/sustainability/what-is-renewable-energy/</a><o:p></o:p></p>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-75030262848751015302021-04-17T15:19:00.000-07:002021-04-17T15:19:56.656-07:00Urban nature reserves<p>It wasn’t love at first sight. In fact my first encounter
with my local nature reserve, soon after moving to Chelmsford, was quite
unpromising. I set off one afternoon in September 2015 on a borrowed bike,
planning to follow the riverside path up the Chelmer and see how far I got. I’d
been cycling for about five minutes when the path turned away from the river
and spat me out into a suburban cul-de-sac. So much for that idea. My
impression of the nature reserve on either side of the path was an uninspiring
mixture of willows and poplars, all in the flat, dull green of late summer. The
effect of the expedition was to make me – a life-long non-runner – take up
running. My reasoning was: a) since the scope for cycling was so limited, I had
to exercise on foot, but b) since the surroundings were so drab, I needed to
pick up the pace to make them go by more quickly.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Five years later I’m still running, without great
enthusiasm, but my attitude to the Chelmer Valley Local Nature Reserve has
changed. Despite some residual moments of indifference, I’ve gradually
developed an appreciation verging on affection for it. True, it couldn’t be
described as an exciting landscape. It’s a long, narrow strip of land on the
east side of the slow-moving, often weed-clogged Chelmer River; its best-known
feature is the “Bunny Walks”, a wide, paved path linking the residential areas
of The Avenues and Broomfield in northern Chelmsford with the city centre and
railway station. It isn’t an especially peaceful environment either: the busy A1016,
with its open-road speed limit, runs parallel to river and path for a while,
crosses over both, and then runs directly alongside the northernmost and most
isolated section of the reserve. If you get far enough away from the A1016 to
escape the noise of traffic, you’re likely to hear the machinery of Marriage’s Mill
instead. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And yet what the reserve offers is no more and no less than
a bit of nature in the middle of town. Not untouched, untamed nature, but a
co-production between nature and humans. The river has been slowed, its course altered,
and then in recent years changed again to restore a more natural environment.
Trees and wildflowers have been planted; others have been cut down or pulled
out in an attempt to recreate treeless meadow habitats, or to encourage the
growth of more desirable plants. In normal times when no pandemics are raging,
volunteers come out once a month, under the friendly supervision of the
council, to clear and improve paths, pick up litter, plant trees, rake grass
and construct hibernacula as habitats for slow-worms and other creatures. These
interventions aside, though, nature has ample scope to do its own thing. Wildflowers
that might be classed as weeds elsewhere can flourish here; self-seeded trees
spring up and thrive. Birds sing their hearts out.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">I live in an unattractive street with few trees; I’m lucky
enough to have a garden, but the only sizeable tree it contains is an aged and
nearly leafless elder. Having a nature reserve nearby is a blessing: if I want
to take a break from my work and stretch my legs I’m not restricted to urban
streets. Instead I can cross New Street, walk down Hoffman’s Way past
Marriage’s Mill, go over the humpback bridge above the weir, and suddenly, five
minutes from home, I’m plunged into a world of greenery and birdsong. Don’t ask
me what birds – I don’t know! The ones I can see and identify are those that
move slowly or stand still in full sight: crows, magpies, and wood pigeons.
Swans, ducks, and moorhens on the river. The occasional little egret. Gulls.
But it’s the ones I can’t see that are the real delight. Unable to identify any
individual voices, I hear nothing but a lovely soundscape. If ever I hear a
sweet tweeting nearby and manage to spot the creature responsible, it’s
inevitably a robin. The others remain invisible, or flit by too fast to be
recognized.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">At dusk, in the section of the Bunny Walks where the trees
are tallest, the cheery twittering is drowned out by the cawing of crows. They
settle in the tops of the willows and poplars, rise and circle around, then
settle again. On a gloomy winter’s evening the effect of the dark birds on the high,
bare trees under a darkening sky – to the soundtrack of their harsh, haunting
voices – is hugely atmospheric.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And the trees! While the poplars and willows dominating the
Bunny Walks are still not my all-time favourites, I do appreciate their majestic
size and the habitat they offer to birds and other creatures. And I’ve learnt that
there are many, many other tree species in the reserve, each with its own
moment of glory. First, in the depths of winter, the hazelnut’s long, slim
yellow catkins; then from late February the gorgeous white blossom of the
cherry plum, followed in late March and April by the smaller, but equally
fragrant blossoms of blackthorn, tightly clustered along the twigs. At the same
time a superabundance of catkins appears as the willows and poplars awaken. The
poplars are a challenge to identify, and I’m not there yet, but the one with
the most striking catkins is probably a hybrid black poplar. The male catkins, faded
from deep red to purple, now litter the ground, having presumably carried out
their reproductive task – or given it their best shot. The long, slender green
female catkins still have their work ahead of them: producing masses of fluffy
white seeds which will cover the ground like snow in June. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of the maples, Norway maple is the showstopper right now,
with masses of yellow flowers on leafless branches. Field maple is less showy in
spring, but becomes one of the loveliest trees in the woods in autumn, clinging
to its yellow leaves when other trees are already bare. Sycamore is at its most
graceful now, its large, smooth, green buds opening to release large leaves and
hanging clusters of flowers. This is also the season when elm is most distinctive,
covered in what looks like pale green blossom, but is actually winged seeds. Hawthorn,
well ahead of the rest, is already fully clothed in vibrant green, gearing up
for its starring turn when it blossoms in May. Hazelnut, hornbeam and alder are
just coming into leaf, along with white willow and horse chestnut. Others are
slower to join the party. The peculiar-looking flowers of the ash are only now
beginning to sprout from its black buds, and leaves are still some way off. Aspen
and grey poplar bear inconspicuous catkins but no leaves. Limes and oaks are
still tight-budded and bare, biding their time. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At their feet there are wildflowers to be discovered. Since early
spring the fringes of the Bunny Walks have been brightened by the brilliant
yellow and glossy green of lesser celandine, interspersed with patches of violets
in various shades of purple and white. Two small ponds are adorned with clumps
of bright yellow marsh marigold. Right now, in mid April, the first patch of
white comfrey is blooming in the woods; later, by the river, there’ll be larger
patches in shades of blue and pink, humming with bees. In recent weeks the small
purple flowers of ground ivy have appeared in the woods and on the edges of the
meadow under the blackthorn, even colonizing the crook of a multi-trunked ash.
The spotted lily leaves of lords-and-ladies are visible in abundance, and I’m
looking out for the strange rod-like flowers. Green alkanet, an unwelcome weed
in gardens, comes into its own in the woods, its lush leaves and gorgeous blue
flowers a joyous sight. Red dead-nettles start blooming early and keep on going
for months, alongside the taller white dead-nettles. Cow parsley and
jack-by-the-hedge are just beginning to bloom. Yesterday I saw the first
cowslips of the year, and the first red campion, still low to the ground. I
even found, in the aspen grove, a flower I’d never seen here before, pale pink,
not fully open, with demurely bowed heads – a cuckooflower, I think. In parts
of the reserve the ground will disappear under a sea of stinging nettles as the
weather gets warmer, but in others a wide variety of flowers will appear
throughout the spring and summer.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of course not all the people who walk and cycle along the
Bunny Walks have the time or the inclination to see all this. Strangely, I seldom
see anyone else engrossed in nature study. For many it’s just a quick route
from A to B, for others it’s a pleasant spot to walk their dogs or teach their
children to ride a bike. But whether or not they seek out and notice the nature
offered to them here, all of these dog-walkers, dogless walkers, cyclists,
commuters, shoppers, school pupils and young families benefit from the
existence of the reserve. They benefit because they’re walking or cycling
instead of driving or sitting on a bus; they benefit because they’re escaping
the noise and traffic fumes of Broomfield Road; and they benefit because seeing
trees and hearing birds is good for the soul. As Chelmsford’s housing
intensifies and increasing numbers of people live in apartment blocks, nature reserves
like this are becoming more and more essential.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As for me, the nature nerd who actually leaves the path to
examine trees and flowers, I’ve learnt a lot from the Chelmer Valley Local
Nature Reserve over the last five years. I haven’t finished learning, either. Every
walk throws up new questions. What are the dark, moss-like clumps high up in
the willows? Are the dead trees surrounding one of the few elms along the Bunny
Walks also elms, and have they succumbed to the dreaded Dutch Elm Disease? Will
that family of ducklings survive the predatory crows watching over them?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In short, I’ve learnt that running faster isn’t always the
solution, and that this small urban nature reserve is most rewarding when taken
slowly.<o:p></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXEi-KKZgcY99ROfHmTMpSkdnJc9ggm2afEsSSLRKYobVvIbETrpKIHXFPQ4WzCeiBcWXb-hSIE2LEQjlzvvDgppsB4jRdrbEOaawKjSckXl73dOWmj1AI4nLhwY6AD2Pra3akauvFc0/s2048/20180319_154743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRXEi-KKZgcY99ROfHmTMpSkdnJc9ggm2afEsSSLRKYobVvIbETrpKIHXFPQ4WzCeiBcWXb-hSIE2LEQjlzvvDgppsB4jRdrbEOaawKjSckXl73dOWmj1AI4nLhwY6AD2Pra3akauvFc0/s320/20180319_154743.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry plum</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXZfh9JjtEZBsk3OWBJ_jeV24Rhfno_T21LBquM4xuVyWL9Q_-BPdoYYAJMmEfRzW2PPORCuKH09SyptMEjxTs5wM15swEsO3JypfYJNxKUAbQXeB9_YzGo8UxdynWrfsmYcYkWwiAcQ/s2048/20180319_153408.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXZfh9JjtEZBsk3OWBJ_jeV24Rhfno_T21LBquM4xuVyWL9Q_-BPdoYYAJMmEfRzW2PPORCuKH09SyptMEjxTs5wM15swEsO3JypfYJNxKUAbQXeB9_YzGo8UxdynWrfsmYcYkWwiAcQ/s320/20180319_153408.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cherry plum</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiHIkJ5ol3lzwwJvbwAJCjeqHJ-PP7-MPTuVDGpleDmFkvcxRSIHmUDKKlktvSCt2SyRF_967b0iK0SEh5Tx3B6d_3rAqZX7j__ZDzAh8IYBYPn3Elb2ssBn-BMlVepjiDIS_z2m5AiE/s4128/20210416_094418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsiHIkJ5ol3lzwwJvbwAJCjeqHJ-PP7-MPTuVDGpleDmFkvcxRSIHmUDKKlktvSCt2SyRF_967b0iK0SEh5Tx3B6d_3rAqZX7j__ZDzAh8IYBYPn3Elb2ssBn-BMlVepjiDIS_z2m5AiE/s320/20210416_094418.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackthorn</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxJXXjmXGQUYp6ywNFb0cRTusxoUQd33S_Q2lfBL4qwkUynWxDQ6i9qrpxNSEWqy8OKxZconUuPRYEL3hTCNzP6UFh6cbSnLUnnABEFRdCCGqOE6CVUh3iZGaVOBTSe8yNuldxOzDllU/s4128/20210331_181024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTxJXXjmXGQUYp6ywNFb0cRTusxoUQd33S_Q2lfBL4qwkUynWxDQ6i9qrpxNSEWqy8OKxZconUuPRYEL3hTCNzP6UFh6cbSnLUnnABEFRdCCGqOE6CVUh3iZGaVOBTSe8yNuldxOzDllU/s320/20210331_181024.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blackthorn</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25tHAM3hl3q78XReTeao_Oehn0f6cX_vrd7KYRVujBtnZ210gxVkh44M6QtEIjQzvwm48Djzm1dgWAgGlhklT4qlHUzyagBjM52wJzWQxEgwrLnNsFe6Vq9SjaxsXk3jzb66-YJbZOqU/s4128/20210331_183856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj25tHAM3hl3q78XReTeao_Oehn0f6cX_vrd7KYRVujBtnZ210gxVkh44M6QtEIjQzvwm48Djzm1dgWAgGlhklT4qlHUzyagBjM52wJzWQxEgwrLnNsFe6Vq9SjaxsXk3jzb66-YJbZOqU/s320/20210331_183856.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sycamore</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQiYpq5yiuYv3yx-cWb3v5RncqfoOtDzwoHvLoy3LBP0wCzGQgFBVj8ZgzDXZb_dKbMq-Jhk3Dn5ZIymqG4HPlhU1fRCOa1v1nKA9GK81e0W-45IDpS57aCxPPKaFCm5gXrhKvDlNe0A/s4128/20210416_091726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQiYpq5yiuYv3yx-cWb3v5RncqfoOtDzwoHvLoy3LBP0wCzGQgFBVj8ZgzDXZb_dKbMq-Jhk3Dn5ZIymqG4HPlhU1fRCOa1v1nKA9GK81e0W-45IDpS57aCxPPKaFCm5gXrhKvDlNe0A/s320/20210416_091726.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elm (in fruit)</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOe4nEGmqXm_csRFrgVAKDqYDwNdsOyUaOVOeNuD-XUn5WIvv2qchp3hSZ4MGNkk-weKOAdoMpHKb5D4tkfayzoB4ly_-XxsNQ2XC0FSttRM173ZI38ircTF8PtSHfEu1pm-lSEx9c5c/s2048/20190501_163229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMOe4nEGmqXm_csRFrgVAKDqYDwNdsOyUaOVOeNuD-XUn5WIvv2qchp3hSZ4MGNkk-weKOAdoMpHKb5D4tkfayzoB4ly_-XxsNQ2XC0FSttRM173ZI38ircTF8PtSHfEu1pm-lSEx9c5c/s320/20190501_163229.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elm (in fruit)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVlR1wX1CmAIlHRrU8FOaao84S555QHFIjQRSLjeuMXGqDZO_B-FgwLPCo5YefHrnO9ySmdysqliz0b6MdyWulD-e0I_ZH-NA7_y7GD_qrNbjZ1Oi-5M580LFbqaHZJ6qqasndNSvWiU/s2048/20190414_140641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVlR1wX1CmAIlHRrU8FOaao84S555QHFIjQRSLjeuMXGqDZO_B-FgwLPCo5YefHrnO9ySmdysqliz0b6MdyWulD-e0I_ZH-NA7_y7GD_qrNbjZ1Oi-5M580LFbqaHZJ6qqasndNSvWiU/s320/20190414_140641.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lesser celandine</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3I0DvrfzrA_DO5p23t5Hg4dXS9JkMnATP1PQE-pJrExVAYo5jfEBZuXngwuxdmZ-vUam8w13xtxQBCLjkE_XHepOWrHlgmNQm2Fh2tmBDJnMgMaxFjunbAQ9DEGcAPUscj8Ndz-jJok/s4128/20210324_115837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3I0DvrfzrA_DO5p23t5Hg4dXS9JkMnATP1PQE-pJrExVAYo5jfEBZuXngwuxdmZ-vUam8w13xtxQBCLjkE_XHepOWrHlgmNQm2Fh2tmBDJnMgMaxFjunbAQ9DEGcAPUscj8Ndz-jJok/s320/20210324_115837.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Violets</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUJQ-8LUw7R6jSSif5xBGKVyGPwk0BCPqEmD3roznl0pIMCx_qHganfhWXcFy9hGHLN5V_0vQTTdfiQYQLZI-UX5J-DewDB7igwSzcbXCdHiidaF_xNCY6qLyqBAsEWe_wZLk_q0Leio/s2048/20190417_181140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYUJQ-8LUw7R6jSSif5xBGKVyGPwk0BCPqEmD3roznl0pIMCx_qHganfhWXcFy9hGHLN5V_0vQTTdfiQYQLZI-UX5J-DewDB7igwSzcbXCdHiidaF_xNCY6qLyqBAsEWe_wZLk_q0Leio/s320/20190417_181140.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comfrey</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGiHg6BbzrNw_dkgwT8_9HieDlBYvK6TepHTWn94a7DeM0sLv4Ih3UtS456QV1Lpk4JeMUDyqE87zBQH2sQtYnzfxKi3MoT6cz_iAuXe-cQcH-GH1xB6omAIa2yE-zxbE2PyWxViWzsk/s4128/20190408_150602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEGiHg6BbzrNw_dkgwT8_9HieDlBYvK6TepHTWn94a7DeM0sLv4Ih3UtS456QV1Lpk4JeMUDyqE87zBQH2sQtYnzfxKi3MoT6cz_iAuXe-cQcH-GH1xB6omAIa2yE-zxbE2PyWxViWzsk/s320/20190408_150602.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marsh marigold</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2Qu-n9woTYu7YDZ66qBt0uIA9EBmQXBGPdsf9rnWEKyDPxL2xSVaVCgiRBQagHKIBZDFH3EaFWqPA-CvitsaWo1E7L2TK5B-Dm5u3n5rHhqVU8urmImdpgMwD8PVUJc6LE_v-_uDn6Q/s4128/20190407_191750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD2Qu-n9woTYu7YDZ66qBt0uIA9EBmQXBGPdsf9rnWEKyDPxL2xSVaVCgiRBQagHKIBZDFH3EaFWqPA-CvitsaWo1E7L2TK5B-Dm5u3n5rHhqVU8urmImdpgMwD8PVUJc6LE_v-_uDn6Q/s320/20190407_191750.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lords-and-ladies</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXaTJTH4TP3Fc8IEySCQFpbcnKqZK6DT-A2oHTWGRtNy4o5FT8FTUpI7J62EgXWw1yYxDGBaWJRSKBcNfWARnsYMha5Sn1CXOq_SvVKwx7AmMi5fLaR2nMqYx2UrdYIttEntUQr5os00/s4128/20190323_113914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzXaTJTH4TP3Fc8IEySCQFpbcnKqZK6DT-A2oHTWGRtNy4o5FT8FTUpI7J62EgXWw1yYxDGBaWJRSKBcNfWARnsYMha5Sn1CXOq_SvVKwx7AmMi5fLaR2nMqYx2UrdYIttEntUQr5os00/s320/20190323_113914.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground ivy</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghASXxKZIPm9LOYtfjNaPfQcV8Uf_nmTm5JGjX18Pt6SWQW-MGEWSQTZ0ZUSwfOjQrTpIBV0rmmKgqE2nAlqKCUnINLbNoNisav6CWGuWbNGucycxa18Mx0_Z3IZhn6oX4QeCNdV9nFdI/s4128/20210409_082954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghASXxKZIPm9LOYtfjNaPfQcV8Uf_nmTm5JGjX18Pt6SWQW-MGEWSQTZ0ZUSwfOjQrTpIBV0rmmKgqE2nAlqKCUnINLbNoNisav6CWGuWbNGucycxa18Mx0_Z3IZhn6oX4QeCNdV9nFdI/s320/20210409_082954.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground ivy on ash tree</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutnGg53a31zgYLKmAVbjHGjYd_fKSjD8Ctq1r19j0HEGWx99GxgRGc2_njX9LHQekDUfAGaZPwzoMDGidg3RYMAllNX6EH93GgGVN20WWYhF4da5Z8D31e1g9NeE3TFHMtmsrc2JCIDk/s4128/20210331_181602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutnGg53a31zgYLKmAVbjHGjYd_fKSjD8Ctq1r19j0HEGWx99GxgRGc2_njX9LHQekDUfAGaZPwzoMDGidg3RYMAllNX6EH93GgGVN20WWYhF4da5Z8D31e1g9NeE3TFHMtmsrc2JCIDk/s320/20210331_181602.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green alkanet</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUje23DIp8OinKv3vd3OysD1BLtNWQQEaSQI1BN2tewJ-bzFnsFE__giT6WL1PNwJeeGA1IW9dgeVYP_tZB-tVzDvVj1EJde16_2Ix3r2s7XrHhgmiQ-FbwEZGVxvQXIz4IKWjqgdbe4/s4128/20210416_094311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNUje23DIp8OinKv3vd3OysD1BLtNWQQEaSQI1BN2tewJ-bzFnsFE__giT6WL1PNwJeeGA1IW9dgeVYP_tZB-tVzDvVj1EJde16_2Ix3r2s7XrHhgmiQ-FbwEZGVxvQXIz4IKWjqgdbe4/s320/20210416_094311.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cowslip</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEagMor9COsefbJlDrqu6Us2smsTvl09kXMqtr0Um9-Kpk4_GpUliq3Fy52R8NupnmCdLNkxDwiteyL3saZ4NAN1CvYkLnwboR2rYU0mmndCM-3bkG1_VX6ww546HF2aX8bjxPx96HoqY/s4128/20210416_090439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4128" data-original-width="3096" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEagMor9COsefbJlDrqu6Us2smsTvl09kXMqtr0Um9-Kpk4_GpUliq3Fy52R8NupnmCdLNkxDwiteyL3saZ4NAN1CvYkLnwboR2rYU0mmndCM-3bkG1_VX6ww546HF2aX8bjxPx96HoqY/s320/20210416_090439.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuckooflower?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-5377254468228381752021-03-21T14:42:00.000-07:002021-03-21T14:42:15.793-07:00My life in forests<p> Today, the 21<sup>st</sup> of March, is the day designated
by the UN as International Day of Forests. I stumbled upon this piece of
information this morning, while researching forest-related issues for a future
blog post. A little more investigation of the UN calendar revealed that yesterday
was International Day of Happiness, another fact that had hitherto escaped my
notice. Now that I know about these important dates, I feel I should mark them –
and how better than with a celebration of the happiness that forests have given
me?</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I am a huge fan of forests. They are, almost without doubt,
my favourite place to hang out. Add some mountains (or at least hills), and a lake
or river, and I couldn’t be happier. Growing up in Auckland, I was always keen to
head west to the Waitakere Ranges for a day’s walking in the bush. Rolling down
the car window to get the first smell of it, getting out and heading down the
track, surrounded by a gorgeous abundance of trees, ferns, and mosses, a rich
mixture of different shades of green, whatever the season. Or better still,
leaving the track and heading up one of the many streams that cut their way
through the ranges. Wading (or occasionally swimming) through deep pools in
dark gorges and scrambling up beside waterfalls, grateful for the knobbly
surface of the volcanic rock. Clambering over massive logjams left over from
the days when nature was there to be conquered and no one thought twice about
cutting down a five-hundred-year-old tree. And always the bush around us – the tall
tree ferns, the graceful nikau palms, the straight, solid kauri. Bird song, friendly
fantails flitting around our heads, the occasionally whirr of wings when a
kereru, a fat wood pigeon, took flight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At twenty-one I left all this behind me to spend a year in
Berlin. Away from home for the first time, I threw myself in the city’s cultural
life, going to art galleries, theatres, operas, and concerts. I loved it. And
yet the happiest day of that entire year away was one spent at the other end of
Germany, in the Black Forest. While visiting a friend in Freiburg I took myself
up the hill nearest the town, armed with a sandwich and presumably some water,
and then kept on walking. Deciduous forest gave way to dark conifers growing on
steep slopes; the sun shone, but among the trees it was cool and quiet. I don’t
think I saw another person all day. I didn’t really know where I was – I didn’t
have a map, and this was years before smartphones and GPS systems – but it didn’t
worry me too much. I ended up in a sparsely populated valley some distance away
from Freiburg, found a bus stop, and was back in town by evening. A highly
satisfactory adventure.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My positive experience of big city life in Berlin encouraged
me to choose London for the next phase of my studies. Here, though, I quickly
found myself disenchanted with urban life and craving contact with nature. My
first year was spent in Mile End, where the nearest open space was the large
and beautifully tended Victoria Park. It was pleasant enough, but it wasn’t
wild. You can’t immerse yourself in nature in an urban park. Things improved
when we moved east to Leytonstone, and I could begin to explore the southern
reaches of Epping Forest – patches of woodland interspersed with meadows, not a
pristine wilderness but definitely less civilized than Victoria Park. And then at
some point I acquired a map and realized that a short trip by car or by Tube gave
me access to the beautiful beech forest further north, and all of a sudden life
in London became more tolerable.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Epping Forest was a lifesaver, particularly after the advent
of our children. Living in a two-bedroom flat with four small but lively
children, we were hugely grateful to be able to bundle them all into the car, drive
to Jack’s Hill near Theydon Bois, and head into the woods. We would leave the
main paths behind to ramble along narrow side tracks, or leave the paths altogether
and just take off cross-country. With small children in tow, we never covered
any large distances, but we didn’t have to go far to feel surrounded by nature.
Not untouched nature, granted, but nature that had been left for many years to
do its own thing. The splendid beech trees, once pollarded, then left to grow
uncut – their trunks smooth and grey, their leaves glossy green in summer, brilliantly
coloured in autumn, then falling and adding to the thick leaf litter covering
the ground, a warm brown brightening the forest in winter. Gnarled roots,
cushions of pale green moss. Little streams for the children to play in, fallen
trees for them to climb on when they were big enough. The occasional thrill of
spotting a deer. But mostly just trees, and space, and the restorative calm of
nature.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And now? Living in Chelmsford, I’m still within reach of Epping
Forest, but it’s a little far for regular excursions. The woods I have access
to near here are not as wild as the Waitakeres, not as vast and lofty as the Black
Forest, and not as ancient as Epping Forest, but they have their own appeal. To
the east of Chelmsford there are attractive areas of woodland around Danbury
and Little Baddow, mostly oak and hornbeam, with lovely displays of wood
anemones and bluebells in spring, leafy green shade in summer, vivid colours
and fascinating fungi in autumn. On the other side of Chelmsford is Writtle Forest,
dominated by sweet chestnut, more oak and hornbeam, and large herds of deer. These
are woods rather than forests, and they don’t always offer that truly immersive,
uplifting forest experience, but they’re enough to sustain me for the
time being.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So let’s raise a glass – or maybe a thermos flask – to forests.
Let’s look after them, wherever they are, and make sure they’re there for us humans, and for all the creatures that live in them, for many hundreds of years to come.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAQTMykT20SGeZb275YSSOZD9Y_7EH-VbMhL0VWKrSnSDBWfkhsjS2qZMwANaMeYM70_1pTHkTkaM6qGUh6ailOPMQ3hv5Hp4Lvk_A7of5vz-T6LgE07PgbpZUFE7nMY8GP81kWegM_g/s2048/P1010542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEAQTMykT20SGeZb275YSSOZD9Y_7EH-VbMhL0VWKrSnSDBWfkhsjS2qZMwANaMeYM70_1pTHkTkaM6qGUh6ailOPMQ3hv5Hp4Lvk_A7of5vz-T6LgE07PgbpZUFE7nMY8GP81kWegM_g/s320/P1010542.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiou0Qu00pSQAeWPCMtQeghNrq6ZmNg7W95wDamnTCGWZWMJMQQ9o-RXtieX0HI_9Qeu1Mj8bft6TIKEKTkbKJsPSD1HnQUUgDNk4YFVJU2loiaTTzKwIkGwWPez9cCIvbUgpxlO1zdREA/s2048/P1010539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiou0Qu00pSQAeWPCMtQeghNrq6ZmNg7W95wDamnTCGWZWMJMQQ9o-RXtieX0HI_9Qeu1Mj8bft6TIKEKTkbKJsPSD1HnQUUgDNk4YFVJU2loiaTTzKwIkGwWPez9cCIvbUgpxlO1zdREA/s320/P1010539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx49RELgLLGAgvoJgTIArP3x7iAiDMH2q1wvKqFFh1wPLv1ziPU30e-_16Xk3W-ZtZoTZ1jx-S8-7dXzl9diVGWMcKKnxXwrJqIbTmcSfvDQlVtHh1OOH3iz6IZafycwncW7S8pfxPxlc/s2048/P1010536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx49RELgLLGAgvoJgTIArP3x7iAiDMH2q1wvKqFFh1wPLv1ziPU30e-_16Xk3W-ZtZoTZ1jx-S8-7dXzl9diVGWMcKKnxXwrJqIbTmcSfvDQlVtHh1OOH3iz6IZafycwncW7S8pfxPxlc/s320/P1010536.JPG" /></a></div><br /><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-39425671620764212952021-03-09T06:37:00.002-08:002021-03-10T02:31:28.058-08:00Queen Charlotte<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_kFfqQd_c93vzj0kpHLg7p-Z8aWXNw58va6NdPKmpJXd1OKhh0BVSHr2m5vjvpE4k5OhvHq68qteFv5hv5y2hh8du8fHzacZwpHa70fvOY2QQyQ6MsnjKq7yQ2x3su-kfRRLWh04jZs/s2048/Charlotte+by+Natalie.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_kFfqQd_c93vzj0kpHLg7p-Z8aWXNw58va6NdPKmpJXd1OKhh0BVSHr2m5vjvpE4k5OhvHq68qteFv5hv5y2hh8du8fHzacZwpHa70fvOY2QQyQ6MsnjKq7yQ2x3su-kfRRLWh04jZs/w330-h440/Charlotte+by+Natalie.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;">Artwork by Natalie Eldred</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In my
previous post on </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Bridgerton</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> I commented on the anachronistic presence of black characters in British high society in 1813. This strikes me as a pleasing
fantasy, slightly marred by the attempt to give it a rational explanation: that
the marriage of the English king, George III, to a black woman, Charlotte, has
brought about racial equality and harmony. Here I’d like to focus on the precise
point in </span><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Bridgerton</i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> where history intersects with fantasy, the figure of
Queen Charlotte.</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 8.0cm;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Played
by biracial British actress Golda Rosheuvel, Charlotte is clearly central to the
vision of the show’s creators. Showrunner Chris van Dusen has been <a href="https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/treimaginingsv-movies/a34950295/queen-charlotte-bridgerton-real-person/" target="_blank">quoted</a> as
saying: “Queen Charlotte opened up an entirely new world for us. What really
struck me with the books [the novels by Julia Quinn on which the series is based] from the beginning is that this was an opportunity to
marry history and fantasy in a really exciting, interesting way. So in Queen
Charlotte, that was the history.” What he doesn’t mention is that while many of the other black characters are
reimaginings of white characters from the source novels, Queen
Charlotte does not feature in the books at all. So why has she been
introduced? <a href="https://laptrinhx.com/bridgerton-showrunner-chris-van-dusen-would-love-to-have-8-seasons-1505236341/" target="_blank">Another comment</a> by van Dusen sheds further light on this: “[…]
working closely with historians, I learned this really fascinating fact that
Queen Charlotte was England’s first queen of mixed race. That’s something that
many historians believe there’s evidence for today.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Historically,
this is highly questionable. The real Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was a fair-skinned
German princess, born of a long line of German dukes. She was brought to
England in 1761 at the age of seventeen, not speaking a word of English, to
marry a man she had never met, the young king George III. The wedding contract
was signed by her brother; history does not tell us what Charlotte thought
about it. Fortunately the couple got on well and evidently led a contented
domestic life for over twenty years, until the onset of George’s mental
illness. They produced fifteen children, from whom the current royals are
descended.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD_AUzsx7MJtRHiRV5N50gV2Lk0xfCU3iSmANXC3UAn13Bq6u2a-sLuSEne0b8_NVc547zAJHq3Sc2nz6-TrCF_reeFrzSfID47fnQj6KCmNbB-lf6Yy6pFAcEXUZsBlUoXS9xh9s0rk/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img alt="" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="429" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicD_AUzsx7MJtRHiRV5N50gV2Lk0xfCU3iSmANXC3UAn13Bq6u2a-sLuSEne0b8_NVc547zAJHq3Sc2nz6-TrCF_reeFrzSfID47fnQj6KCmNbB-lf6Yy6pFAcEXUZsBlUoXS9xh9s0rk/w286-h400/image.png" width="286" /></span></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;">Where did the rumour of Charlotte’s African heritage come from? It was first raised in the 1940s, inspired by this portrait of Charlotte by Allan Ramsay, and a comment by one of Charlotte’s contemporaries that her nostrils and mouth were too wide. In the 1990s, Charlotte was the subject of an <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/secret/famous/royalfamily.html#" target="_blank">article </a>written for American broadcaster PBS, part of a series looking at “blurred racial lines” in the genealogy of various figures in European history. According to the author, Mario de Valdes y Cocom, his research had revealed that Charlotte was “directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a black branch of the Portuguese Royal House”. In a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/27/britains-black-queen-will-meghan-markle-really-be-the-first-mixed-race-royal/" target="_blank">subsequent article</a> Valdes is quoted as mentioning an even earlier possible ancestor, a black Moor called Ouruana (also known as Mandragana or Madragana), mistress of the thirteenth-century Portuguese king Afonso III.</span><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Valdes’s assertions
have been convincingly refuted in a number of online articles. See for example history
writer </span><a href="https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/february-2020/the-mulatto-queen" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Lisa Hilton</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">,
anthropologist </span><a href=" http://acaciatreebooks.com/blog/royalty-race-and-the-curious-case-of-queen-charlotte/" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Jill Sudbury</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">,
or this very detailed anonymous </span><a href="http://correctingthenarrative.org/posts/queen-charlotte/#:~:text=One%20motivation%20for%20suggesting%20the,as%20Black%20based%20on%20appearance" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">essay</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.
The latter text actually examines and publishes some of Valdes’ purported
sources. And it includes both formal portraits of Charlotte and contemporary
caricatures, none of which give any suggestion of the “conspicuously negroid”
features identified by Valdes. Surely such a striking aspect of her appearance
would have been picked up and emphasized by the ruthless caricaturists of the
time? As well as noting the silence of her contemporaries on this issue, most critiques
of Valdes’s theory point out the lack of evidence for the ethnicity of the De
Souza family. But ultimately the crucial point is that even if Valdes is right,
these ancestors lived hundreds of years before Charlotte. So, to borrow a turn
of phrase from </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madragana" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, “it’s unlikely that [this] genetic inheritance would
have been significant enough to have any noticeable effect on her appearance.”</span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">The
surprising thing here is that a sketchy idea put forward by one person in an
online article has taken on such a life of its own. If you look up “Queen
Charlotte” online, you are more than likely to come away with the impression
that she was of African heritage. A Google search produces, as the second hit
after Charlotte’s Wikipedia entry, a <i>Guardian</i> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/12/race-monarchy" target="_blank">article </a>from 2009 entitled
“Was this Britain’s first black queen?”. Add “ancestry” as a search term and
this moves to the top of the list. Numerous online articles state that “some
historians” or even “many historians” believe Charlotte was mixed-race,
biracial, or black.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">The makers
of <i>Bridgerton </i>have picked up this theory and run with it. It’s easy to see why:
the notion that Charlotte was England’s “first black queen” or “first mix-raced
monarch” fits nicely into their project of celebrating diversity. Is there any
harm in this? On a certain level it can be regarded as harmless, perhaps even beneficial.
For black viewers who seldom see themselves in Regency dramas, and for black
actors who seldom secure leading roles in them, it’s a breakthrough. Golda
Rosheuvel, who plays Charlotte, <a href="https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/tv-movies/a35083112/bridgerton-race-historical-accuracy/" target="_blank">says </a>“I'm biracial. I was brought up in
England. My mother was crazy about period dramas, which made me crazy about
them. I never thought that I'd be able to be in one. It was something that was
far away. I couldn't touch it. Now we can rewrite that story for the little
girl who's sitting at home.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Is it not
small-minded and ungenerous for a white viewer who hasn’t had that particular experience
of invisibility to begrudge black viewers and actors this sense of euphoria at
black visibility? Surely, in the name of diversity, equality, and/or poetic
licence, the makers of televised fiction can do whatever they want with
history? Caitlin Moran, in her witty <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/caitlin-moran-bridgertons-sexy-history-lessons-nsjw9sfwg" target="_blank">review </a>of <i>Bridgerton</i>, lampoons the
hypocrisy of anyone complaining about the historical inaccuracy of including black
characters in the nineteenth-century British aristocracy. Why, she wonders,
does no one ever criticize costume dramas for showing characters with perfect, twenty-first-century
teeth?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">This
seems, on the surface at least, a fair point. It is unreasonable to expect an
escapist television show to offer a reliable history lesson. But does this mean
that any attempt to criticize fictionalized depictions of history is
fundamentally misguided? My feeling is that television has a strong influence
on public discourses about all kinds of things, including history, and that
this power brings a certain responsibility. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">The
problem is not so much <i>Bridgerton </i>itself as the way it interacts
with the public discourse about Charlotte. Far from admitting that the
depiction of the queen is essentially fictional, the show’s makers have perpetuated
the idea that it is (probably) a historical truth. As mentioned above, Chris
van Dusen has referred to Charlotte’s African ancestry as a “fascinating fact”,
and stated that “many historians” believe there is evidence for it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">This is
misleading. For most of us non-historians, depictions of historical figures on
TV and in film may well be the only insight we have into who they were, what
they did, and what they were like. Inevitably, historically inaccurate
depictions of such figures leave us with inaccurate perceptions of history. And
our perceptions of history – our beliefs about what has happened in the past – have
a significant influence on the way we feel and act in the present. All over the
world, countless modern-day conflicts are based on resentment about historical
injustices.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">By feeding
into the notion that there really was a mixed-race woman on the British throne in
the past, and that this has somehow been hushed up, <i>Bridgerton</i> confirms
the idea of a whitewashing of history. I’m not suggesting that the history of
black people in Britain and elsewhere hasn’t been suppressed, overlooked, or
misrepresented. Undoubtedly it has, along with other aspects of history. But
why base the right argument on the wrong evidence? Why not focus on true
stories that have been concealed or forgotten? Or create fictional characters whose
stories reflect the real historical background?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;">Frothy and frivolous as <i>Bridgerton</i> is, it raises some interesting questions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Artwork by Natalie Eldred, <a href="https://natalieeldred.uk/" target="_blank">https://natalieeldred.uk/</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: medium;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></div>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-49113694279889001092021-02-25T13:58:00.008-08:002021-03-22T12:54:34.236-07:00Fly-tipping<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Believe it or not, this isn’t a rubbish dump, it’s a river.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4ALNtdVeTy8bwPpcchG3YZfZibHx1oKNGdjKOY_pBYd3ojnEvX5XloQV7O6WouiHZ9o38CPdXPKm5t3uYFT_ocGVl8EmFot41RlQGAYpfHaiG5y8Gxn6IR3T9_z5RdAjCw40r-MtWEY/s1504/20210222_123948.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1504" data-original-width="1504" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4ALNtdVeTy8bwPpcchG3YZfZibHx1oKNGdjKOY_pBYd3ojnEvX5XloQV7O6WouiHZ9o38CPdXPKm5t3uYFT_ocGVl8EmFot41RlQGAYpfHaiG5y8Gxn6IR3T9_z5RdAjCw40r-MtWEY/w243-h243/20210222_123948.jpg" width="243" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMD4IuNravW2ip48ADATlJ9zD6uyScDPHgXS0DUvy57bKkcGPA3dre2KDKQA9zBnBsy39kuQ5PyLWOzd3LBC9itrz96urPfWYJaWzta7b8kwg7X47E59jIS5SrPW_LngUzNh3ePhug7r4/s1320/20210222_123931.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1320" data-original-width="1308" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMD4IuNravW2ip48ADATlJ9zD6uyScDPHgXS0DUvy57bKkcGPA3dre2KDKQA9zBnBsy39kuQ5PyLWOzd3LBC9itrz96urPfWYJaWzta7b8kwg7X47E59jIS5SrPW_LngUzNh3ePhug7r4/w240-h242/20210222_123931.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>The Wid is an unassuming little river flowing along a
shallow Essex valley. It rises in the village of Blackmore, flows south and
under the A12, and curves eastward and then northward, not far from the suburbs
of Billericay. It passes under the road between Ingatestone and the
neighbouring village of Stock, then proceeds in a generally north-eastern
direction parallel to the A12 and the railway line connecting London with East
Anglia. It doesn’t pass through any large or famous towns, and it disappears
from the map after converging with the river Can between Writtle and
Chelmsford. Unless you’re a local, you’ve probably never heard of it.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But the Wid has a certain charm. In most seasons it meanders
gently through the landscape, flanked by grasses and sedges, stands of willow, and
dense thickets of blackthorn. Once or twice a year, maybe more, it changes
character when a few days of rain transform it into a fierce, brown torrent.
This winter has been particularly wet, and the traces are still apparent:
flood-flattened vegetation stained with mud; bare, newly scoured sections of
riverbank. For the time being, though, the river is placid again. Soon the
blackthorn, now covered in tiny buds, will burst into bloom. Green fields
dotted with sheep and cattle, white blossom, birdsong: a walk along the Wid
will be an absolute delight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Except that it won’t, because at some point this winter
someone has tipped a lorry-load of rubbish into a ditch by the roadside, near
the picturesque bridge linking Stock Lane with Ingatestone Road. That ditch has
flooded, and hundreds of black plastic bin liners stuffed with rubbish have been
swept into the River Wid. There they’ve been snagged by submerged or overhanging
branches, and many have ripped open, spilling all manner of waste into the
river. The predominant item seems to be plastic bottles, but there are also
tyres, textiles, and other random objects. A spray bottle of blue cleaning
agent hangs from a branch. A pink plastic trug with one handle missing sits
incongruously on the footpath beside the river. Stray bottles litter the
adjoining field, where cows and their calves are grazing. In the river, every
twig and stem seems to be festooned with some item of waste. Shreds of black
bin liner and other unidentifiable plastics hang from the trees, clusters of bottles
and other rubbish have gathered in eddies. It’s an incredibly distressing
sight.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pkH5BZblR-Woepn_Kb_0RZwgY-H2kNWlsqPxSAa0yC9bL-pLE9dXqbugaaXCEQM-sK4rBvBugKaHgsH2uFOFZiCqVgzXDYDoYvBIxKvnPizgLUpBqK5eHY437hL6bwNn25YA4X18AxY/s1746/20210222_124719.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1746" data-original-width="1746" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pkH5BZblR-Woepn_Kb_0RZwgY-H2kNWlsqPxSAa0yC9bL-pLE9dXqbugaaXCEQM-sK4rBvBugKaHgsH2uFOFZiCqVgzXDYDoYvBIxKvnPizgLUpBqK5eHY437hL6bwNn25YA4X18AxY/s320/20210222_124719.jpg" /></a>I’ve reported this to the Environment Agency and sincerely
hope they’ll sort it out. It won’t be easy, though. This isn’t something an
enthusiastic band of volunteers could sort out on a Sunday afternoon. The river
isn’t navigable with any kind of boat, it may be too deep for wading, its banks
are steep and heavily vegetated, and above all, there are tangles of blackthorn
and willow in and above the water which make it extremely difficult to move in
any direction. There may even be hazardous waste – whoever dumped this rubbish
probably wasn’t too concerned about oil or chemicals finding their way into the
environment. So the clean-up will require time, agility, and the right equipment.
And even if the worst section is cleaned up, some of the waste is bound to have
escaped: some of those bottles will have bobbed down the Wid into the Can, then
down the Can into the Chelmer, and from there into the Blackwater Estuary and
eventually the North Sea.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Presumably whoever dumped this waste didn’t intend to have
it spread down a quarter of a mile of river and riverbank. But what did they
intend? Did they think a concerned member of the public would see the rubbish
near the roadside and report it to the council, and that the council would
clean it up? Or, given that it was most likely on private land, did they think the
landowner would deal with it? Perhaps this would have happened if nature hadn’t
intervened with a catastrophic flood. On the whole, though, we have to assume
that people who illegally dump waste by the roadside don’t really care what
happens to it, because even if the public is quick to report things and councils
and landowners are quick to act, there’s always a chance that the waste will be
dispersed by wind, traffic, or animals, and that some of it will remain in the
environment.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Can anything be done to prevent this kind of thing
happening? As individuals, all we can do (apart from reporting fly-tipping if
we see it) is dispose of our own waste responsibly. In the UK (or in Chelmsford
at least) we’re lucky to have effective kerbside rubbish collection and
recycling services and free municipal recycling centres where there’s an
appropriate place for everything. If we can’t take our rubbish to the tip
ourselves, then we need to double-check the credentials of anyone removing it
for us. If we’ve accumulated a front yard full of waste from a building project
or a house clear-out, and a friendly passer-by offers to dispose of it for fifty
quid, we should almost certainly say no.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sadly, however, there will always be people who don’t care
where their waste goes, as long as it doesn’t cost too much. In those cases we probably
have to rely on councils and landowners to put up cameras in popular
fly-tipping spots so the culprits can be caught and prosecuted. You never know,
it might deter others.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One thing that might have helped in this particular case
would have been the existence of a deposit scheme for plastic bottles. My theory
is that the rubbish currently clogging the Wid was dumped by (or on behalf of) a
dodgy landlord, clearing up after an untidy tenant. The tenant had a fondness
for fizzy drinks, and left hundreds of plastic bottles in the house. Now if
each of those bottles were worth twenty pence or more, what are the chances
that they would have been allowed to accumulate for so long? Isn’t there
someone in every family who needs a bit of extra cash for chocolate or
cigarettes or hair dye or fake eyelashes? I’m thinking children and teenagers
whose pocket money doesn’t quite go far enough – wouldn’t they be willing to scramble
around gathering up bottles, and take them to the local shop to collect the
deposit? If empty coke bottles were worth something, I’m certain that fewer
would end up on roadsides and in rivers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As for the Wid, I’ll be going back there over the next few
weeks to check whether the Environmental Agency or the local council has leapt
into action – and to see if the blackthorn is in bloom. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UidEh0UFPjFWDxFOAHxVzWjsVbRXSO3LeDFfnmbCcZtc4hmR07zZFGKu1vdNSV6n0TWhdIgyazJvTWZAYPLhVLqYWkRGD0OSkASAOjLs-iADXMbL0NW2GN4zu5ktFakbPMLhBuN5ANQ/s2048/20210319_110107.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UidEh0UFPjFWDxFOAHxVzWjsVbRXSO3LeDFfnmbCcZtc4hmR07zZFGKu1vdNSV6n0TWhdIgyazJvTWZAYPLhVLqYWkRGD0OSkASAOjLs-iADXMbL0NW2GN4zu5ktFakbPMLhBuN5ANQ/s320/20210319_110107.jpg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">22 March 2021: <b>UPDATE</b>: New rubbish has been dumped in the ditch next to the road. Not a large quantity, perhaps a van-load rather than a lorry-load; black bin bags full of domestic waste: pet food tins, plastic and cardboard food packaging.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I'm slightly less sure of my theory about where the original waste was dumped, because there's a lot of vegetation between this dumping spot and the river, and I'm not sure all those bags could have got through it. There's a much clearer ditch on the opposite side of the river, with less parking space but just enough room to stop, so that's also a possibility. I'm also less sure about my house-clearance theory - the new rubbish is just everyday household waste. Is it being dumped because whoever produced it couldn't be bothered sorting it, and couldn't fit it into their grey 'non-recyclables' bin? It's puzzling.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As for the rubbish in the river, it's still there. The pink trug has been moved to the side of the path, but apart from that, not much has changed. The blackthorn isn't out yet, but there are patches of lesser celandine creating cheerful splashes of yellow among the rubbish on the riverbanks. If anyone is going to attempt a riverbank clean-up, this would be the time, before the nettles and brambles grow up and make it impossible to see and/or reach.</p><p class="MsoNormal">I've reported the new fly tipping to Brentwood Council, and I've spoken to the Environment Agency again. They've just got back to me to say that the matter has been handed over to the local councils. To make matters more complicated, it seems Chelmsford Council is responsible for one side of the river, and Brentwood for the other. Sounds like a recipe for inaction, especially as the worst of the rubbish is in the middle of the river. But let's hope I'm wrong!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jmhlSbrcvxbl_6nWVaLUMWFC5P1BfPLE64W2BQeJa9y6D3oWXk8fX8HP1k1sV8cie5YJ4PEfF98PjUwybEjMnJBa_sy5mIaE0T2VPqBCZnmEDZbbbB6GrKd3EjDbQuY_VLuzu9Sln7E/s1024/20210319_113016.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="734" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jmhlSbrcvxbl_6nWVaLUMWFC5P1BfPLE64W2BQeJa9y6D3oWXk8fX8HP1k1sV8cie5YJ4PEfF98PjUwybEjMnJBa_sy5mIaE0T2VPqBCZnmEDZbbbB6GrKd3EjDbQuY_VLuzu9Sln7E/s320/20210319_113016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MQ38KdJN-kTcPvDrxYCVgPHzHheXWaQpcxXSzcSODKYuzMl5Uw2F2eSgxSl2qN268bW6HlWjPT9HzuJIG4mu1D0F2HiJh2dQDWa-TESKur7zTDYMoL8KVbS71YqljU6oyuh8BS95zSs/s2048/20210319_112446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4MQ38KdJN-kTcPvDrxYCVgPHzHheXWaQpcxXSzcSODKYuzMl5Uw2F2eSgxSl2qN268bW6HlWjPT9HzuJIG4mu1D0F2HiJh2dQDWa-TESKur7zTDYMoL8KVbS71YqljU6oyuh8BS95zSs/s320/20210319_112446.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTj5lGOs6G9Amk8RCrhwQiMNLCFFhkTHBtNaMrw3EsO9mRUfpPA0U3QUdDX2oV7ThnZY6BxvE8Hl5eKRvDIgtvfq1B7EMyzpu2HUbmhapT7N0ry7vLjhZ4du-5qVfplI1X7-oxJVxOM58/s1024/20210319_111230.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTj5lGOs6G9Amk8RCrhwQiMNLCFFhkTHBtNaMrw3EsO9mRUfpPA0U3QUdDX2oV7ThnZY6BxvE8Hl5eKRvDIgtvfq1B7EMyzpu2HUbmhapT7N0ry7vLjhZ4du-5qVfplI1X7-oxJVxOM58/s320/20210319_111230.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02hrh80Te7_P-8pNfJ2lboo4OJxniQr-U_hwBeswXAe8RAI8dgtkT2X54CNIMc8wV-tQs0sPFbyBwRxDPCeOCaeUBNQrHmFRdTZvqyB9yERVv6ZXDq59eqT43sTVD2AJEQQPKXgRBLL0/s1024/20210319_112411.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02hrh80Te7_P-8pNfJ2lboo4OJxniQr-U_hwBeswXAe8RAI8dgtkT2X54CNIMc8wV-tQs0sPFbyBwRxDPCeOCaeUBNQrHmFRdTZvqyB9yERVv6ZXDq59eqT43sTVD2AJEQQPKXgRBLL0/s320/20210319_112411.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWikvQWl-G10rMJ4l_HwtEXShn73roRmTHcAckBdogVKJ2m4X1lMkxNAz4vpa3n0l-Pl0fMllWwG77naHEOnWomHIY2W215H33c11GXXiqQbQr1ksL2PaQEB6JNyGz6oDC49-Zglm0Hto/s1024/20210319_112421.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="968" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWikvQWl-G10rMJ4l_HwtEXShn73roRmTHcAckBdogVKJ2m4X1lMkxNAz4vpa3n0l-Pl0fMllWwG77naHEOnWomHIY2W215H33c11GXXiqQbQr1ksL2PaQEB6JNyGz6oDC49-Zglm0Hto/w249-h264/20210319_112421.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITvxYWKGZONWNAXnukcZxetvhJhq3EOljg1NCrGQxBLDZD37CP9G8GxF9Q4ZTjmLgSMNiDKq-IAMH8kkYa_ZU23hRcLu8k8QbS9Rdyi1b2Mct2td_rj7MhiXBGohJ_-bjBUA0DsgCsIA/s1024/20210319_112819.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="644" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjITvxYWKGZONWNAXnukcZxetvhJhq3EOljg1NCrGQxBLDZD37CP9G8GxF9Q4ZTjmLgSMNiDKq-IAMH8kkYa_ZU23hRcLu8k8QbS9Rdyi1b2Mct2td_rj7MhiXBGohJ_-bjBUA0DsgCsIA/s320/20210319_112819.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-TFr4YD9ChalHxTaaG8DzMvM8tKMNt8_ayERtdhZ-oIXM7worimqXuNkA5HfkywPUq17yJW_13OWlD3s4Wynuetqc4haVfESQj-UCjUf9DEXN9TOjtlPN5poVFRDzs86ufPLpkwKbNw/s2048/20210319_111502.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM-TFr4YD9ChalHxTaaG8DzMvM8tKMNt8_ayERtdhZ-oIXM7worimqXuNkA5HfkywPUq17yJW_13OWlD3s4Wynuetqc4haVfESQj-UCjUf9DEXN9TOjtlPN5poVFRDzs86ufPLpkwKbNw/w204-h271/20210319_111502.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4508306465646151281.post-26245518971991250652021-02-09T12:39:00.002-08:002021-02-18T05:55:54.316-08:00Bridgerton<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Within a month of its release on Christmas Day 2020, <i>Bridgerton</i>
had been streamed by 82 million households worldwide, making it Netflix’s most-watched
series ever. How are we to explain this extraordinary success? I have investigated.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Bridgerton</i> offers much to please the eyes and the
heart. The hero, Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings, is undeniably handsome. The
heroine, Daphne Bridgerton, starts off as an innocuously pretty ingénue and graduates
to a luminously beautiful bride as the series progresses. The build-up of lust
and longing between them is a pleasure to watch. The colours are bold, the costumes
gorgeous, the decors sumptuous. There’s sexual tension. There’s sex. In short,
there’s plenty to enjoy.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There’s also plenty to quibble at. <i>Bridgerton</i> is not
subtle, for a start. Many of its characters are overdrawn to the point of
caricature, and the dialogue is often clunky and clichéd. It signals its
messages very obviously. Women are oppressed, prevented from making their own
choices in life. Society upholds a sexual double standard, allowing gentlemen
to sow their wild oats while their sisters must remain chaste. A lady’s fragile
reputation is ruined if she is so much as seen unchaperoned in the company of a
man.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The clearest illustration of this patriarchal double
standard is the heroine’s brother, Anthony Bridgerton. Left as head of the
family after his father’s death, he struggles to impose his authority on his
mother and siblings. When we first glimpse him he is engaged in upright outdoor
sex with a lusty brunette – his opera-singer mistress – when he should be attending
to family duties. Later, he speaks of his obligation to find a suitable match
for his sister Daphne and protect her virtue. His lover notes with envy that
not every woman is afforded such gallant protection, to which he replies: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Every woman is not a lady”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Back home, Anthony’s efforts to do his duty also cause much
distress: he finds fault with almost all Daphne’s suitors, but inexplicably
accepts an offer from the deeply unattractive Nigel Berbrooke. Daphne’s
reluctance is irrelevant. It is only after learning that Berbrooke has made an
attempt on his sister’s honour that Anthony loses enthusiasm for the match. Despite
his smouldering good looks, slightly reminiscent of Colin Firth as Mr Darcy (or
is it just the hair?), Anthony’s pompous, misguided attempts at playing
paterfamilias turn him into something of a villain.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At times, the plight of oppressed women is overshadowed by another
message, less explicitly stated but no less obvious: that good taste goes hand
in hand with virtue, and that bad taste is almost as contemptible as
immorality. This is exemplified by the contrast between the Bridgerton family
and their neighbours, the Featheringtons.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The series begins as the season’s debutantes prepare for
their presentation to the queen. In the Featherington household, older sister
Prudence is being laced into her stays, ever tighter, while the voiceover (soon
revealed to be the commentary of the mysterious, pseudonymous gossip columnist,
Lady Whistledown) introduces the Featherington daughters as “Three misses,
foisted upon the marriage market like sorrowful sows by their tasteless,
tactless mama”.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cut to the elegant, wisteria-clad house across the square,
home of the Bridgertons, where all is good taste and clean family fun. A clutch
of perfectly handsome sons and perfectly beautiful daughters (as noted by Lady
Whistledown), only one of whom is to be thrown upon the marriage market this
season. As the three Featherington girls are squashed onto the seat of a slightly
too-small carriage, opposite cross mama and indifferent papa, the Bridgerton
carriage – despite the presence of mother and three younger sisters – gives debutante
Daphne ample space for her tasteful gown and perfectly balanced tiara, and no
family squabbles distract her from gazing in wide-eyed wonder at the view. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the palace, the three Featherington misses make an
undignified attempt to squeeze simultaneously through the door of the queen’s
audience room. Even the official announcing their names seems to feel their
number is excessive. Herded forward by mama, they curtsy inelegantly to the
bored monarch, and one – perhaps the too-tightly-laced Prudence – faints dead
away, eliciting a faint expression of disgust from queen and courtiers. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">No such jostling for Daphne: her entrance is graceful, her
curtsy elegant; she radiates purity and loveliness. The jaded queen stands and
walks toward her, raises her demurely dropped chin, places a kiss upon her
forehead, and declares her flawless.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnlXpsIrGkpwsMrVyXN4o7dpQFPS4-hbiMVxP3YC4OhuoR-XO5aZfDlhSry9s3W9T-I3W0G7_Bqq770CCDs8D80MVRRIeb8bqit8n_R7Ck9M-3bS0ZR24cTqYIb-zIhLVw4Bu8LUWGnI/s1988/Penelope.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1988" data-original-width="1920" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdnlXpsIrGkpwsMrVyXN4o7dpQFPS4-hbiMVxP3YC4OhuoR-XO5aZfDlhSry9s3W9T-I3W0G7_Bqq770CCDs8D80MVRRIeb8bqit8n_R7Ck9M-3bS0ZR24cTqYIb-zIhLVw4Bu8LUWGnI/s320/Penelope.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #999999;"><i>Artwork by Natalie Eldred</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />In short, Daphne is an object of admiration, envy, and
desire, while the Featherington girls inspire at best pity, at worst sniggers
of scorn. They are essentially a foil for her beauty, a bit of comic relief.
One of my most enduring images of <i>Bridgerton</i> is that of the chubby and
querulous red-headed Penelope Featherington, squeezed into a series of
unbecoming pink and yellow dresses by her tasteless mama, and trying
desperately to rescue the object of her affections from the schemes of a
prettier rival. The cards are stacked against Penelope from the start. She does
eventually extricate her beloved – the bland and oblivious Colin Bridgerton –
from romantic peril, but has no chance of winning him any time soon. Poor
Penelope.<o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Besides its simplistic messages and its casual cruelty
towards redheads, there is something a little disconcerting about <i>Bridgerton’s</i>
treatment of race. The novels on which it is based, by American writer Julia
Quinn, depict the lives of the white upper classes in Regency London; the
hero’s icy blue eyes are a key feature. The TV series casts some of the key
characters as Black, most notably the leading man Simon, his mentor Lady
Danbury, and Queen Charlotte (who does not feature in the novels). People of
other ethnicities also appear occasionally at the margins of the action.
Initially this appears to be a case of non-traditional or colour-blind casting
– race is simply not mentioned. But then, twenty minutes into episode four,
when Simon has ended his friendship with Daphne and is on the point of leaving
England, Lady Danbury reminds him that it is love that has “allowed a new day
to begin to dawn” in British society. “Look at our queen. Look at our king.
Look at their marriage. Look at everything it is doing for us, allowing us to
become. We were two separate societies, divided by colour, until a king fell in
love with one of us.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The action moves on, and there is no further discussion of
the matter in this or subsequent episodes. Yet the presence of this isolated explanation,
this shift from colour-blind fantasy to revised history, draws attention to its
own plausibility, its internal coherence. Could such a transformation have been
achieved within the reign of a single monarch? Does the extraordinary wealth of
Simon’s family, the grand house in London, the even more spectacular country
mansion, match this narrative of newly acquired privilege? Were it not for Lady
Danbury’s speech, we could simply enjoy seeing ethnically diverse actors on
screen in a lavish Regency romance, without worrying about the whys and
wherefores. Might it not have been better to leave this altogether undiscussed
rather than to raise it so fleetingly?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Such quibbles aside, there is no doubting the hero’s appeal.
Simon has overcome a lonely and difficult childhood (we are left in no doubt as
to just how lonely and how difficult it was) to become an astonishingly well-adjusted
adult. Tall, strong, handsome, and fabulously wealthy, he is the prize every
match-making mama dreams of. But there’s a catch: he has sworn, at the deathbed
of his despised father, never to marry or to sire an heir. Will Daphne be the
one to overcome his resolution?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Various classic scenes show the growing attraction between
them. Dancing at a society ball, the two gradually move closer, and Simon’s hand
(bruised from punching the persistent and ungentlemanly suitor Berbrooke) moves
up from the back of Daphne’s dress to rest, momentarily, on her bare skin.
There is a moment of great sweetness where the two stand side-by-side to discuss
a painting, and their hands move almost involuntarily into a quick clasp that
leaves them both breathless. And then there is the occasional departure from
the traditional script. Desperate for a little information, Daphne asks Simon
what goes on in a marriage. Rather unexpectedly, he suggests it is a natural
extension of what happens at night, “When you touch yourself. You do… touch
yourself?” Faced by her obvious bewilderment, he gives a quick set of
instructions. She follows these at the next opportunity, to very satisfactory
results. The subject matter of this conversation seems highly unlikely – would
a nineteenth-century gentleman, even one with the reputation of a rake, see
marital sex as a continuation of masturbation? And would anyone assume a
well-bred young lady was enjoying herself alone in bed? But the dialogue is
delightfully sexy: promenading in a public park, the two are just out of
earshot of their chaperones, and have to stand mere inches apart to hear each
other – cue close-ups of hungry eyes and trembling lips. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There is much to unpick and discuss about <i>Bridgerton</i>’s
sexual politics and its treatment of history – and I may return to this – but
in the end the question of its appeal is not difficult to answer. The romance
between Simon and Daphne, moving not altogether unpredictably from sham
flirtation to genuine affection and attraction, is the beating heart of the
series and the main reason to overlook its many absurdities and keep watching. It
will be interesting to see whether the second season will find an equally
compelling central thread, and satisfy the viewers pulled in by season one. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">Artwork by Natalie Eldred, <a href="https://natalieeldred.uk/" target="_blank">https://natalieeldred.uk/</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>Nicola Barfoothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00262087530497460640noreply@blogger.com1