WE are having several things foisted upon us by a government intent on overriding both scientific and local opinion.

Badger culling, now quarry expansion, fracking and nuclear power.

I am sure the few Forest badgers left in their setts would vote against earthquakes and landslips caused when fracking and blasts cause their roofs to fall in.

However, we mere voters seem to be ignored by the political establishment which erroneously assumes all opposition is wrong on any grounds and can be ignored.

Let us imagine a none- too-distant scenario in which the highly faulted geology of the Forest is fracked, weakening and extending further many existing fissures in the bedrocks, coupled with the extensive blasting at a massive Clearwell quarry also driving destabilising shockwaves through the ground.

What better place to put a series of new nuclear power stations than on the Oldbury nuclear site just a few miles from these activities?

Let us remind ourselves of the twice-daily tides and general sea levels rising to also threaten that site.

As we have recently, and incredibly, learned the local authorities have zero plans to alert us about escaping radioactivity from any mishap at any existing, let alone new, local nuclear facility.

The sheer idiocy of these political decisions is so dangerous as to be criminal.

We sit idly by at our collective peril.

We need to arm ourselves with the facts about all such activities for our, our children’s and future generations’ sakes.

We have just been told that Gloucestershire can produce a large proportion of its own energy from renewable sources.

We do not even need these dangerous developments.

We can learn from the people of Lancashire who have rejected fracking on ‘solid’ scientific grounds.

So, too, can we learn from the homeless from Fukushima who have powerfully said ‘no’ to the dangers of nuclear generation and its long-term wastes.

We have the opportunity to see films of the plight and actions of people in India to counter their own government’s intentions to start more flawed reactors at Jaitapur.

Come for free to the Watney Hall, Hill Street, Lydney on September 29 at 7.30pm to meet the film-maker Pradeep Indulkar himself and learn about their tragedy and how they are planning to survive despite their own government’s indifference.

The STAND group, www.nuclearsevernside.co.uk, can give us much information to help persuade our local politicians of the dangers of their actions.

Do come, learn and make waves. We do not need to let any of these madnesses happen here.

– WR Otto, Parkend